Wrestling (5-5, 0-2 MAC) won its second consecutive game over the weekend, downing The Citadel in a 24-19 showdown in Edwardsville.

NIU never trailed in the match and already had an 11-0 lead through two matches. Its largest win of the day came in a dual between 125-pound NIU freshman Alijah Jeffery and freshman Patrick Kearney. Jeffery earned a technical fall with just more than two minutes into the match, winning 17-1.

Freshmen Austin Eicher and Steve Bleise both picked up wins for the Huskies. Victories from the freshmen helped to push NIU forward in the dual as The Citadel won just four of the matches of the day. The Bulldogs dropped back to below .500 with the loss, standing at 4-5 and 0-1 on the road as they prepare for battle with Appalachian State this week.

“Today we came out with better energy and got rolling right away,” said head coach Ryan Ludwig according to an NIU Athletics news release. “Shawn [Scott] added a nice win for us and he had a really solid weekend.”

The Huskies are 0-2 in conference play and 0-3 at home despite jumping back to .500 on the season. Four of their five wins have come in neutral locations and they won’t return to their home floor until Feb. 5 against Kent State.

NIU’s next affair will take place this week as they prepare to take on Ohio. Matches are set to start at 6 p.m. Friday in Athens, Ohio.