After blowing a 16-9 lead, the NIU wrestling team found itself trailing Kent State 16-18 going into the final weight class Jan. 14. All the pressure was on freshman Derek Hunsinger.

“It was nerve-wracking,” Hunsinger said. “Danny got beat and Tyler got pinned, so the whole match was on me. I was nervous.”

But Hunsinger’s nerves did not factor in; he scored an 8-2 victory.

Hunsinger and the No. 24 ranked Huskies will take their 10-match winning streak to face Ohio at 2:05 p.m. Saturday at Victor E. Court.

NIU coach Dave Grant is excited about this weekend and expects continued success from Hunsinger.

Coming out of El Paso, Grant knew what kind of athlete he was getting when he recruited the redshirt two years ago.

“Well, other than being the world’s strongest man,” Grant joked, “his athletic ability and his desire to be great really impressed me.”

The 197-pound Hunsinger’s prep career also caught Grant’s eye. A two-time Class-A State Champion, he finished his last two years with a 72-1 record. He also was a star in football as his school’s all-time leading rusher. The Peoria Journal Star tabbed him the small school football player of the year in 2002.

As a redshirt freshman last year, Hunsinger was a backup at 184 pounds to all-American Ben Heizer. Wrestling the NCAA runner-up helped sharpen his skills.

“He basically beat the [crap] out of me all the time,” Hunsinger said. “It seemed like he was kicking my [butt] over and over, but he was really teaching me. He would show you what you were doing wrong – like another coach.”

Going into this weekend’s match, Hunsinger has a 14-9 record and three pins for an NIU squad that has only two upperclassmen on its active roster.

“The sky is the limit for him,” Grant said. “Any goals he lays out for himself he can accomplish.”