Four members of NIU's class hail from the "Land of Lincoln" including: Bryan O'Connor (Carol Stream/Glenbard North), John Odeen (Coal City/Coal City), Scott Penny (Granite City/Granite City) and Zachary Taylor (Machesney Park, Ill./Harlem). A trio of Huskie signees come from out of state: Garrett James (Kewanna, Ind./Culver Academy), Lance Wade (Islip, N.Y./Islip) and Timothy Wunnicke (Dodgeville, Wis./Ithaca).
"I am excited about signing seven student-athletes during the early period," said head coach Dave Grant. "These individuals are quality people on and off the mat. They have strong academic records and are quality athletes. Quite a few of these wrestlers are from the state, which has always been our recruiting base. We are really pleased to bring in so many outstanding student-athletes."
Below is a bio on each of the seven signees.
Garrett James
Kewanna, Ind./Culver Academy
High School: Transferred to Culver Academy from Rochester but not was allowed to compete * ISWA State Champion at 145 pounds as junior * Finished 45-4 and was sixth in state at 125 pounds as sophomore * Captained team and earned team MVP while leading squad in team points, falls and takedowns during both junior and sophomore seasons * Went 37-4 and was state qualifier as freshman at 112 pounds * Member of the Indiana Junior National Duals Team after junior year * Wrestled for Team Indiana Freestyle and Team Indiana Greco-Roman after both freshman and junior years * Wrestled in the Liberty Nationals.
Bryan O'Connor
Carol Stream, Ill./Glenbard North
High School: Went 45-5 at 152 and was DuPage Valley Conference champion, regional champion and placed second at sectional as junior * Finished third at IHSA championships * Earned coaches' award and was co-captain during junior campaign * Posted 37-9 mark at 135 as sophomore and won conference, regional and sectional titles * Team was IHSA runner-up during sophomore season * Was 39-9 at 119 as freshman and placed second in conference * Won regional championship and placed fourth at sectional meet during first year as prep * Wrestled at the 2005 and 2006 Junior National Championships for Team Illinois.
John Odeen
Coal City, Ill./Coal City
High School: Posted 39-2 record and earned state championship at 130 pounds as junior * Runner up at the NHSCA Junior National Championship in Pittsburgh during the spring of 2006 ... Claimed conference, regional, and sectional titles as junior while serving as team captain and earning the team award for most points * Finished 31-9 and placed second in Interstate 8 Conference and finished as runner up at regional, sectional and state meets as sophomore at 119 pounds * Two-time Interstate 8 academic all-conference selection * Went 39-6 while wrestling for West Liberty (Iowa) High School * Won conference, regional and sectional titles and finished the season by placing fifth at state.
Scott Penny
Granite City, Ill./Granite City
High School: Enters senior campaign with 120 career victories and 67 pins * Team captain went 47-2 with 31 pins at 189 as junior and finished third at IHSA championships * Named Wrestler of the Year by Belleville News-Democrat and was first-team all-conference selection * Won the William Schmidt Holiday Tournament and finished second at the Bi-State Tournament * Posted 42-8 record with 21 pins and was first-team all-conference and IHSA qualifier as sophomore ... Recorded 31-14 varsity record with 15 pins and was first-team all-conference selection at 171 during freshman year * Three-time recipient of school's wrestling award for pride, dedication and hustle * Named to USA Junior National All-Dual Team in 2006 * Two-time Illinois Greco Champion at 189.
Zachary Taylor
Machesney Park, Ill./Harlem
High School: Went 41-3 and won NIC-9 title and placed fifth at state at 119 pounds * Set school's single-season pin record with 29 and was champion and MVP of Hoffman Estates Meet * First-team all-conference selection, regional and sectional champion and was team's most valuable wrestler * Posted 36-1 record and was conference champion and state runner-up as sophomore * Named team's most valuable wrestler, was all-conference selection and regional and sectional champion * Went 38-4 and won conference and regional titles before finishing as runner-up in sectional and as state qualifier during freshman year *Named first-team all-conference during initial prep season.
Lance Wade
Islip, N.Y./Islip
High School: Went 35-2 and won conference and regional championships before finishing as state runner-up at 152 pounds * Team captain and was named all-conference while helping lead team to runner-up finish at state meet * Posted 32-4 mark and was conference champion and regional runner-up as sophomore at 135 pounds * All-conference selection after sophomore season * Three-time New York State Freestyle Champion.
Timothy Wunnicke
Dodgeville, Wis./Ithaca
High School: Already owns school record for career pins and takedowns * State champion at 119 during junior season and set records for most wins and pins in a season with 28 * Posted perfect 47-0 record in 2005-06 while capturing conference, regional and sectional championships * Also took first in the Bi-State Meet * Named co-captain and earned most valuable award during senior season * First-team all-state, All-Southwestern Conference selection and league MVP, Blackhawk MVP, and MVP of Mineral Point * Went 39-3 as sophomore at 112 and finished sixth in state after winning conference, regional and sectional championships * Was MVP of Richland Center and Blackhawk Tournament and won Bi-State Meet as sophomore * Third-team all-state and first-team all-conference during second prep season * Posted 41-0 record and won state title at 103 and also earned conference, regional and sectional titles * Won team MVP award and MVP of IG Invite and Ithaca Invite and took title at Bi-State Meet as freshman * First-team all-conference and all-state selection during first year as prep.
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