Wrestling | May 2

MANHEIM, Pa. – Five Huskies have been named Scholar All-Americans by the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA), the organization announced.

Redshirt senior Izzak Olejnik earned the honor for the second straight year as a Physical Education major while redshirt sophomore Blake West (Chemistry), junior Lucian Brink (Marketing), redshirt freshman Hayden Pummel (Communications) and sophomore Jacob Christensen (Kinesiology) took home the plaudit for the first time.

Olejnik owned an overall mark of 31-6 and an unblemished MAC record of 6-0 in his final season with the Huskies. He ended his NIU career as an All-American, placing eighth at 165 lbs. at the 2023 NCAA Championships in Tulsa.  

West went 24-9 overall and was 5-1 in MACaction through his 2022-23 campaign. 125-pound West took third place at the 2023 MAC Championships.

At 133 lbs., Brink went 11-11 and was 4-2 in duals. Pummel notched a 14-14 overall mark at 174 lbs. while Christensen, after making the jump down to 197, was 0-9.

In order to qualify, a wrestler must have met one of the following criteria:

• A 3.00 cumulative grade point average and have earned All-America honors at the NCAA Championships.
• A 3.20 GPA and have qualified for the NCAA Championships.
• Won 60 percent or more of his matches.
• A 3.50 GPA and have participated in a national-qualifying conference tournament.