Beginning at 197 lbs., James Benjamin set the tone for the afternoon when he stunned Shawn Scott - pinning the nation's 16th-ranked wrestler at the 2:12 mark. It was Benjamin's fourth pin of the season and 14th win of the year.
Jake Gunning won a dominant 8-1 decision over Arthur Bruce at 285 to extend the UB lead to 9-0. Gunning improved to 15-9 on the season with the win.
The most excited match of the day was at 125 lbs., when Kyle Akins came from behind to defeat Alijah Jeffrey. Akins trailed by two in the waining seconds before earning a two-point take down moments before the buzzer to tie the match and send it to overtime. Akins earned a two-point takedown early in overtime for the sudden victory.
Bryan Lantry earned a win by forfeit after Northern Illinois' wrestler failed to make weight. The win gave the Bulls an 18-0 overall lead.
However, Northern Illinois (6-9, 1-6 MAC) won the next four matches, two by major decision, to cut the UB lead to 17-16, with one match remaining. UB's hopes rode on Joe Ariola at 184 lbs. The redshirt-sophomore, and Illinois native, responded by earning a 6-1 decision over Quinton Rosser in the final match of the day – giving the victory to the Bulls.
"This win was huge for our program," head coach John Stutzman said. "Our guys have really bought into the system. They haven't waivered, even though it's been tough at times. It's a huge testament to these kids and it goes to show that our program isn't dead. We're starting to thrive and it's getting fun."
The Bulls improved to 10-8 on the season, ensuring their first winning season since 2011. UB is 2-5 in conference action, the first time it has won multiple MAC matches in five years.
The Bulls will close out the regular season on Friday night when they host Northern Iowa at Alumni Arena.
Results:
197: James Benjamin (UB) won by fall over #16 Shawn Scott (NIU), 2:12
285: Jake Gunning (UB) won by decision over Connor Calkins (BU), 5-3
125: Kyle Akins (UB) won by sudden victory over Alijah Jeffery (NIU), 8-6
133: Bryan Lantry (UB) won by forfeit, 6-0
141: #15 Steve Bleise (NIU) won by decision over Brandon Lapi (UB), 10-7
157: Andrew Morse (NIU) won by major decision over Alex Smythe (UB), 9-0
165: Shaun-Qau McMurtry (NIU) won decision over Rrok Ndokaj (UB), 7-4
174: Trace Engelkes (NIU) won by major decision over Tyler Rill (UB), 12-4
184: Joe Ariola (UB) won by decision over Quinton Rosser (NIU), 6-1
Recommended Comments
There are no comments to display.
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now