The ups-and-downs continued for NIU wrestling, as a strong presence in the NIU Showcase was followed by mixed results at the Midlands Championships and a loss to conference foe Ohio this weekend.

The Huskies (6-5, 0-2 MAC) had a disappointing showing Friday, suffering a MAC loss at Ohio (2-3, 1-2 MAC), 27-6.

“I’m pretty disappointed with our performance against Ohio,” said NIU coach Ryan Ludwig. “We have the ability to beat the Ohio team, and I expect a little bit more from us. There has to be a little more intensity and urgency, but we didn’t deliver. In no way does that loss indicate where we are as a team. It was a bit of a hiccup.”

The lone Huskies picking up victories on the evening were Kevin Fanta at 141 and Mike Lukowski at 197.

“They’re doing a great job,” Ludwig said. “They are both powerful wrestlers. When Mike wrestles his type of match, he’s tough to beat. He’s aggressive, he’s strong and he knows how to hand-fight. I think Kevin continues to make improvements and we see him as a national level performer. He’s working on having a breakthrough year here.”

Nationally ranked Nick Smith, 125, and Brad Dieckhaus, 184, have both been hampered by injuries since the NIU Showcase. The absence of two of the top wrestlers in the nation can run its course on a team, but the Huskies managed to pick up a 22-16 non-conference victory against Lock Haven (3-6, 0-1).

NIU found its back against the wall early at home, trailing 16-3 halfway through the meet. After a major decision from Lukowski and gritty win from heavyweight Jared Torrence, NIU needed Smith’s fill-in, true freshman Derek Elmore, to come through with a win.

It looked as if Elmore was not going to provide the spark for the team, entering the third round trailing 12-2. Instead, Elmore pinned Robert Rehm in a stunning outcome that tied the match up, 16-16.

At 133, NIU’s Rob Jillard continued his success as a Huskie with a 7-4 decision, before Fanta solidified the team win with a 5-2 victory. The win marked the sixth win of the season, already an improvement from last season’s five.

A major addition for the Huskies has been Jillard. He has proven to be as good as advertised so far this season for NIU after his NCAA qualifying freshman campaign at Liberty. At the Midlands, Jillard was the only Huskie to advance to the second day of action and finished the tournament one win away from placing. His relative success was nothing short of what Ludwig expects to see from the newcomer.

“[Jillard] had a pretty good tournament and beat a couple of nationally ranked guys,” Ludwig said. “He’s working hard to refine his wrestling, and he’s adapting to our style of wrestling.”

Moving into the thick of the conference season after a sluggish 0-2 start, Ludwig stressed the team needs to pick up its levels of intensity and toughness at all times.

“It’s a concern when you don’t win conference matches and those dual meets,” Ludwig said. “Those are extremely important matches to us and it hurts to not have won those but we need to look forward to our next matchups with Central and Eastern Michigan this weekend.”

NIU would like to have Dieckhaus and Smith back in the lineup, but the team will only get one of its nationally ranked grapplers back in the near future.

Smith is expected to return to the mats this upcoming weekend, but Dieckhaus will continue to miss time with a tweaked ankle. Dieckhaus also missed the first month of the season after undergoing knee surgery during the offseason.