DEKALB, Ill. – The Northern Illinois University wrestling team opens the 2021-22 season in a familiar locale as the Huskies travel to East Lansing, Mich. to compete in the MSU Open on Saturday.
 
Saturday's competition begins at 8:30 a.m. and fans can watch all the action live on Flo Wrestling or follow via live scoring on trackwrestling.com.
 
"I was talking to a guy the other day, and it felt like forever until we got to compete last year," NIU head coach Ryan Ludwig said. "Now, it almost feels like it's rushed because it's here so fast. What I think [the MSU Open] provides is more opportunities to get out there and compete, break things down and evaluate to get feedback on what we're doing well.
 
The MSU Open also provides a great opportunity for the Huskies to get multiple matches under their belts in one day and start building their cases for a potential NCAA bid.
 
"It provides the opportunity to get more matches in to build your résumé to bring in an automatic-qualifying spots to the conference championship," Ludwig said. "Furthermore, it gives guys outside of the starting 10 more of a chance to build their résumé as well."
 
NIU enters Saturday looking to build on a successful campaign last season. A season that saw five Huskies – Anthony Cheloni, Mason Kauffman, Izzak Olejnik, Bryce West and Brit Wilson – earning bids to the 2021 NCAA Championships.
 
"We experienced success last year," he said. "We had some great individual runs and those kinds of things, but I think it's another step forward really. Hopefully it provides momentum but that's not automatic. We still have a lot of lot of work to do and new levels to reach."
 
Wilson, who defended his crown at 184 at the 2021 Mid-American Conference Tournament, made an incredible run at the National Tournament to finish sixth and become the first Huskie since 2004 to earn All-America honors.
 
Kauffman, who made his first trip to the NCAAs last season, was rewarded for his work on the mat and in the classroom as the 174-pounder earned the prestigious Elite 90 Award which is presented to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade-point average participating at the championship site.
 
"Brit and Mason, their level of maturity and the way that they handle themselves daily in practice, they are pushing the pace, physically," he said. "They're pushing others around them in a vocal manner. You've seen a lot of growth in those two over the last couple of years. They're really kind of really finding comfort in that role and that's trickling down throughout everybody."
 
Six Huskies head into 2021-22 ranked in the MAC with Wilson (184) and Olejnik (165) ranked as the top wrestlers in their respective weight classes. Kauffman (174) and Bryce West (133) are second and third in their weight classes, while Cheloni (149) and Tyrese Aaron (285) begin the season ranked fifth in their weight classes.
 
Like the sports programs across the country before it, the wrestling world is back to competing in a full schedule of events this year. Last season, the Huskies competed in 10 events, all but one was a traditional dual format. This year, NIU is back to a full slate that includes this weekend's MSU Open, the prestigious Midlands Championships (Dec. 29-30), three multi-team duals and 10 duals that include a home match against traditional power Oklahoma, in DeKalb, a match at in-state foe Northwestern and the always challenging MAC slate.
 
Ludwig knows preparation will play a role in the Huskies' success in 2021-22 and winning a team MAC championship.
 
"We have to understand that we have to earn the right to win every day in that mat room and that preparation, the will to prepare, is really what's key," he said. "You don't get to turn it on on the weekends. You have to be that dog every day in the practice room. That's what's eventually going to help you have the confidence to do what you want to do on the weekends."
 
The Huskies will host six events this year. NIU will open the home slate Saturday Dec. 18 when NIU welcomes MAC rival Kent State and Harper College to Victor E. Court for the Huskie Duals.
 
NIU opens 2022 with a three-match homestand beginning Jan. 7 with a contest against Central Michigan, against Ohio (Jan. 15) and wrapping up with the aforementioned match against Oklahoma (Jan. 23). The Huskies wrap up the regular with a pair of home matches before travelling to Athens, Ohio for the 2022 MAC Championships Mar. 4-5.
 
The 2022 NCAA Championships will be held at a familiar location to Huskie fans as Ford Field, the annual home of the MAC Football Championship Game, will host the event, Mar. 17-19.
 
-NIU-