For the second-straight year, the NIU wrestling team had to rally from a large deficit against Northern Iowa. And for the second-straight match, the Huskies were forced to settle with a tie.

The No. 24 Huskies (6-4-2) tied two matches in a row for the first time in NIU coach Dave Grant’s tenure after Sunday’s 16-16 tie versus No. 25 Northern Iowa.

“I thought we had some good performances from our top guys,” Grant said. “[Wooton] will wrestle you until the end. It’s good to have Hunsinger back in there. Overall, we wrestled pretty good. That swing match at 174 made a difference.”

The Huskies jumped out to a 3-0 lead after 149-pound junior Mike Grimes scored a 6-4 victory. But Northern Iowa (5-7-2) struck back with a 11-1 major decision victory by No. 19 Chris Bitetto to take a one-point lead.

In a marquee rematch, junior Johnny Galloway faced No. 7 Nick Baima. Last season, Galloway pulled off a 15-12 upset against Baima. But this time around, Baima’s defense and quality riding frustrated Galloway en route to a 2-0 win.

The Panthers took their largest lead of the meet at 10-3 after Moza Fay wrestled one weight class up and defeated NIU senior Alex Nelson 8-3. Nelson had a 3-1 lead in the final period, but Fay’s near fall ended Nelson’s chances at a win.

With sophomore Nick McClone out with an injury, 174-pound junior Danny Burk took on 184-pound Dan Dunning. Despite giving up a height and weight advantage, Burk’s solid technique earned him a 6-2 victory.

Derek Hunsinger, 197-pounds, returned to the NIU lineup after sitting out the past few weeks with an injury. Hunsinger shook off the rust against a faster foe and rode a solid final period to an 8-4 decision.

Down 13-9 with only two matches left, NIU’s Pat Castillo continued his torrid streak and earned a 16-7 major decision at 125 pounds to tie the score. Castillo has only lost once since taking second place at Midlands in December.

In the meet’s final match, NIU’s senior Josh Wooton found himself needing a win to tie the score or give the Huskies the victory. Ranked No. 11 at 141 pounds, Wooton got revenge against No. 20 C.J. Ettelson, who beat Wooton at Midlands, with a hard-fought 5-3 victory to knot the score for good.