Wildcats Set for a Pair of Weekend Duals

NORTHWESTERN WRESTLING: Weekend Dual Info
DATE	Opponent	Time (CT)	LOCATION	WATCH
Friday, Feb. 7	Michigan State	7 p.m.	Welsh-Ryan Arena	BTN+
Sunday, Feb. 9	#6 Ohio State	1 p.m.	Covelli Center (Columbus, OH)	BTN+
Social: Twitter (@NUWrestle) \| Instagram (@NUWrestle)

EVANSTON, Ill. – Northwestern continues Big Ten action this weekend with a pair of duals against two conference foes.

On Friday, the Wildcats welcome Michigan State to Welsh-Ryan Arena for their final home dual of the season, beginning at 7 p.m. CT. Prior to the match, Alec McKenna, Shayne Oster and Eric Yang will be recognized in a senior day ceremony.

The 'Cats then travel to Columbus on Sunday for a showdown against No. 6 Ohio State at 1 p.m. CT.

Northwestern won five individual bouts in its last time out at Illinois on Sunday, headlined by ranked victories from Oster and Tyler Morland. Oster secured a 7-6 victory over #15 Danny Braunagel, marking his third-consecutive victory in Big Ten action. Oster is now 4-1 against conference opponents, with his lone setback coming against #1 Vincenzo Joseph (Penn State). Sunday's victory also marked his second ranked win of the year. At 174 lbs, Tyler Morland earned his second-straight win with a 2-0 shutout over #22 Joey Gunther.

Also picking up wins on Sunday was Ryan Deakin, Lucas Davison and Yahya Thomas. Deakin remained unbeaten on the year with a third period pin over Eric Barone, his team-leading fourth fall of the season. Davison improved to a perfect 8-0 in duals this season with a 5-0 decision over Matt Wroblewski, while Thomas earned his first conference win of the season with a 2-1 decision over Mousa Jodeh.

The last time Michigan State visited Northwestern was on January 13, 2017, a match that saw the Wildcats pick up a 23-21 victory. This will be the Wildcats first visit to Ohio State since December 4, 2016.

Potential Bouts to Watch:

#1 Ryan Deakin vs. #24 Jake Tucker (Michigan State)
- Deakin is now a perfect 13-0 on the season following his third-period pin last Sunday. The Broomfield, Col. native has earned bonus points in six of his eight dual victories this season. Tucker is currently 22-6 on the year and 10-4 in duals. This would be the fifth-career meeting between Deakin and Tucker–Deakin won each of the last two matchups last season, while Tucker won both times when the two faced off in the 2016 Eastern Michigan Open.
Tyler Morland vs. #24 Layne Malczewski (Michigan State)
- This would be the first-career meeting between Morland and Malczewski, who sits at 18-11 on the year and 7-7 in duals.
#18 Shayne Oster vs. #13 Ethan Smith (Ohio State)
- This would be the third meeting between Oster and Smith this season, as the two faced off twice during the CKLV Invitational. Smith won both meetings by decision, including a narrow 5-4 victory during their second meeting. Smith finished fourth in the tournament, while Oster finished sixth.
#13 Lucas Davison vs. #1 Kollin Moore (Ohio State)
- Moore is a perfect 22-0 on the season, while Davison is a perfect 5-0 in Big Ten matchups and riding a five-match winning streak entering this weekend. This would be the fifth ranked bout of the season for Davison.

*All team rankings come from the NWCA Coaches' Poll as of Feb. 4
*All individual rankings come from FloWrestling as of Feb. 3

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