If a slight tremor can be felt on the NIU campus this weekend, fear not; it’s only the Huskies’ wrestling squad taking on regional powerhouses Northern Iowa Friday and Southern Illinois University/Edwardsville Saturday.

Both matches will take place at the Chick Evans Field House starting at 7:30 p.m.

The NIU grapplers go into the two matches with a 5-7 mark while boasting some impressive individual records.

Veterans T.C. Dantzler (158 lbs.) and heavyweight Mark Kuehl lead the Huskies with records of 11-2 and 13-6, respectively. Adding a 10-1 record to the team is freshman Mel Heckman, who competes at either 190 or heavyweight.

Vatch said that he plans to forfeit two weights against Northern Iowa which leaves him pessimistic about the outcome.

“Facing a ranked squad and forfeiting two weights leaves us pretty much out of it. Basically, we’ve got guys wrestling for individual pride. If Kuehl can beat both his men this weekend, he’s looking at a second seed in the upcoming regionals.”