Nov. 19, 2010

By John Rago
Student Assistant, NIU Media Relations

Redshirt freshman Kevin Fanta has worked hard during the offseason and has caught the attention of Northern Illinois head coach Dave Grant.

"The way he trains, his attitude, and his work ethic," Grant said. "He's more experienced and is a pretty physical wrestler. His hand fighting has improved, and he's starting to understand how to put pressure on people and finish his shots."

During the offseason, Kevin wrestled in tournaments and with some clubs back home and his high school. Fanta went to Lake Zurich High School, where he finished first in state in the 135 pound weight class his senior year. This year, he expects to challenge for the starting lineup and beyond.

"I want to go to Nationals this year," Fanta said. "I want to start, win MAC's, go to Nationals, and compete with the best."

Fanta took one step closer to achieving his goal when he won his wrestle-off and is slated to start for the Huskies at 133. Although Grant is looking to take it one step at a time, he sees great potential in Fanta.

"He's got a great spirit to him," Grant said. "He's hard-nosed and competes extremely hard. He'll always be in there battling. You want a guy to have those traits and have the spirit when wrestling ranked guys to place at Midlands, go to the NCAA Championships, and eventually get on the stand at the NCAA Championships."

There is no doubt that Fanta has tremendous upside. However, he still believes there is room for improvement.

"I need to improve my technique," Fanta said. "I'm pretty athletic, but I haven't been wrestling as long as most of these guys, so I'm still trying to learn a lot." Despite this and the gap to overcome from red-shirting last year, potential and expectations for success are still high for Fanta.

"He's got a strong mentality," Grant said. "I've always done well with those kinds of guys. My best wrestlers that were All-Americans had those types of qualities to them."