Nov. 10, 2006

DeKALB, Ill. - Northern Illinois takes to the mats Saturday to open the 2006-07 campaign at the Pointer Open, hosted by the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. The event features and NIU and 30 other schools in an all day meet that begins at 9 a.m.

The Huskies return three NCAA qualifiers from a year ago in Pat Castillo (125), Mike Grimes (149), and Johnny Galloway (165). Each member of that trio was ranked at the top of their weight class in the Mid-American Conference preseason poll. As a team, NIU placed third in the MAC rankings.

NIU also features several newcomers and underclassmen looking to make their mark. That group is led by a pair of freshmen, Duke Burk and Joe Cornejo, who redshirted last season and won their wrestle off matches last week in DeKalb.

Live results will be available throughout the day on www.trackwrestling.com and more information about the Pointer Open can be found on UWSP's athletics website.