Wrestling | December 6

LAS VEGAS, Nev.—The Northern Illinois University Huskies wrestling team concluded action at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational this afternoon (December 6) with three Huskies landing on the podium.
 
Brett Smith (Troy, Mo./Buchanan) took eighth place at 165 pounds. Spencer Mooberry (Osage, Iowa/Osage) earned an eighth-place finish at 197 pounds while Devon Dawson (Brooklyn Park, Minn./Goddard) took eighth at 285 pounds.
 
"We were happy to see some guys rebound from a tough start out here," said head coach Ryan Ludwig. "We nabbed a few great wins along the way that should serve guys well down the road heading into postseason. There's a lot to learn from competing in a tournament of this caliber and we are motivated to push forward from here."
 
Smith opened his day taking on Cesar Alvan of Columbia as he dropped a 1-0 decision. In the seventh-place match, Smith faced off against Shawn Taylor of West Virginia, falling in a 5-3 decision.
 
Mooberry took on Angelo Posada of Stanford in his first match, losing via fall. In the seventh-place match, Mooberry battled No. 28 Ben Vanadia of Purdue. Mooberry fell in the match via an 11-4 decision.
 
At 285 pounds, Dawson was the only Huskie to face back-to-back ranked wrestlers today. Dawson, who is ranked No. 25 via College Wrestling Report, fell to No. 5 Tay Ghadiali of Michigan in a technical fall in the first match of the day. Dawson faced off against No. 19 Luke Rasmussen of South Dakota State in the seventh-place match, losing in sudden victory.
 
 
Carroll Takes First at Jim Koch Wisconsin Open
 
Kenosha, Wis.—Sean Carroll (Overland Park, Kan./St. Thomas Aquinas) took first at the Jim Koch Wisconsin Open this afternoon as he was one of three Huskies to compete at the tournament.

Carroll claimed the top spot at 285 pounds while Tee Ward (Freemont, Mich./Freemont) took fourth place at 141 pounds. Ali Adel (Hoffman Estates, Ill./William Fremd) grabbed a fifth-place finish at 184 pounds for the Huskies.
 
Carroll extended his winning streak to seven and opened up action with a 5-2 decision win over Marko Ivanisevic. Carroll posted a 14-3 major decision in the semifinals over Tanner Gormanson of UW-Parkside before defeating Torin Forsyth from Central Missouri for a second time this season with a 7-3 decision.
 
Ward opened his day with his first win via fall of the season, taking down Central Missouri's Cody Culp in 1:06. Ward added a win over Simon Kruse of Wisconsin with a 12-8 decision before falling in the semifinal match to Kale Petersen of Iowa via technical fall. Ward posted an 8-3 decision in the consolation semifinals over Jordan Craft of UW-Parkside. In the third-place match, Ward fell via major decision to Brock Bobzien of Wisconsin for a fourth-place finish.
 
At 184 pounds, Adel opened his day with a technical fall victory over Adler Osborn of UW-Parkside. Adel defeated a second UW-Parkside grappler in Lowell Arnold with a 7-3 decision before falling to Gabe Arnold of Iowa in the semifinals. In the consolation semifinals, Adel lost to Bradley Mayse of Grand Valley State in a 10-4 decision before winning the fifth-place match over Caden Gousetis of Maryville in a 4-2 decision.
 
The Huskies enter a 13-day break before they open the dual season at home on December 19. NIU Wrestling will host Oregon State for a 7 p.m. dual inside the Convocation Center. 
 
Stay up-to-date on all NIU Wrestling news by following the team on Facebook (NIU Wrestling), X/Twitter (@NIUWrestling), and on Instagram (@NIU_Wrestling).