ST. LOUIS – The Northern Illinois University wrestling program had a solid outing on the first day of competition of the 2021 NCAA Wrestling Championships at the Enterprise Arena as four Huskies advance in the tournament following action on Thursday.
 
Brit Wilson (184), Izzak Olejnik (165), Mason Kauffman (174) and Anthony Cheloni (149) have each won their way to Friday.
 
Wilson advanced to the quarterfinals at 184 with a pair convincing victories in the first two rounds of competition. The Mexico, Mo. native opened his day with a 9-4 victory over DeAndre Nassar of Cleveland State. Wilson, the No. 7 seed, earned a 5-2 win over Charles Small of Hofstra, who upset the tournament's No. 10 seed earlier in the day.
 
"Brit was very workman-like," NIU head coach Ryan Ludwig said. "He got to his singles, he rode tough, he executed his positions, competed well and he's onto the quarterfinals. He's taking it one match at a time and he's excited about tomorrow."
 
The Huskie junior will face No. 2 seed Trent Hidlay of N.C. State Friday. Wilson is the first Huskie since Shawn Scott in 2016 to advance to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Championships.
 
Cheloni and Kauffman rebounded from first round losses to stay alive in the consolation round.
 
After dropping his first bout, 7-4, Cheloni earned an impressive victory in his second match of the day against Rutgers' Mike Van Brill. Cheloni feel behind 2-1 after the first period, before erupting with four points in the second on a reversal and two-point nearfall. With a 5-4 lead heading into the third, Cheloni capped his win with an escape and takedown.
 
"He got kind of a slow start in that first match, but the way he came back and won a fantastic match against a guy who was third the Big Ten and had a fantastic Big Ten Tournament speaks volumes about his persistence," Ludwig said of Cheloni. "So that was awesome."
 
Kauffman, who was edged out, 3-2, to Austin Murphy of Campbell in his first match of the day, was aggressive in his second bout against Virginia Tech's Cody Howard. After the two wrestled to a 0-0 first period, the two grapplers each earned escapes in the next two periods to force overtime. Kauffman kept at it in the overtime period, taking a shot with 15 seconds left to earn a match-winning takedown.
 
"His gritty consolation round win was awesome," he said. "He had to be in on at least six shots and was finally able to convert in overtime. The way he stayed after it and kept believing was fantastic to see."
 
Olejnik began his day with an impressive 6-1 victory over Dan Braunagel of in-state foe Illinois, setting up a match up against No. 2 seed Anthony Valencia of Arizona State. Olejnik battled, leading Valencia, 3-2, heading into third period, with the riding-time point in his favor.
 
Unfortunately, Valencia picked up a reversal late the third period to tie the match 4-4 after three periods. Valencia scored a late takedown to win the match.
 
"Izzak took that guy down to the wire," he said. "It ended up being one last takedown where he caught us reaching just a little bit. He competed really well with the No. 2 seed. We're excited with the way he's wrestling."
 
Bryce West, who suffered an injury prior to heading to St. Louis, battled during his first match of the day against Cole Rhone, but could not get over the hump. He fell to Rhone, 13-10. Michigan State's Jordan Hamden succumbing late in the third on a 19-3 tech fall.
 
"He was a little bit rusty and very sore, obviously," Ludwig said. "We just really respect his toughness and suck it up and compete for the team."
 
NIU is back in action tomorrow when competition resumes at the 2021 NCAA Wrestling Championships. Bouts begin at 10 a.m. CT and fans can watch all the action live via ESPN3 and the ESPN family of networks.
 
2021 NCAA Wrestling Championships Results for NIU
 
133 – Bryce West (NIU)
Preliminary Rd 1: Cole Rhone (Bloomsburg) dec. Bryce West (NIU), 13-10
Preliminary Rd 2: Jordan Hamden (Michigan State) tech fall. Bryce West (NIU), 19-3, 6:14
 
149 – Anthony Cheloni (NIU)
Champ. Round 1: Johnathan Millner (App. State) dec. Anthony Cheloni (NIU), 7-3
Consolation Rd 1: Anthony Cheloni (NIU) dec. Mike Van Brill (Rutgers), 8-4
Consolation Rd 2: Anthony Cheloni (NIU) vs. Legend Lamer (Cal Poly) Fri., Mar. 19
 
165 - Izzak Olejnik (NIU)
Champ. Round 1: Izzak Olejnik (NIU) dec. Dan Braunagel (Illinois), 6-1
Champ. Round 2: Anthony Valencia (Arizona State) dec. Izzak Olejnik (NIU), SV-1 6-4
Consolation Rd 2: Izzak Olejnik (NIU) vs. Austin Yant (Northern Iowa) Fri., Mar. 19
 
174 – Mason Kauffman (NIU)
Champ. Round 1: Austin Murphy (Campbell) dec. Mason Kauffman (NIU), 3-2
Consolation Rd 1: Mason Kauffman (NIU) dec. Cody Howard (Virginia Tech), 3-1, SV-1
Consolation Rd 2: Mason Kauffman (NIU) vs. Logan Massa (Michigan) Fri., Mar. 19
 
184 – Brit Wilson (NIU)
Champ. Round 1: Brit Wilson (NIU) dec. DeAndre Nassar (Cleveland St.), 9-4
Champ. Round 2: Brit Wilson (NIU) dec. Charles Small (Hofstra), 5-2
Quarterfinals: Brit Wilson (NIU) vs. Trent Hidlay (N.C. State) Fri., Mar. 19
 
-NIU-