NIU wrestling coach Ed Vatch is excited about the two recruits he signed for the upcoming season: Thomas Curtis (T.C.) Dantzler from Thornwood and Jim Kossakowski from Elgin-Larkin.

Dantzler is expected to wrestle for the Huskies at either 142 pounds or 150 pounds next season. Dantzler finished second in Illinois in his weight class at this past season’s state tournament.

“I saw him wrestle in a Christmas tournament this past season and it was the first time I saw him, and I knew I wanted him,” Vatch said. “He was rated a good portion of last season to win state, but early in the tournament he suffered some shoulder problems.”

The other NIU recruit, Kossakowski, is the brother of the Huskies’ top 177-pounder, Anton Kossakowski.

“Jim is a little more controlled than Anton, but he is still powerful like Anton,” Vatch said.

“I would have to say we had the best recruiting year in the state, and that’s with only two kids. We are trying to build up a solid lineup, a couple of weights we have to sure up a little bit.”

The Huskies are going to need a solid lineup with the competitive schedule they will once again face this year. Among the teams the Huskies will host at Chick Evans Field House this year are Northern Iowa, Purdue, S.W. Missouri State and Southern Illinois.

The Huskies will also travel to Florida this season to compete in the Sunshine Open, which will field teams from the Big Ten and the Big Eight.

“It costs about the same amount of money to host a tournament as it does to travel to one,” Vatch said. “So I figure since the kids miss Thanksgiving, and most of their Christmas break due to tournaments, I figure it would be nice for them to get a little vacation that they deserve.”

Vatch is in the middle of running his wrestling camp for high schools students and on July 19th will run a camp for pre-high school students.

“My assistant coach, Doug McLister, is helping me run the camps along with some of my guys,” Vatch said. “Our guys are handling the counseling end of it.”

“This is the second year we are running the camp and we have doubled the amount of kids attending the camp. This is the first year we have broken up the camp in a high school camp and a kids camp. It’s easier in the way we can teach technique to the kids.”