DeKALB | It has been a season filled with tough competition for the NIU wrestling team this year.

So why not take it easy for the last match of the season?

After facing three teams ranked in the top 10, and five ranked in the top 25 overall, the Huskies will close out their regular season with a four-team dual meet versus three non-ranked opponents Sunday, starting at 10 a.m. in the Convocation Center.

NIU will welcome Eastern Illinois University, Eastern Michigan University and Div II SIU-Edwardsville in a tune-up before the MAC Championships in early March.

While the opponents the Huskies are facing this weekend may not look great on paper, NIU head coach Dave Grant knows not to take these teams lightly.

“These guys aren’t going to come in here and lay down for us,” Grant said. “Eastern Michigan is much improved from last year, and there are a lot of matches where MAC seeds are at stake.”

One of those important MAC seeds will be in the 149-pound class when senior Mike Grimes, ranked as high as No. 9 nationally, defends his No. 1 MAC seed against EMU’s Jermaine Thompson, ranked second in the MAC.

Danny Burk, who has been on the brink of a national ranking all year, will try and get over that hump when he takes on 19th ranked Kenny Robertson of EIU in the 174-pound battle.

A win over EMU would put the Huskies in third place in the final MAC standings with a record of 3-2, and a clean sweep of the weekend action would put the Huskies at a winning mark of 6-4-1 overall.