Jan. 4, 2008

DeKALB, Ill. - Coming off a top-10 finish at the 2007 Midlands Wrestling Championships, selected members of the Northern Illinois wrestling team travel to Dubuque, Iowa Saturday for the "Flash" Flanagan Open.

Though not a high profile tournament, 12th-year head coach Dave Grant expects a challenge for his athletes.

"It's hard to win," Grant said. "A lot of the redshirt guys from Big Ten schools will be there, and so will the first string wrestlers from a lot of good Division II and III schools."

Only 12 members of the team will make the trip. The rest of the Huskies will remain in DeKalb to prepare for the upcoming spring semester and Mid-American Conference season, which begins when Northern Illinois hosts Buffalo and Findlay Jan. 12 at the Convocation Center's Victor E. Court.

"This tournament is a means to keep these guys ready," Grant said. "If they're not wrestling against Buffalo, we want to get them some matches now."

Grant added that his goal is to get athletes in their redshirt seasons at least 30 matches, which means staying healthy and participating at events like the "Flash" Flanagan.

Last year, four Huskies placed at the event, including Pat McLemore (Hinckley, Ohio/Padua Franciscan), who garnered first. Other placefinishers at last year's tournament include Vince Castillo (Western Springs, Ill./Lyons Township), Bryan Deutsch (Columbia City, Ind./Columbia City) and Anthony Victor (Farmington Hills, Mich./North Farmington).