Leading 18-10 with two pins under its belt, the NIU wrestling team dropped the final four bouts of Sunday’s Mid-American Conference dual meet to suffer an upset loss to winless Central Michigan University.

The Huskies fell short of notching their second win over the Chips in roughly 17 years after the higher weights lost five of their final six matches of the day, three ending in a CMU pin or major decision.

“(The) guys wrestled hard,” NIU wrestling head coach Ryan Ludwig said. “We just have to be able to close out some of those tough situations and turn the tide in the dual meet score.”

Brya’s brilliant start

NIU began the meet with back-to-back wins at 125 and 133 to build a 6-0 lead. Among NIU’s early flurry of points came an impressive dual debut by true freshman Jacob Brya in the meet’s third match. Brya, a 141-pounder from St. John’s, Michigan, pinned CMU freshman Jimmy Nugent in the third period to put NIU up by double digits.

“(Brya) was one of our heralded recruits in this last class and he proved just that, going out and planting a stick and a pin over an opponent which is huge in that dual meet,” Ludwig said.

Brya’s season debut earlier this season ended with a runner-up finish at 141 at the MSU Open on Nov. 5. Brya fell to Cleveland State University freshman Dylan Layton – currently the No. 27 ranked 141-pounder in the latest WrestleStat rankings – in the first place match.

“Jacob Brya is right there with the best,” Ludwig said. “He’s right where we want him to be…we see him getting a very big, big role in our future moving forward.”

Bonus point bonanza

There was no shortage of bonus points during the meet as both squads combined for five straight bonus point victories. Brya’s pin at 141 sparked what ultimately turned into a five-match streak of bonus point victories.

CMU redshirt junior Johnny Lovett was the first Chippewa to find the scoreboard after dominating NIU redshirt freshman Kavan Troy in a 15-7 win at 149 pounds. Troy began the match with a 4-0 lead in the first period before Lovett scored 13 points in the final period to earn the major decision.

Ludwig said after the meet that Troy was competing under short notice, having a half-day or preparation before facing off with Lovett.

The Chips jumped within two points after CMU redshirt senior Corbyn Munson made quick work of NIU redshirt senior Anthony Gibson at 157. Munson put Gibson in a headlock for a first-period pin to add six points to Central Michigan’s team score.

“We know we can beat that guy (Munson),” Ludwig said. “We just, you know, got caught in a little bit of a mess tonight.”

At 165, NIU redshirt senior Izzak Olejnik responded with a first-period pin of his own, the third and final pin of the meet. Olejnik, a three-time NCAA qualifier and the No. 13 ranked wrestler in his class, downed CMU redshirt freshman Chandler Amaker in the first period.

Chips turn up the heat

The following duel between NIU redshirt freshman Hayden Pummel and CMU redshirt junior Alex Cramer quickly became competitive after nine points were scored in the first period, Cramer being the 5-4 frontrunner. The momentum then shifted to Cramer, who pulled out a 16-8 win for the major decision.

CMU made it a one-point match after redshirt senior Ben Cushman earned the 6-2 edge over NIU junior Matthew Zuber, simultaneously snapping the streak of bonus point victories.

“We really believe in this kid,” Ludwig said. “He’s got a really bright future. He just needs to be able to work on closing matches.”

The 197 matchup featuring NIU sophomore Jacob Christensen and junior Cameron Wood proved to be the most competitive one of the night. Christensen held a 2-1 advantage through the first two periods before Wood rallied back to force a 3-3 tie, sending the match into sudden victory. Both wrestlers grappled for 56 seconds before Wood earned the winning takedown to put Central Michigan in front 20-18.

“We thought we had an escape, kind of a very controversial end to the match there,” Ludwig said. “And then in overtime, again, a controversial situation where we thought we had a takedown but they worked the other guy (Wood), so that could have gone either way.”

The winner of the meet was decided by the victor of the heavyweight contest between NIU redshirt senior Terrese Aaron and CMU redshirt freshman Bryan Caves. The latter held the upper hand for the entirety of the match, ending with a 5-2 win to give the Chips their first duel win of the season.

The 21-18 upset loss stripped NIU of its undefeated title in conference play and dropped the Huskies from No. 1 to No. 3 in the MAC West standings.

“You know, losing close duals like this always suck, but we can’t let it carry on to the next week,” Olejnik said.

The Huskies will return to the mat at the same time next week for another MAC matchup, this time against Ohio University. The Bobcats, who remain unbeaten against conference opponents, will host the dual set to begin at 7 p.m. Friday at the Convocation Center in Athens, Ohio.