The Northern Illinois University wrestling team brings its preseason to a close on Friday with the annual Red/Black Dual. The intrasquad meet will start at 7 pm inside Victor E. Court, admission to the event is free for all fans.
 
"Our staff is excited to see these guys compete on Friday night," said NIU wrestling head coach Ryan Ludwig. "We expect them to work hard to score points and let the end result take care of itself.
 
The Red/Black Dual will feature the following eight matchups:
 
125 Brock Hudkins (red) vs Tepra Wright (black)
133 Anthony Rubino (red) vs Alijah Jeffery (black)
141 Brad Green (red) vs Angel Velasquez (black)
149 Steve Bleise (red) vs Gabe Morse (black)
157 Zack Velasquez (red) vs Caden McWhirter (black)
174 Trace Engelkes (red) vs Quinton Rosser (black)
184 Dylan Dobzanski (red) vs Michael Aldrich (black)
285 Caleb Gossett (red) vs Jake Cochrane (black)

"This will be a great opportunity for the NIU student body to get a preview of this year's team.  The event also provides a great environment for our wrestlers to get acclimated to match day routine," said Ludwig.
 
The Huskies are led by tri-captains, Steve Bleise (Chelsea, Mich./Chelsea), Trace Engelkes (Winnebago, Ill./Winnebago), and Shawn Scott (Holly, Mich./Holly).
 
Redshirt senior, Engelkes finished the 2015-16 season as one of NIU's top wrestlers, posting a 21-12 record and finishing second on the team in dual points (40), third in dual wins (10) and fourth in overall wins (21).
 
"As a team, we're definitely looking to make a splash in the MAC," said Engkles. "We have a lot of talent and I know we can seal those close duels this year. We expect the best out of all 10 guys and if we get that, we'll turn some heads this season."
 
Redshirt sophomore Steve Bleise qualified for the NCAA Championships in New York City as the No. 13 seed at 141 pounds at the end of a stellar 27-10 redshirt freshman campaign. Bleise led NIU in total wins (27), dual wins (12), dual points (41) and major decisions (8) and started every dual for NIU at 141, going 12-4 (5-3 MAC).
 
"I hope to lead the team by being a fearless competitor and most importantly being a good friend and teammate," said Bleise. "I'm excited for this season because I know the sky is the limit for our team. We are coming off of a good season and I'm determined to make this one great."
 
In 2015-16, redshirt senior, Shawn Scott qualified for his second NCAA Championships at 197 pounds and won four matches to advance to the Round of 12 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Scott finished the season with a 26-11 overall record, tying the NIU team lead in dual wins (12) and placed second in overall wins (26) and dual points scored (40).
 
"This season is exciting because we have a really good group of guys destine to do great things and I can't wait to see how we end up," said Scott. "The wrestling room right now is a battle field and everyone is getting after it and seeing that makes me even more excited to start this season."
 
Finishing the 2015-16 campaign with a dual record of 6-10, the NIU wrestling team will use Friday's dual to help prepare for the season ahead. The Huskies start their regular season schedule next Saturday as they take on challenging dual matches against Central Michigan, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Purdue and Eastern Michigan at the EMU Open.
 
-NIU-