DEKALB, Ill. – The NIU University wrestling team sits in third place and advanced two grapplers to the championships as the Huskies posted an outstanding effort in the Convocation Center on the first day of the Mid-American Conference Saturday.
 
Redshirt-freshman Izzak Olejnik and sophomore Brit Wilson navigated day one unscathed and the Huskie duo will be competing in the finals tomorrow afternoon beginning at 1:30 p.m.
 
"The intensity and competition of this tournament is everything we thought it would be," said NIU head coach Ryan Ludwig. "Incredibly intense matches up and down.
 
"Izaak with a very intense battle, some back-and-forth, some calls changed, but ultimately he was put in a position where it was a short-time go and he was able to prevail."
 
Olejnik provided the biggest victory of the day, earning a 6-3 decision over No. 2-seed Peyton Mocco of Missouri at 165. The redshirt-freshman withstood Mocco's many attacks and Missouri's multiple official challenges throughout the bout to pull off the win and advance to Sunday's championship match.
 
Trailing 3-0 heading into the final period, Olejnik earned a reversal and a two-point nearfall to give him a 4-3 advantage. He earned another two-point nearfall to take the match.
 
Wilson punched his ticket to the finals after outlasting Trevor Allard of Bloomsburg, 8-5, in one of the semifinals at 184. Wilson opened his day with a 7-3 win over Central Michigan's Ben Cushman before scoring a 10-4 win over Corey Hazel in the quarterfinals.
 
In addition to Olejnik and Wilson advancing, six other Huskies will take the mat Sunday, all with a chance at one of the MAC's 41 NCAA bids. Ludwig hopes today's solid performance will lead to a strong finish Sunday.
 
Bryce West, an NCAA qualifier a year ago, is still alive at 125. All three of his matches were decided by pin. He defeated Bloomsburg's Christian Gannone with a first-period pin, but lost to Missouri's Cameron Valdiviez midway through the third period. He made quick work of Ohio Trevor Giallombardo, dispatching him midway through the first period.
 
Anthony Gibson, who entered the tournament unseeded, knocked off Shakur Laney of Ohio, 8-6, and earned a tech fall victory in the consolation second round to keep his NCAA hopes alive.
 
Likewise, for McCoy Kent (149), Kenny Moore (174), Gage Braun (197) and Max Ihry (285). Braun won his first two bouts, before stumbling in the semifinals to Clarion's Greg Bulsak. All three of Ihry's matches went to overtime as the Huskie heavyweight went 2-1 on the day.
 
"The most important thing is all the guys that made it to day two are still scoring points for the team," Ludwig said. "We're looking forward to a good day two."
 
Missouri leads the event after day one with 112.5 points, while Central Michigan is second with 86. Rider comes in at fourth, trailing NIU by a point, with 66.5, and Lock Haven rounds out the top five with 54.5 points.
 
The 2020 MAC Wrestling Championships conclude Sunday with all the action starting at 12 p.m. with the consolation quarterfinals. The finals begin at 1:30 p.m. and will be shown live on ESPN+. All times listed are Central.
 
Team Standings - Day One
1.  Missouri, 112.5
2.  Central Michigan, 86.0
3.  NIU, 67.5
4.  Rider, 66.5
5.  Lock Haven, 54.5
6.  Cleveland State, 50.0
7.  Old Dominion, 48.5
8.  Kent State, 43.0
9.  Buffalo, 41.0
10. Edinboro, 39.0
11. Clarion, 33.5
12. George Mason, 33.0
12. Ohio, 33.0
14. Bloomsburg, 27.0
15. SIUE, 15.0
 
2020 MAC Wrestling Championships Results for NIU
 
125 - Bryce West (NIU)
Champ. Round 1: Bryce West (NIU) fall Christian Gannone (Bloomsburg), 2:55
Quarterfinal: Cameron Valdiviez (Missouri) fall Bryce West (NIU), 6:03
Cons. Round 2: Bryce West (NIU) fall Trevor Giallombardo (Ohio), 1:34
 
133 - Caleb Brooks (NIU)
Champ. Round 1: Allan Hart (Missouri) maj. dec. Caleb Brooks (NIU), 12-1
Cons. Round 1: Caleb Brooks (NIU) bye
Cons. Round 2: Josh Mason (Bloomsburg) dec. Caleb Brooks (NIU), 4-0
 
141 - Anthony Gibson (NIU)
Champ. Round 1: Anthony Gibson (NIU) won Shakur Laney (Ohio), 8-6
Quarterfinal: Sa`Derian Perry (ODU) dec. Anthony Gibson (NIU) 13-8 (Dec 5-3)
Cons. Round 2: Anthony Gibson (NIU) tech fall Cory Simpson (KSU) (TF-1.5 4:58 (21-6))
 
149 - McCoy Kent (NIU)
Champ. Round 1: McCoy Kent (NIU) dec. Gino Fluri (Rider), 3-2
Quarterfinal: Colston DiBlasi (George Mason) dec. McCoy Kent (NIU), 5-2
Cons. Round 2: McCoy Kent (NIU) dec. John Arceri (Buffalo), 3-2
 
157 - Mason Kauffman (NIU)
Champ. Round 1: Larry Early (ODU) dec. Mason Kauffman (NIU), 4-1
Cons. Round 1: Mason Kauffman (NIU) dec. Brady Chrisman (KSU), 8-5
Cons. Round 2: Logan Parks (CMU) dec. Mason Kauffman (NIU) 12-10 (Dec 2-1)
 
165 - Izzak Olejnik (NIU)
Champ. Round 1: Izzak Olejnik (NIU) dec. Riley Smucker (Cleveland State), 8-3
Quarterfinal: Izzak Olejnik (NIU) dec. Joseph Terry (Ohio), 6-0
Semifinal: Izzak Olejnik (NIU) dec. Peyton Mocco (Missouri), 6-3
 
174 - Kenny Moore (NIU)
Champ. Round 1: Kenny Moore (NIU) dec. Kevin Gschwendtner (SIUE), 7-4
Quarterfinal: Andrew McNally (KSU) dec. Kenny Moore (NIU), 3-2
Cons. Round 2: Kenny Moore (NIU) maj. dec. Chase Archangelo (Cleveland State), 17-4
 
184 - Brit Wilson (NIU)
Champ. Round 1: Brit Wilson (NIU) dec. Ben Cushman (CMU), 7-3
Quarterfinal: Brit Wilson (NIU) dec. Corey Hazel (Lock Haven), 10-4
Semifinal: Brit Wilson (NIU) dec. Trevor Allard (Bloomsburg), 8-5
 
197 - Gage Braun (NIU)
Champ. Round 1: Gage Braun (NIU) dec. Jake Walker (Ohio), 4-1
Quarterfinal: Gage Braun (NIU) dec. Benjamin Smith (Cleveland State), 5-3
Semifinal: Greg Bulsak (Clarion) dec. Gage Braun (NIU), 8-2
 
285 - Max Ihry (NIU)
Champ. Round 1: Max Ihry (NIU) dec. Trey Hartsock (Lock Haven), (SV-1, 4-2)
Quarterfinal: Jon Spaulding (Edinboro) dec. Max Ihry (NIU), (SV-1 3-1)
Cons. Round 2: Max Ihry (NIU) dec. Jacob Bullock (ODU), (TB-1 2-1)
 
-NIU-