When you think of a huskie, what pops up? Is it a cute dog with a fluffy tail? Yeah, you should probably forget that image.

The MSU Wrestling team goes up against the Northern Illinois Huskies this Friday in Dekalb, Illinois. The Huskies are 6-0 on the year, coming off a 3-0 dual meet at West Virginia, Binghamton, and Sacred Heart. The dual will start at 8 p.m. Friday night.  

This meet marks the start of a difficult road trip into America’s heartland.  After the dual against the Huskies, the Spartans travel to Iowa City, Iowa to duel the Hawkeyes.

Aside from being wrestling’s Crescent Valley, Iowa is also home to a fair amount of ranked wrestlers. Iowa’s 174 pound Mike Evans is coming off of a 28-7 junior season. Currently, Evans is ranked fourth in the country. This is a matchup to watch, including the man with the magical mustache, Nick Proctor.

Spartans to Watch: Javier Gasca. This guy has been tearing it up lately, defeating No. 12 Earl Hall of Iowa State last week. Gasca will wrestle against Iowa’s Cory Clark, a returning sophomore with a record of 22-4 last season. It is going to be a matchup to stay focused on Saturday.

The dual against the Hawkeyes also starts at 8 p.m., although it is on Saturday at Carver Hawkeye arena (no relation to the writer).

Nick Carver is the host of Pinned Down for Impact Sports

Photo: Hannah McEnroe/Impact Sports