Phi Kappa Psi will come into 2016 as a one-time winner of men’s Tugs, taking home their only championship title in 2011.

Practices start about two weeks before winter break for Phi Kappa Psi and consist of a myriad of different exercises. Their practices usually start around 9 p.m. and end at 11:30 p.m.

After practicing a variety of moves and returning from a second run, Phi Kappa Psi practices a live which is a practice match similar to the matches at the tournament. They end the night with a third run before calling it a night.

The team also tries to avoid alcohol for a month before the tournament. Each rope has an average weight that needs to be met and this year, Phi Kappa Psi needs to lose weight to meet the average. Daniel Snyder, senior Phi Kappa Psi member, has already began his process of losing weight for the tournament.

“Personally, I’ve gone on a stricter diet,” Snyder said. “I’ve lost around 10 pounds.”

Snyder, who has been tugging for three years, is most excited to face Phi Sigma Kappa, a fraternity that has a winning history in the tournament. Phi Sigma Kappa has won the event in three of the last four years.

“Our first match this year is [against] Phi [Sigma Kappa] and they got second last year and they’re notorious for being good and winning,” Snyder said. “But this year, we’re also very strong. I have a lot of confidence. We have a lot of veterans on our rope that have tugged three, four years so I’m pretty confident this year. I think it’ll definitely be interesting.”

The fraternity, founded at NIU in 2007, has done well in the event, winning the title in just its fourth year. A win next week would give Phi Kappa Psi their first individual win in its history. They came in seventh place in 2015.