NIU wrestler T.C. Dantzler kept alive the streak of sending a Huskie to the NCAA nationals for each of the past 20 seasons. However, the streak of not bringing home a champion also survived.

Dantzler, the only Huskie to participate in the event, lost his first-round match 9-4 to Joe Sabol of Hofstra University.

Winning three matches in the West Regional during the previous week gave Dantzler the automatic berth in the championships. Despite his 16-3 record, Dantzler was not given a seed in the 158-pound class.

“They only give the first 12 guys a seed,” explained head coach Ed Vatch. “T.C. ended up taking on the 12th seed and losing.”

Dantzler had a possible second chance by means of the wrestleback opportunity. This process allows the loser to continue if the victor advances to the quarterfinals.

Unfortunately for Dantzler, Sabol eventually lost to the No. 5 seed from the University of Michigan.

After the loss, Dantzler blamed himself.

“I froze and then I choked,” said Dantzler. “I’m sure I could have prepared better, but what it came down to was me not doing what I was capable of doing.”

Dantzler cited that Sabol’s unique style may have thrown him off of his game plan.

“I wrestle really wide open and (Sabol) kept tying up. But instead of making him wrestle my way, I ended up trying to beat him at his own game. Unfortunately for me, it didn’t work.”

Dantzler admitted to being excited the night before and Vatch feels that the excitement may have doomed (Dantzler) from the start.

“T.C. had a really hard time sleeping the night before,” said Vatch. “He saw the pairings and felt that he had a great chance of winning. He may have been better off not seeing who he was up against.

“I’ve seen guys lose a match before they even touch the mat,” Vatch said. “They’re so full of energy that they can’t sit still on the bench. By the time they start to wrestle, they’ve already burned themselves out.”

Dantzler isn’t letting the loss get the best of him, though. Despite the regular season just ending, he is already looking forward to next year.

“I won’t change a thing,” says Dantzler. “I’ll just change my mental attitude. I have some matches coming up in the next few weeks, and I’ll use the same style I used all season long.”

Despite the loss, Dantzler’s efforts haven’t gone for naught. He was recently chosen to wrestle for the USA National team, taking on a team from Canada April 2 in Lake County.

With that honor, Dantzler feels that his foot is in the door for the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona.