Incoming NIU wrestler Austin Culton was named the 2013 DeKalb Daily Chronicle Male Athlete of the Year today. Culton attended Sycamore High School and was a key member of both the football and wrestling teams with the Spartans. Culton won the Class 2A individual wrestling state championship at 152 pounds as a junior, finishing with a 34-4 record, and finished runner-up this past year, winning his first 43 matches before falling in the state title match.
Men's Tennis: NIU split a pair of Saturday contests at home. In the first match, the Huskies swept Western Illinois, 7-0, before falling to the Green Bay Phoenix, 4-1.
Men's Golf: The Huskies took second place Saturday at the 36-hole Forest Hills Collegiate. Bryce Emory paced NIU with a fifth place showing.
- Baseball,
- Gymnastics,
- Men's Basketball,
- Men's Golf,
- Men's Tennis,
- Softball,
- Track & Field,
- Women's Basketball,
- Women's Golf,
- Women's Tennis,
- Wrestling
While the starters were in Buffalo, a quartet of Huskies placed at the Jim Fox Open in Dubuque, Iowa. Leading the way was Billy Chancey, who won the 165-pound bracket. Meanwhile, Shawn Fayette took second at 149, while Braun Marquez (125) and Gabe Morse (149) each netted third place showings.
Here is the match-by-match breakdown of how each Huskie did in northeast Iowa.
125: Braun Marquez - Third Place Kyle Larson (Iowa State) dec. Braun Marquez (NIU), 5-1 Braun Marquez (NIU) pins Chris Alvarez (Kennedy-King), 3:27 Braun Marquez (NIU) pins Tom Foy (Wheaton), 2:09
149: Shawn Fayette - Second Place Shawn Fayette (NIU) pins Dylan Wright (St. Cloud State), 1:50 Shawn Fayette (NIU) dec. Eric Powell (Dubuque), 6-1 Roger Wildmo (Michigan State) pins Shawn Fayette (NIU), 0:47
149: Gabe Morse - Third Place Roger Wildmo (Michigan State) pins Gabe Morse (NIU), 4:00 Gabe Morse (NIU) pins Gage Burt (Wheaton), 1:13 Gabe Morse (NIU) tech. fall Jason Clark (Simpson), 16-0 Gabe Morse (NIU) maj. dec. Dylan Wright (St. Cloud State), 9-0 Gabe Morse (NIU) dec. Duane Richardson (Upper Iowa), 3-1 Gabe Morse (NIU) dec. Eric Powell (Dubuque), 8-4
165: Billy Chancey - First Place Billy Chancey (NIU) pins Matt Ellis (Wheaton), 2:01 Billy Chancey (NIU) dec. Peter Huang (Wheaton), 4-0 Billy Chancey (NIU) wins by injury forfeit over Matt Vercillo (Wartburg)
Wrestling: The Huskies capped their MAC slate on a positive note, defeating Buffalo, 20-18. Nick Smith, Rob Jillard, Andrew Morse and Matt Mougin got wins for NIU early before Jared Torrence won the meet with an overtime decision at heavyweight.
Gymnastics: Northern Illinois recorded a season-best score for the second consecutive meet, but it was not enough in a 195.175-194.375 loss at Iowa State. Kim Gotlund posted career-best scores on the balance beam and uneven bars.
Men's Golf: NIU opened their spring season Monday and Tuesday with a fourth place finish at the MAC Match Play in Dade City, Fla. After upsetting second-seeded Akron in the first round, the Huskies lost to eventual champion Bowling Green to close out Monday. On Tuesday, Northern dropped a tight contest against Eastern Michigan in the third-place match.
Women's Basketball: The Huskies got their first two MAC wins of the year, both coming on the road. NIU shot 59.2 percent from the field and 66.7 percent from three-point range Wednesday to down Ohio, 73-52. Sunday at Kent State, the Huskies topped the Golden Flashes, 52-47.
Wrestling: NIU couldn't snap their losing streak Saturday, as they fell to #7 Missouri and Eastern Michigan. In the first half of the doubleheader, the Huskies dropped a close 22-17 decision to EMU. They followed that up with a 39-3 loss to the nationally-ranked Tigers.
Gymnastics: Northern Illinois suffered their first loss of the season Friday night, as they were ousted by Ball State, 192.475-192.075. NIU outscored BSU in three events and Megan Melendez won the balance beam, but it was not enough against the Cardinals.
Women's Basketball: The Huskies are still looking for their first conference win after losing two last week. NIU led at halftime against Akron on Wednesday, but an 18-2 Zip run to start the second sent the Huskies to a 63-52 loss. It was a similar story on Saturday afternoon in Mt. Pleasant, Mich. where Northern dropped an 83-56 contest against Central Michigan.
Wrestling: NIU pushed #12 Central Michigan, but could not pull off the upset Friday in a 23-12 loss to the Chippewas. Wins by Nick Smith, Kevin Fanta and Andrew Morse put the Huskies up 9-7 at halftime, but it was not enough against CMU's strong upper weight wrestlers.
Men's Tennis: The Huskies opened their season Sunday with a 6-1 loss to #35 Minnesota. Frederic Cadieux notched the lone point for NIU with a win in third singles.
Men's Basketball: In their opening week of MAC play, Northern Illinois split two matchups with MAC East foes. On Wednesday, the Huskies ended a 13-game skid at Miami (Ohio) with a 72-61 win against the RedHawks. Three days later, the Huskies dropped their home conference opener in a 68-53 loss to Akron. Women's Basketball: The Huskies fell in their first two MAC games of the year during the past week. In their conference opener, NIU lost 60-53 to Buffalo in a game that was plagued by Northern turnovers. On Sunday, the Huskies hurt themselves again with 25 turnovers in a 57-51 loss to Ball State.
Wrestling: Northern Illinois' return from a month-long roadtrip did not go smoothly, as NIU lost, 32-13, to the Ohio Bobcats. Despite wins by Derek Elmore, Nick Smith and Kevin Fanta, Ohio dispatched the Huskies with four pins on the night.
Track & Field: Northern Illinois opened 2013 with several promising performances. Sidra Sherrill won the shot put, while Ellen Renk, Alex Schad and Ida Burbulla turned out strong showings in jumps. On the track, Megan Gregory made two finals appearances.
Football: Northern Illinois ended its historic season on New Year's Day with a 31-10 loss against the Florida State Seminoles in the Discover Orange Bowl. Jordan Lynch finished the game 15-for-41 passing for 176 yards, while Tommylee Lewis led NIU with five catches for 61 yards. The Huskies finished the season with a 12-2 record.
Women's Basketball: The Huskies lost to a Missouri Valley Conference opponent for the second-straight week, this time falling to Indiana State, 58-52. Amanda Corral led NIU with 19 points.
Track & Field: Northern Illinois began their indoor season strong with one event title and six top five finishes at the Cyclone Holiday Preview. Freshman Ida Burbulla took the high jump title with a mark of 5-03.75 (1.62m).
Football: Northern Illinois won their second consecutive Mid-American Conference title Friday with a 44-37 double overtime win over then No. 17 Kent State at Detroit's Ford Field. Jordan Lynch combined for 372 yards of total offense, while the Huskie defense held KSU's vaunted rushing attack in check before Demetrius Stone's fourth down interception in the endzone sealed the win. The victory solidified a spot for the Huskies in the 2013 Discover Orange Bowl against ACC champion Florida State.
Football: Northern Illinois clinched its third consecutive MAC West title Wednesday night with a 31-24 win over the Toledo Rockets at Huskie Stadium. Jordan Lynch led the Huskies back from a 14-7 halftime deficit with 295 yards passing in the third quarter alone as part of NIU's 21-point explosion. Lynch also became the first QB in NCAA history to pass for 400 yards and rush for 150 in the same game.
Men's Basketball: NIU went 1-1 during the week after a pair of games. On Tuesday, the Huskies took part in the ESPN College Hoops Tip-Off Marathon with a 7 a.m. tilt against Valparaiso. However, the Crusaders' hot shooting was too much in a 69-46 defeat. Northern rebounded from that loss Sunday with a convincing 72-54 win over Judson.
Women's Basketball: The Huskies went 2-0 in the consolation rounds of the WNIT. On Saturday night, NIU knocked off SoCon favorite Davidson in a 64-61 win for Northern's first win of the year. Yet, the squad would top that performance the next night with a 74-46 win over Morehead State.
Volleyball: The Huskies advanced to their third-straight MAC Tournament title match over the weekend, but found a similar result in the final. NIU opened the weekend with a 3-1 win over Akron, as the Huskies won three sets in a row after dropping the first set. They followed that up with a come-from-behind 3-2 win over top-seeded Ohio in which the Huskies dropped the first two sets. However, the run came to an end Sunday afternoon when NIU fell to Bowling Green, 3-2, in the championship match, despite leading two sets to none.
Wrestling: Northern Illinois went 2-1 in their three matches of the NIU Duals. After winning a forfeit-filled opener against Calumet College of St. Joseph, 57-0, the Huskies shut out the Loras Duhawks, 41-0, to set up a final showdown against No. 23 Purdue. However, the Boilermakers handed the Huskies a 37-0 defeat for NIU's first loss of the season.
Men's Basketball: Northern Illinois dropped their season opener Friday with a 77-64 defeat at Nebraska Omaha. Aksel Bolin paced NIU with 11 points, while freshman Daveon Balls added 10 for the Huskies.
Women's Basketball: The Huskies started their year off Monday with a tight 45-42 exhibition win over Indiana Wesleyan, as Amanda Corral led NIU with 12 points and sank to critical free throws late. The squad kicked off their regular season Friday night in Iowa City, Iowa, when they dropped a 63-40 decision to the Iowa Hawkeyes.
Men's Soccer: Northern Illinois' season came to a close over the weekend, but not without a run to the MAC Championship match. On Friday, the Huskies held West Virginia scoreless for the second time in 2012 en route to a 1-0 win over the Mountaineers in the semi-finals. However, No. 1 Akron ended NIU's run Sunday afternoon with a 2-0 victory in the title match to clinch the conference crown.
Wrestling: Northern Illinois kicked off their home schedule in impressive fashion Saturday, grabbing the program's 500th win and knocking off Big Ten foe Indiana en route to a 3-0 performance at the Huskie Duals. The day began with a 36-3 win over Tiffin in which the Huskies won each of the first three matches. They followed that up with a strong 26-12 win over South Dakota State for the 500th win in program history. The day was not complete, though, until NIU got a 19-13 win over Indiana - the team's first over a Big Ten opponent since 2009.
Football: The Huskies moved to 9-1 on the year with a 63-0 shutout victory over the UMass Minutemen. QB Jordan Lynch combined for over 300 yards of total offense, while the NIU defense forced four turnovers. The shutout was the first by NIU since Sept. 27, 2008, when they blanked Eastern Michigan, 37-0. Men's Basketball: Northern Illinois opened their season with a commanding 89-56 win against Aurora in an exhibition contest . Six Huskies scored in double figures, including 12 each from Kevin Gray and Mike Davis.
Men's Soccer: Northern Illinois clinched a spot in the MAC Tournament for the second consecutive season during the week, but not without some added drama. The week began with a 2-0 loss at Western Michigan, putting NIU in a "win or go home" situation Friday at Buffalo. However, Northern punched their ticket to Akron with a tight 1-0 win against the Bulls.
Wrestling: NIU opened their season Saturday at the EMU Open by putting 13 wrestlers on the podium. Matt Mougin led the way with a third place finish at 174 pounds. Meanwhile, Jared Torrence placed fourth at heavyweight and Rob Jillard took fifth at 149, in addition to Derek Elmore (125), Ethan Davis (141), Caleb Busson (174) Shane Rosenberry (184) and Arber Bebo (197) each taking sixth in their respective brackets. On the fresh/soph side, Shawn Scott (1st - 197), Andrew Morse (3rd - 157), Gabe Morse (4th - 141), Braun Marquez (5th - 125) and Bryan Loughlin (5th - 184) all placed for Northern.
Now that the matchups are set for Friday night's Wrestle-Offs (which you can find here), check out the results from Tuesday and Wednesday's bouts in the NIU Wrestling Room, along with some intriguing exhibition matches.
125 Prelims Braun Marquez over Nick Harrison Nick Harrison over Derek Elmore
141 Prelims Ethan Davis over Gabe Morse Tyler Argue over Gabe Morse
157 Prelims Andrew Morse over Josh Smith Josh Smith over Matt Smith
165 Prelims Trace Engelkes over Dan Burk Sam Bennett over Dan Burk
184 Prelim Bryan Loughlin over Adrian Dickinson
197 Prelims Arber Bebo over Austin Pickering Shawn Scott over Parker Settecase Parker Settecase over Austin Pickering
Exhibitions Thorian Twyner over Nick Harrison Derek Elmore over Jason Montemayor Shawn Fayette over Tyler Argue Rob Jillard over Gabe Morse Caleb Busson over Trace Engelkes Matt Mougin over Shane Roseberry
-thumb-350x233-30589.jpg) An NCAA Championship qualifier in 2011, Kevin Fanta is once again garnering national attention this year as he was included in WIN Magazine's preseason national rankings. The redshirt junior enters the 2012-13 season ranked 20th at 141 pounds following a 15-7 record last year.
Fanta is one of two MAC wrestlers ranked in the top 20, with Kent State's Tyler Small coming in at No. 7. Oklahoma State's Jordan Oliver sits atop the poll, followed by Oklahoma's Kendric Maple, Oregon State's Mike Mangrum, Ohio State's Hunter Stieber and Illinois' B.J. Futrell.
One interesting fact is that three of the Lake Zurich, Ill., native's opponents from the 2012 postseason - Small, Minnesota's Nick Dardanes and Iowa State's Luke Goettl - are included in the poll.
Following a 4-0 start to the season, senior Brad Dieckhaus is now ranked in the top 20 nationally in the 184 weight class in four major polls. The St. Charles, Mo., native currently sits in 18th with WrestlingReport.com and 20th with InterMat, WIN Magazine and D1CollegeWrestling.net.
Additionally, fellow Huskies Nick Smith and Kevin Fanta are getting some love for their fast start. Smith, who boasts a team-best 9-1 record this season, comes in at No. 21 with WrestlingReport.com's 125 pound rankings, while Fanta sits 32nd nationally with WrestlingReport.com after a 3-0 start to the season.
After going 1-1 over the weekend, a trio of Huskie wrestlers are ranked among the nation's best in the most recent WrestlingReport.com rankings. Sophomore Nick Smith moved up one spot to No. 25 at the 125-pound weight class. The Ida, Mich., native won both of his matches over the weekend by major decision, beating North Central's Brayan Gonzalez, 13-4, and Stanford's Matt Sencenbaugh, 20-9. Meanwhile, Rob Jillard dropped three spots after losing both of his matches Sunday. Despite not wrestling Sunday, Brad Dieckhaus broke into the top 30 at 184 at No. 29. Northern Illinois returns to action this Saturday, when they travel to East Lansing, Mich., for the Michigan State Open.
 With the annual Huskie Wrestle-Offs set for Saturday at 2 p.m. in the Convocation Center's Victor E. Court, the matchups for the intrasquad meet have been set. The meet will begin with two exhibition matches, followed by the Red & Black Dual.
Exhibition Matches
133: Derek Elmore vs. Thorian Twyner
149: Ethan Davis vs. Matt Frisch
Red & Black Dual
125: Nick Harrison vs. Nick Smith
133: Rob Jillard vs. Jason Montemayor
141: Shawn Fayette vs. Kevin Fanta
149: Steven Bradley vs. Matt Smith
157: Sam Bennett vs. Tyler Loethen
174: Caleb Busson vs. Dan Burk
184: Austin Pickering vs. Arber Bebo
197: Mike Lukowski vs. Shane Rosenberry
285: Jared Torrence vs. Parker Settecase
|