Last season, the NIU wrestling team sent four wrestlers to the NCAA Championships and came away with two victories.

But over the weekend in Oklahoma City, the Huskies’ trio of Josh Wooton, Johnny Galloway and Pat Castillo combined for seven victories as all three came close to achieving All-American status.

“It was a much better performance [compared to last year],” said NIU coach Dave Grant. “They came in with great attitudes. We were one or two matches away from all three of them being All-Americans.”

For senior Wooton, this year was his last chance to get the elusive All-America title after three previous trips to the NCAAs. The 141-pounder dropped his opening round match 16-5, but struck back with three straight wins in the consolation bracket. His run finally ended at the hands of Pittsburgh’s Ron Tarquinio, who scored a reversal and near fall in the final minute to steal the match 7-2.

“I’m disappointed,” said Wooton, who finished third in NIU history with 109 career victories. “I can’t believe it’s over. It’s kind of a relief to not have to cut weight anymore, but it’s bittersweet.”

Galloway made his second trip to the NCAAs memorable with an injury default victory over Northern Iowa rival Nick Baima to reach the quarterfinals. But a 2-1 loss to Oregon’s Joey Bracamonte and a 3-1 loss to Iowa’s Eric Luedke meant the 165-pound junior came one win short of becoming an All-American.

“I was right there with the best in the country,” Galloway said. “But I am proud of my performance and my teammates’ performances. This is just motivation for next year.”

Ranked in the top 25 for almost the entire season in his first year as a starter, Castillo also made his mark. After losing a 7-5 first round decision, the 125-pound sophomore won two matches in the consolation bracket. But eventual All-American Tanner Gardner ended Castillo’s season with a hard-fought 5-4 decision.

“Overall it was a good experience,” said Castillo, who finished second on the team with a 29-10 record. “Hopefully I’ll continue to improve. It will all depend on this off-season. The off-season is where you gain on all the other teams.”

In team scoring, Oklahoma State won its fourth-straight national title. Central Michigan placed highest of the MAC schools in 26th place thanks to All-Americans Mark DiSalvo and Wynn Michalak. The Huskies finished next highest in 36th place in the 69-team field.

“We will have almost all those guys back next year and with a top 15-ranked recruiting class ready to break into the lineup,” Grant said.