| Web | NIUHuskies.com |
|
|
Victor Holds On to Give Huskies a 16-15 Win Over Eastern Michigan
Feb. 9, 2008
YPSILANTI, Mich. - Without capturing a win, redshirt freshman Anthony Victor won the day for Northern Illinois wrestling Saturday in a 16-15 MAC triumph over Eastern Michigan. The Huskies led 16-12 after nine bouts when Victor (Farmington Hills, Mich./Farmington Hills) took to the mat needing to win or keep a loss below an eight point margin for an NIU team win. Victor was defeated by seven points, 9-2 by Justin Brandel, allowing the Huskies to narrowly hold onto victory. "I admire when people step-up when the team needs them," 12th-year head coach Dave Grant said. "He's been a back-up guy all year in the mat room, and today he's the big hero." Victor was not supposed to compete, but was forced to start by circumstance and made the most of the opportunity. "He's a walk-on who was in the line-up because Jesse Linczmaier is hurt," Grant said. "It's a huge performance." The win gives Northern Illinois a 3-2 record in conference matches, and with additional wins Saturday over Clarion (24-17) and Gardner-Webb (44-6), the Huskies are 11-7 overall. "We finished up our MAC dual meet schedule on a good note," Grant said. Every point mattered in Northern Illinois' close win over Eastern Michigan, including the extra point redshirt sophomore Duke Burk (Peoria, Ill./Notre Dame) earned when he opened the night with a 19-8 major decision over Derek Foore. That victory put NIU up 4-0, but three consecutive wins by the Eagles left the Huskies with a 9-4 deficit after four bouts. True freshman TJ Wunnicke (Dodgeville, Wis./Dodgeville) reignited the Huskies with a 9-7 win at 125 pounds, the first victory of four consecutive that would give NIU a 16-9 advantage. Seniors Pat Castillo (Western Springs, Ill./Lyons Township) and Kalen Knull (Urbana, Ohio/Graham) also picked up wins during the stretch, as did redshirt freshman Pat McLemore (Hinckley, Ohio/Padua Franciscan), who returned to the mat for the first time since Nov. 24.
"He looks good," Grant said of McLemore, who had been out due to injury for over two months. Grant was also impressed with the performance of Knull. "Kalen had a huge comeback win against Eastern," he said. "He wresteld a tough guy and was down in the last minute, but came back to win in a never-say-die situation." Eastern's Cory Mancuso bested Huskie Bryan Deutsch (Columbia City, Ind./Columbia City) 9-5 to being the Eagles within striking distance of NIU at 16-12 heading into Victor's decisive contest. The Huskies continue the march to the MAC Tournament with a non-conference dual against Southern Illinois-Edwardsville and Truman State, Feb. 17.
Eastern Michigan 15 Northern Illinois 16
Northern Illinois 24, Clarion 17
Northern Illinois 44, Gardner-Webb 6 |
|||||
