Wrestling | March 18

DETROIT, Mich. – NIU's three Mid-American Conference champion wrestlers saw their runs at the 2022 NCAA Wrestling Championship come to a close Friday afternoon at Little Caesars Arena.
 
"The staff and I are incredibly proud of these guys and what they bring to the table on a daily basis," said head coach Ryan Ludwig after Friday's first session. "They leave it all out there."
 
Redshirt-Junior Izzak Olejnik (Bakersfield, Calif./Bakersfield) won his first match of the day in the 165-pound consolation bracket 4-2 over Thomas Bullard of North Carolina State. Bullard took down Olejnik midway through the first period, but the Huskie got an escape to make the score 2-1 going into the second period. Olejnik rode Bullard for the entire period, then took him down 20 seconds into the third to take a 3-2 lead.
 
"It was crucial for Izzak to get that escape after allowing the early takedown," said head coach Ryan Ludwig. "That put him in position to ride tough in the second and win on his feet in the third."
 
Redshirt-Senior Mason Kauffman (Stratford, Wis./Stratford) rallied late in the third period to win his first match of the day in the 174-pound consolation bracket. Kauffman fell behind Benjamin Pasiuk of Army West Point 1-0 after two periods. Pasiuk earned the riding time point in the third, but Kauffman made a furious comeback in the final minute. Kauffman got the escape with 0:48, then took down Pasiuk with 0:04 to win 3-2 and advance to the third consolation round.
 
"Mason's grit really came through on that takedown in the final seconds to advance," Ludwig said. "If there's time on the clock, there's time to score. We were proud of his effort."
 
Olejnik and Kauffman, however, saw their tournament runs end in the third consolation round. Kauffman lost to Wyoming's Hayden Hastings 10-0 with Olejnik falling 8-0 to Justin McCoy of Virginia. Kauffman finished his season with a 23-11 record and wrapped up his NIU career with 70 wins. Olejnik posted a 26-6 record for the 2021-22 season.
 
Redshirt-Senior Brit Wilson (Mexico, Mo./Mexico) saw his storied NIU career come to a close in the second consolation round at 184 pounds, falling 11-4 to Jonathan Loew of Cornell. Despite the loss Wilson finished his career as a Huskie with 113 wins, second-most in NIU Wrestling history.  He is one of only two NIU wrestlers to win three MAC titles and is also the second Huskie to qualify for four NCAA Championships.
 
"Brit has meant the world to this program in his time here at NIU," said Ludwig. "Outside of the wins, he's led the way in establishing expectations of excellence in everything we do. Word's can't really capture what he's brought to NIU Wrestling."
 
NIU 2022 NCAA Wrestling Championships Results
 
Izzak Olejnik – 165
Champ. Round 1 – Olejnik dec. Rodrick Mosley (Gardner-Webb) 2-1, TB-1
Champ. Round 2 – Cameron Amine (Michigan) dec. Olejnik 4-2
Cons. Round 2 – Olejnik dec. Thomas Bullard (NC State) 4-2
Cons. Round 3 – Justin McCoy (Virginia) maj. dec. Olejnik 8-0
 
Mason Kauffman – 174
Champ. Round 1 – Kauffman dec. Peyton Mocco (Missouri) 3-1
Champ. Round 2 – Dustin Plott (Oklahoma State) dec. Kauffman 8-2
Cons. Round 2 – Kauffman dec. Benjamin Pasiuk (Army West Point) 3-2
Cons. Round 3 – Hayden Hastings (Wyoming) maj. dec. Kauffman 10-0
 
Brit Wilson – 184
Champ. Round 1 – Tate Samuelson (Wyoming) dec. Wilson 5-3, SV-1
Cons. Round 1 – Wilson maj. dec. Gregg Harvey (Pittsburgh) 17-3
Cons. Round 2 – Jonathan Loew (Cornell) dec. Wilson 11-4
 
--NIU--