Contact: Sam Fretto, Athletics Communication Graduate Assistant, sjfretto@noctrl.edu

WHEATON, Ill. (Jan. 31, 2026)- Taking eight wrestlers to the 2026 Pete Willson Invitational, hosted by Wheaton College, Casey Aikman highlighted the North Central College men's wrestling team's success with a third-place finish in the 184-pound weight class. Overall, the Cardinals placed 18th of 30 teams over the weekend-long tournament with 33.5 points inside of King Arena.

Aikman's run in the 184-pound bracket began with a bye in the first round, where he awaited Nawab Singh (Ozarks) for round two. Aikman pinned Singh in 1:58, his first of the season, to advance to the quarterfinal match. Facing John Carroll's Willis Bronson, Aikman prevailed with a 17-10 decision. Jackson Davis (U-Chicago) was the next opponent for Aikman in the semifinals. Ultimately, Aikman fell to Davis, getting pinned 5:26 into the match. In the consolation semifinal round, Aikman advanced to the third-place match with a pinfall victory over Austin Wilkins (Cornell College) in 1:25. In his last match, Aikman secured the third-place finish with an 18-5 major decision over Zach McPhee (UW-Eau Claire).

Joey Sikorsky placed eighth in the 125-pound weight class after a 3-3 showing beginning with a 9-1 major decision loss to second-ranked Mac Cafurello (Roanoke). Receiving a bye in the first round consolation bracket, Sikorsky bounced back with three consecutive wins. He defeated Brett Stanley (John Carroll) in a 16-7 major decision, Dominic Sousa (Rhode Island) by a 15-10 decision, and Shelton Chastain (Ozarks) in an 8-2 decision. Sikorsky came up short in the following two matches, losing to Kurt Mokros (Ohio Northern) in sudden victory to put him in the seventh-place match. There, he fell to Edward Alizio (Case Western Reserve) by a 10-2 major decision. 

Second-ranked Roanoke won the Pete Willson Invitational with 154 points, followed by fourth-ranked UW-La Crosse with 148.5 points and No. 21 UW-Eau Claire with 137.5 to round out the top three. 

The Cardinals wrap up the regular season with a dual against Aurora University on the road on Thursday, Feb. 5 with a 7 p.m. start time. North Central will look to clinch the CCIW regular season title outright.