After wrestling its hardest schedule in program history, the NIU wrestling team was due for a reprieve from top 25-ranked opponents.

In their final dual meets of the season, the No. 24 Huskies saved their best for last with dominating victories over Eastern Illinois and Northern Colorado on Sunday.

In a three-team round-robin at Eastern Illinois, the Huskies (10-5-2) garnered three pins and four technical falls to seal both victories 41-6 and 32-9.

“I think we did great,” said NIU coach Dave Grant. “We were very aggressive. I think we scored, like, 100 points. It’s also our fifth-straight double-digit win season, so it’s been very successful.”

Over the course of the season, NIU wrestled seven top 25-ranked opponents — its most difficult schedule to date. So as soon as the Huskies stepped onto the mat Sunday against Eastern Illinois (3-12), the rout was on.

After the first six matches, NIU was staked to an insurmountable 32-0 lead thanks to three pins, a technical fall and a forfeit. Sophomore Chad Vandiver and juniors Mike Grimes and Johnny Galloway each picked up pins for the Huskies, with Galloway picking up his pin 1:11 into the match.

By the end of the meet, the Huskies’ 35-point victory was its second largest margin of the year. NIU previously defeated Wisconsin-Whitewater 47-4 on Dec. 18.

The victory was particularly sweet for Vandiver, who missed the majority of the season with a knee injury and returned to the starting lineup on Feb. 10.

“I knew it would be tough to get back in the lineup,” the 133-pound sophomore said. “I was struggling at the beginning of the year, and then I got the knee injury. As soon as I got back, I’ve been working myself back into shape, and I’m starting to feel better and better in my matches.”

After defeating EIU, the Huskies needed to beat Northern Colorado (6-8) to achieve their fifth-straight double-digit win season. Galloway struck first with an 11-3 major decision at 165-pounds and the rest of the lineup followed suit with a final team score 32-9.

In total match points, the Huskies set a season-high by outscoring the Bears 118-36. NIU scored three technical falls by sophomore Pat Castillo and seniors Josh Wooton and Alex Nelson.

The lead performer on the weekend was Wooton, who scored two technical falls by a total score of 45-12. With the MAC Tournament two weeks away, Wooton said the rest will do the team good.

“It will give us a chance to heal,” the senior said. “Some people are a little banged up. It will give us time to watch our tapes, scout our opponents and fix what we did wrong before.”

Nelson scored a 20-4 victory at 184 pounds despite the fact he wrestled at 165 pounds the entire season. Grant said his fifth-year senior will wrestle for NIU at 184 pounds in the upcoming MAC Tournament.