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Northern Star

Northern Illinois University’s student media since 1899

 

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The Student News Site of Northern Illinois University

Northern Star

The Student News Site of Northern Illinois University

Northern Star

Redshirt freshman Danny Curran (right) grapples with redshirt freshman Dylan Gvillo (left) during the Huskie Duals exhibition last Friday. The Huskies' first dual takes place Friday against Lindenwood and St. Ambrose. (Tim Dodge | Northern Star)

NIU wrestling: New faces, returning stars

By Zack Rodriguez, Former Sports Reporter | November 1, 2023

DeKALB – Roll out the mats, break out the headgear and prepare the ringworm ointment, as the NIU wrestling season is rapidly approaching. LAST SEASON RESULTS  Last season, NIU wrestling finished with an 8-5 overall record and went  5-1 in the...

NIU redshirt freshman Blake West opposes Buffalo’s redshirt freshman Mason Bush in the first match of the wrestling side of the meet on Feb. 4 at the Convocation Center. (Alyssa Queen | Northern Star)

7 Huskie wrestlers named to All-MAC Academic team

By DeOndre Saunders, Sports Reporter | March 30, 2023

DeKALB – Seven players from the NIU wrestling team were announced on Tuesday to be on the Mid-American Conference All-Academic team. Student-athletes must have at least a 3.20 cumulative GPA and have participated in at least 50% of the contests scheduled...

Central Michigan redshirt freshman Chandler Amaker (left) and NIU redshirt senior Izzak Olejnik battle at 165 during a dual meet Friday. (Courtesy Central Michigan Athletics)

MAC champion Olejnik enters transfer portal

By Alex Crowe, Assistant Sports Editor | March 27, 2023

DeKALB – Redshirt senior wrestler Izzak Olejnik announced that he is entering the transfer portal via his Twitter Monday. Olejnik is fresh off his second straight Mid-American Conference Championship at 165 pounds. He also finished in eighth place...

NIU redshirt senior Izzak Olejnik grapples with Kent State University sophomore Enrique Munguia during Sunday's dual meet. The 165-pound wrestlers clashed in a battle of nationally-ranked opponents. Olejnik and Munguia were ranked No. 10 and No. 25 respectively in the Dec. 13 InterMat rankings for their weight class. (David Dermer)

Olejnik nabs All-American honors at NCAA championships

By Adrien De La Peña, Sports Reporter | March 20, 2023

DeKALB– NIU redshirt senior Izzak Olejnik took down No. 10 Ohio State University redshirt junior Carson Kharchla in the 2023 NCAA Wrestling Championships en route to being named an All-American. Olejnik’s status as All-American ranks him as the...

NIU redshirt senior Izzak Olejnik grapples with Kent State University sophomore Enrique Munguia during Sunday's dual meet. The 165-pound wrestlers clashed in a battle of nationally-ranked opponents. Olejnik and Munguia were ranked No. 10 and No. 25 respectively in the Dec. 13 InterMat rankings for their weight class. (David Dermer)

Olejnik wins second straight MAC title

By Adrien De La Peña, Sports Reporter | March 6, 2023

DeKALB – NIU redshirt senior Izzak Olejnik brought home the Mid-American Conference (MAC) title for the second year in a row at 165 pounds to earn a spot in the 2023 NCAA Championship in Tulsa, Oklahoma.  Olejnik defeated No. 5 seed Central Michigan...

NIU redshirt senior Anthony Gibson begins his match at the Beauty and the Beast meet on Feb. 4 against Buffalo’s redshirt senior Michael Petite. (Alyssa Queen | Northern Star)

Two pins propel Huskies past Cougars

By Adrien De La Peña, Sports Reporter | February 20, 2023

DeKALB – Strong performances from the lightweight and middleweight classes helped NIU wrestling (8-5, 5-1) to a 25-12 win over the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE) Cougars (1-14, 1-7) Sunday.  Redshirt freshman Blake West started...

Redshirt freshman Blake West earns his first Huskie of the Week award. (Graphic by Harrison Linden)

Blake West secures Huskie of the Week honor

By Northern Star Sports Staff | February 13, 2023

DeKALB – Redshirt freshman Blake West’s electrifying overtime win over Northwestern University redshirt senior Michael DeAugustino netted him this week’s Huskie of the Week honor. West’s performance brought the Convocation Center crowd to its...

An NIU wrestler is taken down by a Northwestern wrestler in Friday's meet at the Convocation Center. (Mingda Wu)

Wildcats dominate Huskies on the road

By Adrien De La Peña, Sports Reporter | February 13, 2023

DeKALB – An electric home dual environment wasn’t enough to push the NIU Huskies past the No.13 Northwestern University Wildcats.  NIU redshirt freshman Blake West got fans fired up at the Convocation Center after defeating Northwestern redshirt...

NIU redshirt senior Terrese Aaron takes on Buffalo’s Gregory Hodulick To close out the wrestling portion of the Beauty and the Beast meet on Saturday at the Convocation Center. (Alyssa Queen | Northern Star)

Walk-off match pushes Huskies past Buffalo

By Adrien De La Peña, Sports Reporter | February 6, 2023

DeKALB – NIU wrestling won in walk-off fashion against Mid-American Conference opponent University at Buffalo. Redshirt senior Terrese Aaron was able to come back and defeat his opponent in the final match of the dual to top the Bulls in a close 15-14...

Wrestlers from NIU and Ohio University grapple during Friday's dual meet in Mount in Athens, Ohio. (Courtesy Ohio Athletics)

Lightweight match momentum propels Huskies over Ohio

By Skyler Kisellus and Adrien De La Peña | January 21, 2023
A speedy 18-0 lead built by NIU wrestling during Friday's road dual meet served as the foundation for the Huskies' triumph over MAC-unbeaten foe Ohio.
Central Michigan redshirt freshman Chandler Amaker (left) and NIU redshirt senior Izzak Olejnik battle at 165 during a dual meet Friday. (Courtesy Central Michigan Athletics)

Winless Chips stun MAC-unbeaten Huskies

By Skyler Kisellus, Senior Sports Reporter | January 13, 2023
An 18-10 start for NIU wrestling in Sunday's dual meet against Central Michigan ended in a come-from-behind win for the winless Chippewas.
NIU redshirt junior Jaivon Jones wraps up Kent State University redshirt junior Louis Newell during the 141 match Sunday. Jones defeated Newell in a 3-1 decision to give NIU its first points of the dual. (David Dermer)

Wrestling overpowers Kent State with major-decision wins

By Skyler Kisellus, Senior Sports Reporter | December 18, 2022
Three Huskies earned bonus points in their major decision victories that decided the winners of Sunday's dual meet against MAC rival Kent State.