After four-straight road losses, NIU wrestling returned home and defeated Tiffin University and SIU-Edwardsville at Victor E. Court Sunday.

Facing Tiffin (2-11), the Huskies (8-8, 0-4 MAC) jumped out to an early lead, grabbing their most dominant victory of the season, 42-0.

In its second meeting of the day, NIU continued its dominance, beating SIUE (5-14) for the second time this season, 34-8. Kevin Fanta, Tyler Loethen and Brad Dieckhaus each picked up their second victories on the day at 141, 157 and 184 respectively.

At 197, Mike Lukowski dropped a tough match, but his aggressive style unraveled SIUE’s Cole Rogers following the match, resulting in a one-point deduction for unsportsmanlike conduct against the Cougars.

“Mike always brings a lot of fire, and if that rattles his opponents, then so be it,” said NIU coach Ryan Ludwig. “Mike’s got a style that he likes: a physical, hard style. I like what he brings. It’s his game, and to be honest, I think more of us need a little more intensity like that.”

In the team’s last duals before finishing its season against Buffalo, Ludwig knew it would take results like his team delivered Sunday in order for his guys to be ready to square off against MAC competition.

So far this season, NIU is 0-4 against MAC schools and is outscored 102-30. The Huskies have not scored more than 10 points as a team in any of those duals.

“While I was pleased that we got our victories today, I think that we still have some things we need to work on,” Ludwig said. “We need to fill in some gaps in order to go in with a full head of steam this weekend.”

Dieckhaus’ return to the lineup brings balance and stability while he continues his success on the mats.

Dieckhaus came out strong with a 9-3 decision over Tiffin’s Kevin Christman, before pinning SIUE’s Cole Brandt 2:07 into the match, bringing his overall record to 10-0.

“I have a lot of respect for Cole,” Dieckhaus said. “He was open, and I took a shot and got the best of him. He’s a tough guy and he’s a good guy to go up against.”

Dieckhaus has been using every match to sharpen his attacks and get his groove back before the MAC tournament comes around, when he will try and defend last season’s championship title.

“Every match is giving me more and more confidence,” Dieckhaus said. “But at this point, no matter who I’m up against, I go into the match as if my record is 0-0. Every match is equally important, and wrestling is a sport where you can be put on your back against anyone, anytime. It’s important to look at things one match at a time.”