DeKALB, Ill.- The Northern Illinois University wrestling team is back on the road as they head to Cedar Falls, Iowa to take on No. 22 Northern Iowa. The Huskies (3-2, 0-1 MAC) will look for their first Mid-American Conference victory against the Panthers (3-2, 1-0 MAC) on Sunday at 1 p.m.
 
 
Last Bout
 
Last year, four Huskies recorded individual victories, but were unable to knock off No. 25 Northern Iowa as they were defeated by the Panthers, 24-12. 
 
The most exciting bout of the night came when Trace Engelkes (Winnebago, Ill./Winnebago) pulled off an incredible late comeback at 174-pounds. Trailing 8-4 with less than a minute remaining, Engelkes got a reversal and followed with four near fall points to emerge victorious with a 10-9 decision over Kyle Lux.
 
Scouting the Competition
 
No. 22 ranked Panthers carry a strong team led by five ranked grapplers.  No. 3 Dylan Peters at 125-pounds, No. 10 Taylor Lujan at 174-pounds, No. 11 Mac Thomsen at 149-pounds, No. 14 Bryce Steiert at 165 and No. 14 Drew Foster at 184-pounds.
 
Coach's Corner
 
"UNI has a very tough squad and it's a tough place to wrestle. They have a very hostel environment, which I think is great," said head wrestling coach Ryan Ludwig. "We're going into enemy territory with the crowd all around us, so it should be a high energy wrestling match."
 
"I think there's going to be some very interesting matchups, said Ludwig. I expect a dog fight, guys scrapping for every point with physical matches that will be coming down to the wire."
 
One-on-One with Shawn Scott
 
On facing a nationally ranked team:
"To me, remaining calm is the best way to prepare for ranked opponents and that's something I will be telling the guys to do in order to stay focused on the task at hand and not get distracted. We are ready as a team, practice this week has been going really well and we are prepared to get it done on Sunday."

On placing third at Midlands:
"Third place at Midlands will not only motivate me, but will keep me focused on the things I'm doing right and wrong on the mat so I can continue to get better."
 
On preparing for Sunday:
"I'm preparing for this match like I do for every match which is studying my opponent and looking for what they do well and what their flaws are. Another way I prepare is by working on an offensive game plan based on what I've seen from my opponent, that way I can succeed on Sunday."
 
Lineup (Season record, dual record, MAC record)
 
125 Brock Hudkins (12-6, 3-1, 2-0)
133 Alijah Jeffery (9-8, 2-2, 0-1)
141 Angel Velasquez (7-7, 0-1, 0-1)
149 Steve Bleise (15-4, 4-0, 1-0)
157 Caden McWhirter (13-5, 4-1, 1-0)
165 Andrew Scott (4-5, 1-1, 0-1)
174 Trace Engelkes (8-1, 4-0, 0-0)
184 Bryce Gorman (12-6, 1-1, 1-1)
197 Shawn Scott (12-3, 4-1, 0-1)
285 Caleb Gossett (9-7, 0-3, 0-1)
 
 
Follow the Huskies
 
You can follow the action and get up-to-date live stats on trackwrestling.com, watch on flowrestling.com and follow @NIUWrestling on Twitter.
 
Up Next on the Mats
 
The Huskies are back home as they host a Mid-American Conference dual against Ohio University. The Bobcats and Huskies will face off on Friday, Jan. 13 at 7 p.m.