Wrestling | January 16

DeKALB, Ill.—It all came down the final bout of the evening as the Northern Illinois University Huskies battled the Central Michigan University Chippewas in a Mid-American Conference (MAC) dual. The Huskies (5-5, 1-0 MAC) defeated the Chippewas (6-4, 0-1 MAC) with a score of 19-15.
 
The Huskies won the opening three bouts before the Chippewas won the next two. Central Michigan chipped away at the Huskies lead, as NIU lead 15-14 heading into the final bout. Eight of the ten bouts tonight featured rematches from a week ago.
 
This is the third win by the Huskies since the 2023-24 season and the fifth since the 2002-03 season.
 
"It's very rare where you wrestle a conference opponent two weeks in a row," said NIU head coach Ryan Ludwig. "Every match is brand new, our training was new. You focus on not whether we beat them last time, or what we want to do this time, but can we get our best out there? If we get the best version of each guy out there, we'll let results take care of themselves."
 
In their second meeting in a week, No. 30 Blake West (Shakopee, Minn./Shakopee) and Archer Anderson met on the mat. A tight battle from start to finish, West prevailed for a 15-11 decision win. The win tonight keeps West in fourth on the NIU record book as he inches closer to the All-Time Career wins mark.
 
At 133 pounds, saw No. 29/33 Markel Baker (Freeport, Ill./Freeport) in a rematch against Andrew Austin. Baker had a late first period takedown to go up 4-3. With a 9-5 decision over Austin, the current MAC West Wrestler of the Week won his sixth match in a row as he moves to 17-4 on the season.
 
Representing the Huskies at 141 pounds, Charles Curtis (Canton, Ohio/Perry) and Nick Blackburn. Each duo recorded a takedown and an escape in the first period as they would be tied at five after three period. Curtis grabbed an early takedown in overtime for his second sudden victory win this season.
 
"If we can get the first three guys out of the gate firing, that buys a lot of momentum for the rest of the lineup. They are incredibly competitive and gifted so when they are firing on the same night, it helps dual lineup," said Ludwig.
 
At 149 pounds, Lucan O'Brien (Lakewood, Ohio/St. Edwards) saw Jimmy Nugent for the second time. Nugent would be victorious with a 2-0 decision over O'Brien. Landen Johnson (Owatonna, Minn./Owatonna) took on No. 23/27 Mason Shrader in the first non-rematch bout of the evening at 157 pounds. Johnson dropped the match via major decision.
 
Taking the mat at 165 pounds, Brett Smith (Troy, Mo./Buchanan) faced off against Chandler Amaker. Smith got the second meeting, defeating Amaker in a 7-3 decision. This was the third time Smith and Amaker have met on the mat this season, with Smith winning two of the three. Tommy Bennett (Evergreen Park, Ill./Brother Rice) earned his second win over Nick Marienfeld this season, defeating him in a thrilling 15-10 decision at 174 pounds.
 
The Huskies dropped the bouts at 184 pounds and 197 pounds as Caleb Roe (Arab, Ala./Arab) and Dominic Heim (Shakopee, Minn./Shakopee) battled. Heim had a rematch against Luke Cochran, falling via major decision 12-1.
 
With the Huskies leading by just one point, No. 21/20 Devon Dawson (Brooklyn Park, Minn./Goddard) took the mat against No. 31 Bryan Caves in their rematch at heavyweight. The duo, who saw their match decided by just one point last week, saw a combined four takedowns in tonight's match. Dawson claimed three of those takedowns en route to his sixth major decision win this season at 15-7.
 
"We have to have a short memory here. It was a great performance tonight in terms of the scoreboard. But tomorrow, we've got to get back to work on getting better for next week," noted Ludwig.
 
The Huskies return to action in Victor E. Court on January 23 as they host Kent State and Ohio for a pair of MAC duals.
 
Stay up-to-date with all things NIU Wrestling by following the team on Facebook (NIU Wrestling), X/Twitter (@NIUWrestling), and on Instagram (@NIU_Wrestling).
 
 
Dual Results
 
125: No. 30/NR Blake West (NIU) over Archer Anderson (CMU), W, Dec 15-11
133: No. 29/33 Markel Baker (NIU) over Andrew Austin (CMU), W, Dec 9-5
141: Deuce Curtis (NIU) over Nick Blackburn (CMU), W, SV-1, 8-5
149: Jimmy Nugent (CMU) over Lucan O'Brien (NIU), W, Dec 2-0
157: No. 23/27 Mason Shrader (CMU) over Landen Johnson (NIU), W, MD 13-3
165: Brett Smith (NIU) over Chandler Amaker (CMU), W, Dec 7-3
174: Tommy Bennett (NIU) over Nick Marienfeld (CMU), W, Dec 15-10
184: Adrien Cramer (CMU) over Caleb Roe (NIU), W, Dec 8-1
197: Luke Cochran (CMU) over Dominic Heim (NIU), W, MD 12-1
285: No. 21/20 Devon Dawson (NIU) over No. 31/NR Bryan Caves (CMU), W, MD 15-7
 
Final Score
NIU 19, CMU 14
 
*Rankings via Intermat and FloWrestling
 
Attendance: 188