For the fourth straight year, the NIU wrestling team finished second to Central Michigan at the MAC championships. The competition took place over the weekend in Kent, Ohio.

The No. 23 Huskies’ lone title came from junior Josh Wooton at 141 pounds. However, NIU will send four wrestlers to the NCAA National Championships in St. Louis, which begins March 17.

The two-day competition saw Central Michigan dominate by winning eight of the 10 weight classes and outscoring second-place NIU 119.5-59. The title was the fourth in a row for the No. 8 Chippewas, who have won seven of the last eight MAC championships.

“I’m real proud of our guys and we’ve had a good year,” NIU coach Dave Grant said. “We’ve had enough second-place trophies lined up on our shelves. We have to take another step and we’re capable of doing that. The future looks bright.”

Three second-place finishes helped the Huskies hold off host Kent State by 12.5 points for second place. By winning his weight class, Wooton automatically qualified for the NCAAs.

“It feels pretty good,” Wooton said about his 3-0 victory over Ohio’s John Spires. “Especially after being the No. 1 seed last year and losing. I’m going to train real hard this week and try to place this year and get on that platform.”

Senior Sam Hiatt was denied his third straight MAC title when he was pinned in the 133-pound final by CMU’s Jason Borrelli.

“I’m disappointed,” Hiatt said. “It’s hard to come back from that, but then I had to suck it up and beat another guy for second place. But now I’m just focused on nationals. Getting all-American is more important.”

Hiatt and sophomores Johnny Galloway and Mike Grimes also garnered spots for the NCAAs thanks to their second-place finishes. Nineteen MAC wrestlers in all qualified for the NCAAs.

“I realized I had to be aggressive and really control and set the pace of my matches,” said Grimes, who qualified for his first NCAA appearance. “It’s awesome. I haven’t felt this way since high school. This is why I wrestle, this is what I work for.”

Conference season awards were also handed out after the tournament.

Freshman of the Year was shared by CMU’s Luke Smith and Wynn Michalak. Ohio’s Jake Percival won the Tournament Most Outstanding Wrestler and Wrestler of the Year awards with his fourth career MAC championship. Central Michigan’s Tom Borrelli took home Coach of the Year.

Weight Class Winners

125: Luke Smith, CMU

133: Jason Borrelli, CMU

141: Josh Wooton, NIU

149: Mark DiSalvo, CMU

157: Jake Percival, Ohio

165: David Bolyard, CMU

174: Mitch Hancock, CMU

184: Alex Lammers, CMU

197: Wynn Michalak, CMU

Heavyweight: Bill Stouffer, CMU