NIU Wrestling Article 1/22/10

NIU returns to Convo against No. 17 Kent State

Publish Date:01/22/2010

By Patrick Tretina

NIU wrestling is back in action tonight at 7 p.m. at the Convocation as it matches up against Mid-American Conference contender No. 17 Kent State. NIU (7-6 overall, 0-1) finally returns home after a long weekend tour that included a trip to Ohio last Thursday and a series of bouts against Finday, Michigan State and Stanford at the Spartan duals last Saturday. But NIU’s homecoming is no cupcake against No. 17 Kent State (11-3). “They have a pretty good team,” said NIU head coach Dave Grant. “Their tough guys are at the 133, 184, and they have a top 30 guy at the 157 [weight class].” NIU’s Bryan Deutsch will be the one matched up against Kent State’s “top 30 guy” in No. 28 Mallie Shuster. Despite facing a tough opponent, the match will likely not be one-sided. Deutsch’s won a MAC Championship last season, has a 14-3 record this year, and he’s coming off a runner-up selection for the MAC Wrestler of the Week after going undefeated (4-0) at both the Ohio and the Michigan State Duals last week. “Bryan has beaten a lot of ranked guys,” Grant said. “He’s a solid, hard-nosed wrestler. He’s one of our better conditioned guys. We’re really pleased with him.” Redshirt junior Tristen DeShazer will be back in action tonight at the 133-pound weight class after a series of meets where he did not compete for undisclosed reasons. “Tristen’s looking good at 133 [tonight].” Grant said. The Huskies are looking to rebound quickly after opening the MAC with a loss. The team understands the importance of each meet within conference. “There are a lot of good teams in the MAC,” Grant said. “Its always very competitive [with] some heated battles. This is where we qualify for the State Championships.”