Huskies Edged 20-16 by Kent State

Northern Illinois falls in MAC competition for the first time this season.
DeKALB, Ill. - In a battle of freshmen 125-pound wrestlers, Northern Illinois' TJ Wunnicke fell to Kent State's Nic Bedelyon 4-3, giving the 24th-ranked Golden Flashes the boost they needed to secure a 20-16 win over the Huskies, Friday at the Convocation Center.
"We fought hard, the dual went back and forth quite a bit," 12th-year NIU head coach Dave Grant said. "At 125, losing on riding time may have decided the dual meet."
Wunnicke (Dodgeville, Wis./Dodgeville) tied his match at 3-3 with just 37 seconds remaining, but Bedelyon earned an extra point for riding time to get the win, giving the Golden Flashes (10-4, 1-0 MAC) a 17-7 lead, which they carried to victory.
"Our guys went out there and wrestled hard, and that's what you ask them to do," Grant said after the Huskies (8-5, 2-1 MAC) lost their first conference meet of the season.
True freshman Bryan O'Connor (Carol Stream, Ill./Glenbard North) opened the night with a 4-2 win over Kent State's Nick Dierkes, and two bouts later Duke Burk (Peoria, Ill./Notre Dame) earned a major decision to put the Huskies ahead 7-3.
The Golden Flashes won the next three matches to hold a 14-7 advantage before Bedelyon's victory gave Kent State a 10 point lead.
Senior Pat Castillo (Western Springs, Ill./Lyons Township), the 11th-ranked 133-pounder in the country, garnered six points for the Huskies when Kent State declined to field a competitor, making the dual 17-13.
"We've counted quite a bit on Duke and Pat (Castillo)," Grant said. "They're always hard fighting competitors, and you can count of those guys most times to get majors and technical falls."
From there, junior Drew Lashaway, ranked 18th nationally at 141 pounds, defeated NIU's Tristen DeShazer (Wichita, Kan./Wichita West) to put the Golden Flashes up 20-13 and guarantee the Kent State win.
To close out the night, senior Kalen Knull (Urbana, Ohio/Graham) picked up a win for NIU, as he bested Jeremy Depoy, bringing the final score to 20-16.
"You get guys that are seniors, and you're expecting some mileage out of them," Grant said. "You saw that with Kalen tonight."
The Huskies get no break from a tough schedule, as they host another ranked opponent in No. 25 Northern Iowa, Feb. 1 at the Convocation Center.

Kent State 20, Northern Illinois 16
157 - Bryan O'Connor (NIU) def. Nick Dierkes 4-2
165 - Kurt Gross def. Jesse Linczmaier (NIU) 16-11
174 - Duke Burk (NIU) def. Chris Estep MD 15-4
185 - Eric Chine def. Brad Dieckhaus (NIU) MD 14-4
197 - Michael Blackwell def. Jake Smith (NIU) MD 20-9
Hwt. - Jermail Porter def. Dave Benner (NIU) 10-4
125 - Nick Bedelyon def. TJ Wunnicke (NIU) 4-3
133 - Pat Castillo (NIU) def. Forfeit
141 - Drew Lashaway def. Tristen DeShazer (NIU) 8-3
149 - Kalen Knull (NIU) def. Jeremy Depoy 7-4

 

Huskies Earn Four Pins in 42-6 Win Over Augustana

NIU also picks-up three major decision in victory.

DeKALB, Ill. - The Northern Illinois wrestling team won nine of 10 matches, earning a convincing 42-6 victory over Augustana, Saturday.

The Huskies' (3-3) high score was bolstered with pins by TJ Wunnicke, (Dodgeville, Wis./Dodgeville), Pat Castillo (Western Springs, Ill./Lyons Township), Bryan Deutsch (Columbia City, Ind./Columbia City), and Dave Benner (Fowler, Ind./Benton Central).

"We had quite a few pins and major decisions," head coach Dave Grant said. "Our guys are pretty tough on top, which is something we've been stressing all year.

"It was encouraging to see them out there using the moves we've been teaching them in the mat room," Grant added.

The 12th-year head coach was also happy with the efforts of three wrestlers - Dan Ruettiger, Anthony Victor and Hamza Rashid - who were competing in their first dual meet of the season.

"The first-time guys did well," he said. "They went out and wrestled there matches, with two guys picking up wins."

In addition to its four pins, NIU accumulated three major decisions, giving the team seven matches in which they earned four or more points.

The Huskies continue their season at the 2007 Midlands Championships in Evanston, Ill., Dec. 29-30.

Match Results
125 - Wunnicke (NIU) def. Gogonas (AC) FALL 1:01
133 - Castillo (NIU) def. Randone (AC) FALL 2:02
141 - Ruettiger (NIU) def. Holland (AC) MD 12-2
149 - Smith (NIU) def. Gailey (AC) MD 15-1
157 - Deutsch (NIU) def. Schwartzfegger (AC) FALL :28
165 - Wallace (NIU) def. Krcmar (AC) DEC 12-5
174 - Victor (NIU) def. Gardner (AC) MD 9-0
184 - McClone (NIU) def. Kerr (AC) DEC 13-7
194 - Nykaza (AC) def. Rashid (NIU) FALL 4:01
Hwt. - Benner (NIU) def. Kilroy (AC) FALL 1:58