After finishing sixth out of 10 teams at last year’s NCAA West Regional tournament, coach Ed Vatch and his Huskie wrestlers look to finish higher at this weekend’s regional tourney at Drake University.

“If they (the wrestlers) go into this with an idea of winning the championship, they’ll do great,” Vatch said. “If they just concentrate on placing, they won’t.”

The participants in the nine-team tournament will include host Drake, Notre Dame, Eastern Illinois, Southwest Missouri State, Illinois State, Marquette, Valparaiso, NIU and defending champion Northern Iowa.

Chicago State declined their invitation.

“You have to have one hell of a tournament to make nationals,” Vatch said. “They only take the top two finishers from each weight class, plus one wildcard from all classes together.

“Anton Kossakowski (190 pounds) will probably be a first seed. He beat all the guys at 190. We could have four or five guys seeded between third and fifth.”

Kossakowski was the Huskies’ only national qualifier last year. He was eliminated in the first round.

“It would be great to start next year with an All-America on the team,” Vatch said. “It’s been 13 or 14 years since we’ve had one. If someone could break the ice, there would be a real change in attitude and intensity among the team.”

One change for the Huskies involves Brett Messerli (158), who is no longer with the team. After a two-and-a-half hour talk with Vatch last Friday, Messerli failed to show up for practice on Saturday and Sunday.

“He came on Monday and said he wanted to finish out the year,” Vatch said. “I told him no. It’s an honor and a privilege to be on this team.”

Messerli will be replaced by Lonnie Morris.

As happy as Vatch is with his team, he can’t help but look toward next year.

“We’ve been well received in the recruiting circles,” Vatch said, “which is easier when you can boast of breaking the school record for most wins.

“The direction this program will take will be directly related to the amount of fiscal support we get.”