While football and basketball get most of the attention around campus, NIU wrestling has quietly evolved into one of the successful athletic programs.

And after sending four wrestlers to the NCAA tournament last season, the NIU wrestling team starts a new season today at 7 p.m. with its annual intrasquad wrestle-offs at the Convocation Center.

“This is an opportunity for these guys to get a couple matches in, get the cobwebs out and put them in a meet-like atmosphere,” assistant coach Mike Castillo said. “It’ll be a good tune-up for next week at Iowa State.”

True freshmen Justin Carlson and Zach Taylor will get a good taste of college wrestling when they face off against team leaders Duke Burk and Pat Castillo, respectively.

Burk, a redshirt sophomore in the 174-pound class is ranked 14th in the nation, and Castillo, a senior, is ranked 11th nationally in the 133-pound class.

“We’re a combination of young guys and old guys,” head coach Dave Grant said.
“It always seems like it’s a freshman and a senior going at it.”

The wrestle-offs help the coaching staff decide who should fill each of the 10 weight spots for next week’s meet against No. 3 Iowa State.

The schedule doesn’t get much easier for NIU, as No. 1 Minnesota and sixth-ranked Northwestern face the Huskies in November.

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