King of the Hill

NIU wrestler Pat Castillo now stands alone.

The senior is now the top wrestler at 133 pounds according to the new MAC wrestling rankings, which were released Feb. 28.

Castillo was previously tied at first with Kent State’s Dan Mitcheff when the January rankings were released. The wrestlers were scheduled to face off when Kent State visited DeKalb on Jan. 25. However, Mitcheff wasn’t able to compete due to injury.

“I think it’s well deserved.” NIU assistant coach Mike Castillo said. “I think he’s definitely proven that he’s the best guy at his weight in the MAC.”

Freshman Bryan O’Connor and junior Jesse Linczmaier also climbed into the rankings. Both wrestlers placed at No. 4 in their respective weight classes.

Back in swing

For the first time since the tragic events of Feb. 14, the NIU women’s tennis team took court.

The results: a 1-1 split over the weekend, as it defeated Western Illinois 7-0 and lost 7-0 to Iowa.

“It was nice to compete again. It felt like starting over. We’ve been out for three weeks.” NIU head coach Ryun Ferrell said. “It was good to get out.”

Nao Umemura and Brooke Forsberg had good performances against Western Illinois, with Umemura winning 6-0, 6-0 and Forsberg defeating her opponent 6-0, 6-1.

NIU faces face DePaul in its next competition Saturday in Chicago.

Running behind

Of the 12 teams participating at the MAC indoor track and field championships in Ypsilanti, Mich., this weekend NIU finished 12th.

The last-place finish came despite Huskie Coretta Evans notching her season-best time in the 400-meter dash and senior Stacey Rosch recording a career-best time in the 3,000-meter run.

“I’m disappointed in our finish, but I believe the girls’ effort is tremendous,” NIU head coach Connie Teaberry said. “Our places didn’t represent the work and the dedication the athletes put into this year.”

Elizabeth Berquist, Meagan Guenther and Shoshanna Brown also scored points for the Huskies in the loss.

‘Living’ it up

It was a perfect weekend for the NIU men’s tennis team, as the Huskies picked up a pair of 6-1 victories over Eastern Illinois and Wisconsin-Green Bay.

NIU junior Brian Livingston led NIU with wins in both No. 1 singles meets, as well as two victories in the No. 1 doubles with teammate Adam Ford.

The meet with Green Bay on Feb. 29 was the first time the Huskies were in action in almost three weeks.