Wrestling | March 8

KENT, Ohio— Blake West (Shakopee, Minn./Shakopee) and Jacob Brya (St. Johns, Mich./St. Johns) will compete for the 125- and 141-pound titles tomorrow afternoon as the Northern Illinois University Huskies wrestling program advanced seven wrestlers to the second day of competition at the 2024 MAC Championships.
 
The Huskies are sitting in a tie for fifth place with 62 points after the first day of action.
 
"It's great to have (Blake) West and Jacob (Brya) in the finals, fighting for a championship," said NIU head coach Ryan Ludwig. "Whether it's a finals match or a consolation bout, the plan is the same for the Huskies. Compete with everything you've got. There are qualifying spots on the line and team points to be had."

West, who earned the No. 2 seed in the 125-bracket, opened his day with a technical fall victory over Adan Benavidez of Kent State. West won 18-0 over Benavidez, his second technical fall win over Benavidez this season. West defeated Davian Guanajuato of SIUE for the third time this season, a 7-3 decision. In the semifinal round, West defeated Tyler Klinsky of Rider in a major decision.

Brya, who was the No. 2 seed in the 141-bracket, defeated Aidan Waszak of Ohio in a major decision (12-0). Brya posted a 2-0 decision over Billy Meiszner (No. 7 seed) in the quarterfinals. Brya posted his second wins this season over Waszak and Meiszner. Brya defeated the No. 3 seeded Jimmy Nugent in the semifinals. Brya posted a 6-0 decision over Nugent to advance to the championship match.

Michael Kaminski (Lockport, Ill./Lockport) earned the No. 7 seed in the 133-bracket had a bye in his opening round. Kaminski fell in the quarterfinals to Richie Koehler of Rider in a 9-8 decision. In the second round of the consolation bracket, Kaminski won in sudden victory over Mason Brugh of Ohio, SV-1, 4-1 to advance in the consolation bracket.

After earning the No. 4 seed in the 149-bracket, Jaivon Jones (Shaker Heights, Ohio/Nordonia) received a bye to open his action at the MAC Tournament. Jones defeated Nick Stonecheck for the second time this season in the quarterfinals, a 5-2 decision. In the semifinal match, Jones dropped a 4-3 decision to Corbyn Munson as he advanced to the consolation bracket.

Tulga Zuunbayan (Mongolia/Rolling Meadows) was the No. 7 seed at 157 pounds and opened action against Keegan Knapp of Kent State. Knapp posted a 3-2 decision over Zuunbayan in the opening round. After receiving a bye in the first round of the consolation bracket, Zuunbayan won by major decision over Brock Woodcock of SIUE (20-8).

Tommy Bennett (Evergreen Park, Ill./Brother Rice) was unseeded in the 165-pound bracket and dropped his opening match to Hunter Shaut of Buffalo (Dec 7-2). Bennett earned a bye in the first round of the consolation bracket before taking on Jake Silverstein of Rider for the second time this season. Needing overtime to decide the victor in the bout, Bennett won in sudden victory, 4-1.

Matt Zuber (Chicago, Ill./Fenwick) earned the No. 2 seed in the 184-pound bracket and started his day with a 3-0 decision victory over Brody Evans of Edinboro. Zuber fell in the quarterfinals to Deron Pulliam of SIUE in sudden victory (SV-1, 4-1). Zuber advanced to the second day of the tournament with a 7-0 decision win over Kyle Snider of Kent State.

Representing the Huskies at 174 pounds, Ricardo Salinas (Evanston, Ill./Evanston) was unseeded in his bracket and took on the No. 2 seeded Sal Perrine of Ohio in the opening round. Salinas fell by a 5-1 decision before moving to a consolation first round bye. In the second consolation round, Salians fell in a 4-3 decision to Dominic Lopez of SIUE.

At 197 pounds, Sean Carroll (Overland Park, Kan./St. Thomas Aquinas) defeated the No. 8 seeded Ryan Yarnell of SIUE in a 4-3 decision. Competing in the quarterfinals, Carroll fell to the top-seeded Sam Mitchell of Buffalo in a 3-0 decision. Carroll dropped a 4-2 decision to Tyler Kocak of George Mason in the second round of the consolation finals.

Jacobi Jackson (St. Louis, Mo./Desmet Jesuit) earned the No. 3 seed in the 285-pound bracket and defeated Tyler McCatham in the opening round by technical fall (18-3). In the quarterfinal match, Jackson faced off against Jordan Greer of Ohio as Greer posted a 9-2 decision over Jackson. In the second round of the consolation bracket, Jackson dropped a sudden victory match to John Meyers of Clarion (SV-1, 4-1).

Fans can view live streaming and live results, can be found on the 2024 MAC Wrestling Championship Central page.

Action starts at 11:30 a.m. with the consolation quarterfinals on the campus of Kent State University.