DeKALB | This ain’t your mother’s ladder match.

NIU wrestling kicks off its season at 7 p.m. tonight at the Convocation Center with wrestle-offs.

A total of 20 wrestlers, two from each weight class, will square off in the first of three events to determine who starts for the Huskies. The second leg to determine the starting lineup takes place at the Michigan State Open on Nov. 15.

If a wrestler wins both of those events, he will have solidified a spot in the Huskies’ lineup. Any spots that are still undecided after the Open go to a second wrestle-off.

“Our goal is to figure out who our starters are by the Indiana Duels,” said NIU head coach Dave Grant. “I want our guys to wrestle hard and be intense.”

It doesn’t matter if a wrestler earned a trip to the NCAA National Tournament, such as redshirt junior Tristen DeShazer, or if he won the high school state tournament in the heavyweight class, such as freshman Curtis Blaydes.

Each starter must earn a spot in the starting lineup. It’s a philosophy Grant wants all his wrestlers to remember.

“It is a whole new year,” Grant said. “There is no relying on what you accomplished last year.”
The event will showcase 20 NIU wrestlers, including Bryan Deutsch, 2009 MAC Champion at the 157 pound weight class.

Wrestlers who fail to land a spot in the starting lineup are not relegated to spending the season outside the circle, however.

“They keep working hard to make the spot,” Grant said. “We have had guys come out in February and make the team. They have to continue to wrestle, be aggressive and not let up.”

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