"The guys were focused and aggressive," said NIU head coach Ryan Ludwig. "We were working to improve in all positions and score bonus when possible. That's the competitive fire we want. It was a good day, but we've got improvements to make as we head into our next match."
The Huskies defeated Clarion, Buffalo and SIUE to improve to 6-2 on the season and 5-2 in MAC action. Of NIU's 30 bouts, 12 gave the Huskies bonus points. Bryce West, Izzak Olejnik, Mason Kauffman, Brit Wislon and Max Ihry each went 3-0 on the afternoon.
NIU opened the day with a dominating 35-3 victory over Clarion, winning the first eight matches. Following Lucian Brink's win at 125, West set the tone for the day with an 18-3 tech fall win at 133. Following wins by Caleb Brooks, Jaivon Jones and Anthony Gibson, Olejnik scored his first of two pins on the afternoon at 165. Major decision wins by Wilson and Ihry closed out the match for the Huskies over the Golden Eagles.
The Huskies got off to a slow start against Buffalo, dropping two of the first three bouts before winning the final seven bouts of the match and defeating the Bulls, 30-7. Trailing 7-6 after four, Gibson gave NIU a lead it would not relinquish with a 5-4 win at 157. Olejnik posted a second period fall, while Wilson earned a 15-0 tech fall at 184. Gage Braun took his first match of the day with a 6-2 win at 197 and Ihry capped the match with a 3-1 decision.
SIUE, looking to avenge a 19-16 setback to NIU on the opening weekend, came out strong winning three of the first five bouts to open a 10-9 lead. However, the Huskies turned it on in the second half of the match. Olejnik, Wilson and Braun all won their contests by major decision, while Mason Kauffman and Ihry battled to 3-2 and 3-1 victories, respectively, to give NIU a 27-10 win and complete the sweep.
NIU returns to the mat Friday, Feb. 5 when the Huskies play host to Northern Iowa at the Convocation Center. The match begins at 7 p.m. and will be shown on NIUTube.
NIU 35, Clarion, 3
125: Lucian Brink (NIU) dec. Cam Butler (CU), 8-6
133: Bryce West (NIU) tech fall Hunter Verge (CU), 18-3
141: Caleb Brooks (NIU) dec. Kyle Schickel (CU), SV-1 12-8
149: Javion Jones (NIU) dec. Seth Koleno (CU), 10-4
157: Anthony Gibson (NIU) dec. Tate Ortz (CU), 8-2
165: Izzak Olejnik (NIU) fall Kolby Ho (CU), 5:02
174: Mason Kauffman (NIU) dec. Caleb Hetrick (CU), 3-2
184: Brit Wilson (NIU) maj. dec. Luke Funck (CU), 14-1
197: Greg Bulsak (CU) dec. Gage Braun (NIU), 5-2
285: Max Ihry (NIU) maj. dec. Jackson Talbott (CU), 11-2
NIU 30, Buffalo 7
125: Tristan Daugherty (UB) dec. Lucian Brink (NIU), 6-4
133: Bryce West (NIU) maj. dec. Tommy Maddox (UB), 14-2
141: Derek Spann or Matt Ryan (UB) maj. dec. Caleb Brooks (NIU), 8-0
149: Anthony Cheloni (NIU) dec. Ben Freeman (UB), 7-3
157: Anthony Gibson (NIU) dec. Michael Petite (UB), 5-4
165: Izzak Olejnik (NIU) fall Noah Grover (UB), 5:27
174: Mason Kauffman (NIU) dec. Marcuse Petite (UB), 5-2
184: Brit Wilson (NIU) tech fall. Giuseppe Hoose (UB), 15-0
197: Gage Braun (NIU) dec. Sam Mitchell (UB), 6-2
285: Max Ihry (NIU) dec. Taylor Cahill (UB), 3-1
NIU 27, SIUE 10
125: Austin Macias (SIUE) dec. Lucian Brink (NIU), 8-6
133: Bryce West (NIU) won by forfiet
141: Saul Ervin (SIUE) dec. Caleb Brooks (NIU), 5-2
149: Anthony Cheloni (NIU) dec. Cardeionte Wilson (SIUE), 9-2
157: Justin Ruffin (SIUE) maj. dec. Anthony Gibson (NIU), 11-2
165: Izzak Olejnik (NIU) maj. dec. Chase Diehl (SIUE), 10-1
174: Mason Kauffman (NIU) dec. Kevin Gschwendtner (SIUE), 3-2
184: Brit Wilson (NIU) maj. dec. Sergio Villalobos (SIUE), 22-8
197: Gage Braun (NIU) maj. dec. Austin Andres (SIUE), 10-2
285: Max Ihry (NIU) dec. Aric Bohn (SIUE), 3-1
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