NIU wrestling (8-6, 4-1 MAC) defeated the University at Buffalo Bulls (3-10, 2-4 MAC) on the road Friday, winning the matchup 29-11.
The Huskies opened up strong when No. 31-ranked redshirt senior Blake West defeated freshman Zachary Belverio in a 12-1 majority decision.
At 133 pounds, No. 28-ranked Markel Baker then defeated redshirt junior Troy Guerra in a 17-2 technical fall, 3:07 into the match.
Redshirt freshman Charles Curtis defeated freshman Tyler Roark via majority decision 14-4 to claim the Huskies’ third consecutive matchup in the bout.
Losing the next two bouts, NIU regained control of the match at 165 pounds as redshirt sophomore Brett Smith defeated redshirt junior Kelin Laffey due to an injury sustained by Laffey during the bout.
At 174 pounds, redshirt junior Tommy Bennett defeated redshirt sophomore Rafael Knapp in a narrow 8-6 decision.
Continuing the Huskies’ dominance, redshirt freshman Ian Smith defeated sophomore Connor Scuilla 11-0 for NIU’s third majority decision of the bout.
The Huskies’ last win came at 285 pounds when No. 20-ranked graduate student Devon Dawson defeated junior Magnus Bibla in a 5-1 decision.
Moving back into the win column, the Huskies improved to 8-6 and 4-1 in Mid-American Conference competition.
“The guys came out firing tonight. They were pushing the pace and looking to score,” NIU head coach Ryan Ludwig said via NIU Athletics. “We need to build on this to be at our best every time we take the mat.”
NEXT UP
The Huskies return to action at 7 p.m. Friday on the road against Northwestern University. Live stats will be provided on Track Wrestling.
