Wrestling | January 15

DeKALB, IL – The Northern Illinois University wrestling team rallied late in its dual against the Ohio Bobcats Saturday night at Victor E. Court but fell 27-10 in Mid-American Conference action.
 
NIU (4-5, 1-2 MAC) fell behind 6-0 after losses by decision at 125 and 133 pounds. At 141 pounds, the Huskies' Jaivon Jones (Shaker Heights, Ohio/Nordonia) and Ohio's Mario Guillen battled to a 2-2 tie through two periods. Guillen started the third period on the bottom and earned a reversal to take a 4-2 lead with under a minute to go. Jones got a late escape to make the score 4-3 but could not get a takedown to secure the win. Anthony Cheloni (South Elgin, Ill./Marmion Academy) took a 1-0 lead in the second at 149 against Alec Hagan. The redshirt-senior held his lead until Hagan earned a takedown with 0:18 left in the third period to take the 2-1 win and give the Bobcats a 12-0 win.
 
Ohio (5-1, 2-1) won the next two matches to take a 21-0 lead. Mason Kauffman (Stratford, Wis./Stratford/Eastern Michigan) got the Huskies on the board at 174 pounds. After a scoreless first period against Sal Perrine, the #19 wrestler in the weight class by Intermat, Kauffman earned an early escape and took down Perrine in the second to take a 3-0 lead. Perrine got an escape to make the score 3-1, and another at the start of the third to get within a point at 3-2. Kauffman did enough to hang on and earn the win 3-2.
 
Tristan Guaman (Wheeling, Ill./Wheeling) earned a major decision victory over John Mark Williams of Ohio at 197 pounds by a score of 12-2. Guaman got off to a fast start with a takedown and a four-point nearfall to take a 6-0 lead. He led 8-1 after the first period. It was his first major decision win of the year and put four points on the board for NIU, making the score 27-7. Terrese Aaron (Mexico, Mo./Mexico) closed the dual with a 7-4 win at 285 pounds over Ohio's Jordan Greer. Aaron broke a 2-2 tie in the second period with a takedown to go up 4-2. He had another takedown in the third and rode out the match to earn the riding time point.
 
"We had some good wins there at the end," said head coach Ryan Ludwig. "Mason Kauffman wrestled a tough match against a nationally-ranked opponent that will help his status heading into the NCAAs. Tristan got to his offense early and Terrese Aaron wrestled really well and rode tough at the end. He's making a lot of gains every week. We've got to do a better job getting to our attacks first, especially at the lighter weights, and be ready to go from the first whistle against Oklahoma."
 
NIU hosts #21 Oklahoma on Sunday, Feb. 23 at 12 p.m. at Victor E. Court. The dual will be televised on ESPN+.
 
 
Ohio 27, NIU 10
 
125: Oscar Sanchez (OHIO) def. Bryce West (NIU) 6-3                                              3-0 Ohio
133: Gio DiSabato (OHIO) def. Mikey Kaminski (NIU) 14-7                                        6-0 Ohio
141: Mario Guillen (OHIO) def. Jaivon Jones (NIU) 4-3                                              9-0 Ohio
149: Alec Hagan (OHIO) def. Anthony Cheloni (NIU) 2-1                                           12-0 Ohio
157: Jordan Slivka (OHIO) def. Tulga Zuunbayan (NIU) by inj. def.                            18-0 Ohio
165: Sean O'Dwyer (OHIO) def. Alec Rees (NIU) 6-3                                                  21-0 Ohio
174: Mason Kauffman (NIU) def. Sal Perrine (OHIO) 3-2                                           21-3 Ohio
184: Zayne Lehman (OHIO) wins by forfeit                                                                27-3 Ohio
197: Tristan Guaman (NIU) def. John Mark Williams (OHIO) 12-2 maj. dec.             27-7 Ohio
285: Terrese Aaron (NIU) def. Jordan Greer (OHIO) 7-4                                            27-10 Ohio
 
Exhibition: 125 - Lucian Brink (NIU) vs. Tommy Hoskins (OHIO) - Brink 2-0
 
 
--NIU--