September 23

DeKALB, Ill., - The Northern Illinois University wrestling head coach Ryan Ludwig announced an exciting 2016-2017 schedule on Friday.  
 
The Huskies will host four home duals during the season, all of which are against Mid-American Conference rivals. The line-up includes Old Dominion (Nov. 29), Ohio (Jan.13), Eastern Michigan (Jan. 20) and Buffalo (Feb. 12) as the Huskies look to defend their home mat.
 
"We schedule to best prepare our student-athletes to perform at their peak in championship season.  Each week poses a unique challenge that we will undertake one at a time," said Ludwig.  
 
To start off the season the annual Red/Black Dual will be held on Friday, October 28 at 7 p.m. at Victor E. Court. The following weekend the Huskies will head to Ypsilanti, Mich. for the EMU Open. At last year's open the team had several breakout performances as five Huskies placed in the top eight of their respective weight classes, led by the third-place finish at 157 pounds by Caden McWhirter (Prattville, Ala./Prattville).
 
Next, the Huskies will head to West Lafayette, Ind. for the Purdue Duals (Nov. 13). NIU wrestling will then travel to East Lansing, Mich. for the MSU Open where they put four on the podium during the 2014-15 campaign.
 
NIU will host its first MAC dual on Tuesday, Nov. 29 against Old Dominion at 7 p.m.  The Huskies faced the Monarchs last year in an enthralling dual battle.
 
December kicks off with The Citadel on Dec. 17 at 12 p.m. then the Midlands Championships (Dec. 29-30).
 
The Huskies will be busy in January with a dual nearly every weekend. They start the month facing UNI on Jan. 8. Following their trip to Cedar Falls, they are back home to face MAC rival, Ohio (Jan. 13) at Victor E. Court. The next day the Huskies are on the road to Springfield to face SIUE. Last year against the Cougars, the Huskies rallied from behind to win the last three matches to record a 19-18 victory after previously trailing by 12 team points on two occasions.
 
Next up is a home dual versus EMU on Jan. 20 at 7 p.m. The Huskies have a day off before they head to Champaign to take on the Fighting Illini on Jan. 22. The last time the Huskies wrestled the Illini they posted four individual victories.
 
The final weekend of the month the Huskies are set to face MAC foe Kent State at 7 p.m. on Jan. 27.  That Sunday the wrestlers will travel to Central Michigan to take on the Chippewas.
 
February starts with a dual against Missouri on their home mat in Columbia. The wrestling team put a scare in the No. 5 Tigers last year as they won four matches.
 
The final home meet of the season is against the Buffalo Bulls on Feb. 12 at 1 p.m. The following weekend the Huskies take travel to Cleveland, Ohio to face Cleveland State and George Washington (Feb. 19).
 
Completing the 2016-17 NIU wrestling schedule will be the traditional MAC and NCAA Championships. The league championships will be held in Cedar Falls, Iowa this year March 4-5 while the NCAA Championships head to St. Louis, Mo. March 16-18.
 
-NIU-