With the wrestling NCAA Championships in St. Louis, Mo. under two weeks away, NIU wrestlers Brad Dieckhaus and Kevin Fanta are hard at work to improve in every way they can.

Dieckhaus and Fanta lost in the finals at the MAC Championships at 184 and 141 respectively. Although both lost to a couple of the best wrestlers in the nation, NIU head coach Ryan Ludwig expects to see both of his qualifiers display inspirational wrestling at Nationals.

“It’s the ultimate goal to compete at the National Championships,” Ludwig said. “The goal’s to reach that spot on the podium on Saturday night.”

In his first year at the head of the wrestling program, Ludwig is even more anxious for this year’s showcase.

“I’ve been there every year since I’ve been here,” Ludwig said. “But, of course, in my first year as head coach it’ll be a new experience and I’m extremely looking forward to it. It should be a good experience with Kevin and Brad out there.”

Fanta has a 13-5 record this year at 141 after finishing last season 8-8 and 133. The redshirt sophomore impressed Ludwig throughout the regular season with his gritty, aggressive style in the heavier weight class.

In his first appearance at Nationals, Fanta hopes to stick within his gameplan as opposed to the MAC Championships, in which he failed to wrestle his style in the finals against Kent State’s Tyler Small.

“There’s no easy draw when it comes to the National Tournament,” Ludwig said. “That’s why it’s the toughest tournament in the country. It’s about going out there and executing your gameplan.”

Fanta will start the tournament against ninth-seed Nick Dardanes of Minnesota, which recently jumped over Penn State for the top spot in the NWCA/USA Today’s Coaches Poll. Dardanes posted a 20-8 record this season for the Gophers en route to a fourth place finish in the Big Ten Championships.

“We wrestled in high school once and I pinned him,” Fanta said. “Our styles are pretty similar so it should be a pretty good matchup for me. I just need to wrestle my style and bring it.”

In what will be the last weekend of a strong career as a Huskie, senior Brad Dieckhaus will start the tournament off against Binghamton’s Nate Schiedel, who is 28-8 this season. This is the junior’s third appearance in the tournament. Dieckhaus boasts a 14-1 record.

The NCAA Championships will be significant for Dieckhaus this time around, as not only is he trying to avenge his shortcomings from last year’s tournament while finishing his career on a high-note, but he gets to compete in his hometown.

Not only will St. Louis be the end of the road for Dieckhaus, but it also is where he started wrestling, making for a rather nostalgic finish to his career.

“It gives me a lot of motivation,” Dieckhaus said. “It’s in my backyard and will be the last tournament I will ever wrestle. With that being said, I’ve got nothing to lose; go big or go home.”