The Huskies (10-11, 2-5 MAC) won seven of the 10 bouts on the night against the Bulls (5-14, 0-8 MAC), including a pin from senior Derek Elmore (Loves Park, Ill./Harlem) and major decisions by Jordan Northrup (Machesney Park, Ill./Harlem) and Andrew Morse (Alto, Mich./Lowell).
"It was great," said NIU Head Coach Ryan Ludwig. "It was great for the team. It was great for the guys, especially the seniors. Tyler Argue learned a few lessons he needs to know before going into (the MAC Championships). Derek Elmore, to come out against an opponent that has beaten him before, to perform like that was awesome."
Northrup got the Huskies off to a fast start against Sean Peacock at 133. Courtesy of two three-point nearfalls, the redshirt freshman raced out to an 11-1 lead midway through the second period. Though Peacock got a few points back in the third, Northrup still emerged with a 13-5 major decision.
UB rallied in the next two bouts for a 6-4 lead. Senior Tyler Argue (Matteson, Ill./Mt. Carmel) dropped a 9-4 decision to Colt Cotton at 141, while Austin Culton (Sycamore, Ill./Sycamore) suffered a 8-3 loss against Jason Estevez.
However, the Huskies rallied to reclaim the lead before the intermission. Morse dominated Ryan Kromer at 157 en route to a 13-0 major decision. At 165, Shaun'Qae McMurtry (Lockport, Ill./Lockport Twp.) built up a quick 5-0 lead thanks to a takedown and three nearfall points, but fought off Rrok Ndokaj's comeback to score an 8-7 win.
Trace Engelkes (Winnebago, Ill./Winnebago) kept the NIU momentum going at 174 with a 6-2 win over Wally Maziarz. Tied 2-2 with less than 30 seconds left in regulation, Engelkes nailed a takedown and added two nearfall points for insurance. Yet, UB got back on the board with Quinton Rosser's (Cincinnati, Ohio/Archbishop Moeller) 13-5 major decision loss to Joe Ariola.
Holding a slim 14-10 lead, the Huskies denied the Bulls' comeback hopes. Shawn Scott (Holly, Mich./Holly) scored a 9-5 decision over James Benjamin at 197, while Arthur Bunce (Munith, Mich./Dansville) rode out Mike Silvis at heavyweight for a 2-0 win to clinch the dual.
Though the meet was already in hand, Elmore ended the night with a bang at 125. Facing off against UB's own senior and 20-win 125-pounder in Max Soria, the NIU senior turned the tables quickly on Soria with a takedown that put the Bull on his back. With Soria in a predicament, Elmore finished the task and stuck his opponent to put an exclamation point on the win.
"That was extremely impressive and something huge for him to hang his hat on," Ludwig said. "In terms of looking back on memories at NIU, that's going to be a great, great memory for him going down the line. Very proud of his effort and very proud of him going out and attacking, not waiting around for the other guy, but going out on his attack."
Results:
133: Jordan Northrup (NIU) maj. dec. Sean Peacock (UB), 13-5
141: Colt Cotton (UB) dec. Tyler Argue (NIU), 9-4
149: Jason Estevez (UB) dec. Austin Culton (NIU), 8-3
157: Andrew Morse (NIU) maj. dec. Ryan Kromer (UB), 13-0
165: Shaun'Qae McMurtry (NIU) dec. Rrok Ndokaj (UB), 8-7
174: Trace Engelkes (NIU) dec. Wally Maziarz (UB), 6-2
184: Joe Ariola (UB) maj. dec. Quinton Rosser (NIU), 13-5
197: Shawn Scott (NIU) dec. James Benjamin (UB), 9-5
285: Arthur Bunce (NIU) dec. Mike Silvis (UB), 2-0
125: Derek Elmore (NIU) pins Max Soria (UB), 1:58
The Huskies wrap up the regular season Sunday, Feb. 22, when they host #21 Old Dominion at 2 p.m. in Victor E. Court.
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