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Castillo, Benner Win On Senior Night, Huskies Fall 24-13
Feb. 1, 2008
DeKALB, Ill. - A pair of seniors picked up wins in their final appearance in DeKalb, but it wasn't enough to put the Northern Illinois wrestling team over the top against No. 25 Northern Iowa, as the Huskies fell 24-13, Friday. Seniors Pat Castillo (Western Springs, Ill./Lyons Township) and David Benner (Fowler, Ind./Benton Central) both won their final bouts in DeKalb. Castillo picked up his 20th win and nation-leading 13th major decision with a 20-9 victory. Benner won a hard-fought 6-3 decision against UNI's Dustin Bauman. "We had a great performance from two of our seniors, with Pat and Dave Benner," 12th-year head coach Dave Grant. "It was their last time on the big red mat, and I'm proud of the effort they gave." On the other end of the spectrum, true freshman Bryan O'Connor (Carol Stream, Ill./Glenbard North) earned a win for the Huskies (8-6, 2-1 Mid-American Conference) with a 6-3 win against Tyson Reiner. "This was one of the better performances I've seen from Bryan O'Connor," Grant said. Redshirt sophomore Duke Burk also impressed Grant, wrestling for a 5-1 win at 174 pounds. Castillo's victory opened up the night, giving Northern Illinois a 4-0 lead. But in the next match, Panther CJ Ettelson garnered a major decision to tie things at four. Three bouts laters, 10th-ranked Moza Fay of Norther Iowa pinned redshirt freshman Anthony Victor to give the Panthers a 13-7 advantage, which the rode to the win. Grant was disappointed with the loss, but optimistic about his team's future. "I still think this team can take another step forward," he said. The Huskies return to MAC competition Feb. 7 when they face No. 5 Central Michigan in Mount Pleasant, Mich.
UNI 24, Northern Illinois 13
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