PITTSBURGH – The NCAA Championships run of the Northern Illinois University wrestling duo of Brit Wilson and Bryce West came to an end, but not without experiencing some success at PPG Paints Arena Thursday.
 
The redshirt freshmen combined to go 1-4 in their matches on the day, with West scoring a victory for NIU.
 
A native of Solon, Iowa, West lost his opening bout to No. 3 seed Spencer Lee of Iowa by tech fall, 18-0, but bounced back in the pigtail wrestlebacks. West earned a 10-7 win over Willie Girard of Bloomsburg, an opponent he defeated, 6-5, on Feb. 2. However, his Championships run ended with a first period fall at the hands of Iowa State's Alex Mackall.
 
Wilson was not as fortunate as West, losing both his bouts in his first NCAA Championships. The Mexico, Mo. native lost his first match, 10-5, at the hands of Navy's Spencer Carey before falling to Rutgers' Joe Grello, 10-1.
 
"There's a lot to be proud of in the season Brit and Bryce had," said NIU head coach Ryan Ludwig. "These guys had some really nice wins and put themselves on the map nationally in the NCAA landscape. They are strong young leaders and continue to make NIU proud in their athletic and academic achievements."
 
125: No. 30 Bryce West (NIU)
First Round: No. 3 Spencer Lee (Iowa) tech fall B. West, 18-0
Pigtail Wrestlebacks: B. West dec. Willie Girard (BU), 10-7
Consolation: Alex Mackall (ISU) fall B. West, 2:54
 
174: No. 13 Brit Wilson (NIU)
First Round: No. 20 Spencer Carey (USNA) dec. Wilson, 10-5
Consolation: No. 29 Joe Grello (RU) maj. dec. Wilson, 10-1
 
-NIU-