NIU wrestling (9-6, 4-1 MAC) defeated the Northwestern University Wildcats (3-9, 1-6 B1G) on the road Friday, claiming a 28-9 victory. 

The Huskies received two wins by forfeit, giving No. 31 redshirt senior Blake West and redshirt junior Tommy Bennett victories at 125 and 174 pounds respectively. 

At 133 pounds, No. 28 redshirt junior Markel Baker defeated redshirt sophomore Luis Bazan by decision, 7-2. Redshirt freshman Charles Curtis defeated freshman Billy Dekraker via decision, 7-5, to claim the Huskies’ third consecutive matchup in the bout.

At 147 pounds, redshirt sophomore Collin Arch defeated redshirt freshman August Hibler for the Huskies’ fourth consecutive win in a 9-4 decision. 

In a 10-3 decision at 165 pounds, redshirt sophomore Brett Smith defeated redshirt sophomore Jacob Bostelman. 

At 285 pounds, No. 20 graduate student Devon Dawson continued his reign of dominance, defeating graduate student Gabe Christensen in a 16-4 majority decision. 

This marks Dawson’s seventh majority-decision victory of the season, leaving him undefeated in duals.

“Our guys showed up and put their foot on the line,” said NIU head coach Ryan Ludwig via NIU Athletics. “I’m proud of the way they competed. We have to keep trending up as we move forward.”

NEXT UP

The Huskies wrap up the regular season at 7 p.m. Friday against Southern Illinois University Edwardsville at the Convocation Center.