Wrestling | March 9

KENT, Ohio—Blake West (Shakopee, Minn./Shakopee) and Jacob Brya (St. Johns, Mich./St. Johns) took home second place at the 2024 MAC Championships for the Northern Illinois University wrestling program.

The Huskies placed seven athletes from second to eighth place as the team finished in seventh place with 74.5 points. Five Huskies landed on the podium with a sixth place or higher finish. 

With his appearance in the championship bout at 125 pounds, West clinched his spot for the 2024 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships.

"It was awesome to see Blake punch his ticket to the NCAA's," said NIU head coach Ryan Ludwig. "It was awesome to see Jacob dominate his way to the finals as a freshman. I've been proud of the effort, focus, and attitude of this team all year so far."

West, the No. 2 seed in the tournament, suffered his first loss in over two months. West fell to the top-seeded Anthony Noto of Lock Haven, dropping a major decision (13-5). West had placed third at 125 pounds in 2023.

Making his first appearance in the championship match, Brya was defeated by a technical fall (21-6), losing to Wyatt Henson of Lock Haven. Brya and Henson were the No. 2 and No. 1 seeds in the 141-pound bracket.

After taking third place at 141 pounds in 2023, Jaivon Jones (Shaker Heights, Ohio/Nordonia) took fourth at 149 pounds in 2024. Jones defeated Derek Raike of Ohio in the consolation semifinals in a 5-4 decision.

"I'm incredibly proud to corner them this weekend," said Ludwig. "The guys put their hearts into everything they do for this team. Up and down the lineup, we have lots to be proud of and tons the build on. We are looking forward to getting out to NCAAs to pursue our ultimate goals."

Michael Kaminski (Lockport, Ill./Lockport) fell to Tommy Maddox of Buffalo in a 9-6 decision in the consolation semifinals. Kaminski won by a decision over Pablo Castro of Kent State in the fifth-place match to reach the podium, with a 7-2 decision win in the 133-pound bout.

Matt Zuber (Chicago, Ill./Fenwick) claimed sixth place at 184 pounds. Zuber fell in the consolation semifinals to Chase Kranitz of Buffalo, a 7-3 decision. In the fifth place match, Zuber fell in a sudden victory match to Deron Pulliam of SIUE, SV-1, 4-1.

Tulga Zuunbayan (Mongolia/Rolling Meadows) took seventh place at 157 pounds for the Huskies. Zuunbayan was defeated in the third consolation round, falling 19-11 to Colton Washleski of Rider. Zuunbayan posted a 7-3 decision over William Morrow of Bloomsburg in the seventh-place match.

Representing the Huskies at 165 pounds, Tommy Bennett (Evergreen Park, Ill./Brother Rice) fell to Aaron Ferguson of Kent State in a sudden victory match (SV-1, 4-1). Bennett claimed an eighth-place finish, after falling to Buffalo's Hunter Shaut in a 13-8 decision.

The Huskies will wait until the NCAA reveals the at-large selections for the 2024 National Championship on March 12. The full tournament bracket is slated to be released on March 13 with action taking place in Kansas City, Missouri, March 21-23.