A pair of state champions highlight the addition of five signees to the 2009-10 Northern Illinois University wrestling recruiting class, coach Dave Grant announced Monday.
“We filled some weight classes and found guys that can see some time right away,” NIU coach Dave Grant said. “They are guys that can get in the starting line up next year.”
Mike Lukowski comes to NIU via Harper Community College where he wrestled two years for the Hawks earning 2010 NJCAA All-America honors after taking sixth place at the national tournament. A native of East Dundee, Ill., Lukowski earned a state championship at 189 pounds as a senior and helped lead Dundee-Crown to a regional championship in 2007-08.
A four-year letterwinner, he posted an 84-12 overall record and a 34-2 mark in the Fox Valley Conference during his four-year career. A two-time team captain for the Chargers, he garnered all-conference accolades and all state honors in both his junior and senior years. Lukowski was named team MVP as a senior after leading the team in pins with 20 and as a junior after earning a fifth-place finish in the state tournament. A two-sport athlete, Lukowski also played football at Dundee-Crown.
Nick Smith was a three-time state champion at 119 pounds while competing at Ida High School in Ida, Mich. and amassed a 171-34 career record A four-year letterwinner, he was named team MVP his last three seasons and team captain his last two for the Bluestreak. He earned first team all-conference honors his senior and sophomore seasons, and second team accolades as a freshman. He owns five school records including wins in a season (57), career three-point near falls (110), career two-point falls (80), career technical falls (16) and falls in a season (34).
Cody Flynn excelled on the mat and in the classroom during his four-year career at Fisher High School. The Dewey, Ill. native posted an 87-32 record as a varsity letterwinner of the Bunnies. He took a second in state as a senior and third as a junior and was named team MVP his senior year after captaining Fisher to 23-6 record and a second place finish at the state championships and sectional and regional titles. Flynn, who wrestled at 189 his last three seasons at Fisher, garnered first team all-area and all-conference honors as a senior and junior. He posted a career-best 28-2 record as a senior, while recording a career-high 38 wins during his junior campaign. Flynn was just as successful in the classroom, earning a place on the honor roll all four years.
Caleb Busson was a four-year letterwinner in wrestling and football at Wadsworth High School in Ohio. He posted an 88-29 record during his career, going 23-1 as a senior and won a career-high 40 matches as a junior. He was team captain of the Grizzly squad that took home the 2010 Ohio state title in with a perfect 15-0 record, while finishing second at the state championships at 189. A native of Wadsworth, Ohio, Busson finished first at sectionals, regionals and in the Suburban League as a senior and a junior.
Ryan Olep, a native of Lowell, Mich., was a four-time state qualifier during his career at Lowell High School. He was a Michigan DI State runner-up in 2010 at 171 and 2008 at 160, while taking third place at 189 in 2009 and was a qualifier in 2007 for the Red Arrows. A four-year letterwinner, Olep wrestled at the 160-, 171- and 189-pound classes during his career and was a member of the Lowell’s 2008-09 state champion wrestling team and the Red Arrow’s 2009 Division II state championship football team.
“These kids love wrestling, they wrestle year round, and can have a major impact on our program,” associate head coach Ryan Ludwig said. “We’re really excited about their future. Aside from wrestling, these kids have great character and can excel in the classroom.”
The five signees complete Grant’s 2009-10 signing class and join Shawn Fayette, Sam Bennett, Donny Simpson and Charles Argue who signed with the Huskies Nov. 19.
