NIU wrestling will open its season at home this weekend facing two of the top programs in the country.

The Huskies open up action on Sunday against in-state powerhouse North Central. North Central is ranked 11th in preseason Division III polls and is coming off of a 6-1 season as a unit. The Huskies will then take on Stanford, a squad with two returning All-Americans.

“North Central’s got some tough guys in the lineup and we always love to see how we fare against those guys,” said NIU head coach Ryan Ludwig. “With Stanford, it’s nice to start off facing a ranked opponent. They’ve got their studs at [133] and [174] and are relatively solid in between. I think if we come out with the intensity and confidence we should be wrestling with, we’ll be in good shape.”

North Central boasts one of the best wrestlers in the country at 133 in Nathan Fitzenreider. Fitzenreider finished third in the D III national championships, while going 37-3 last season en route to becoming an All-American. In his career, he is 85-11 with 19 pins at 133.

NIU’s incoming NCAA qualifier at 133, Rob Jillard, will have a lot to prove in his opening weekend as a Huskie and facing one of the best D III wrestlers before facing one of the best that D I has to offer could be a challenge.

With Jillard stepping into the 133 spot, Kevin Fanta is bumping up to 141, where he will match up against last season’s lone 40-match winner for North Central, Andrew Zobac. Fanta went 8-8 last season at 133, while Zobac posted a 40-9 mark, becoming only the tenth wrestler in program history to do so, while qualifying for the D-III Championships.

NIU will have its work cut out with Stanford. The Cardinals are returning All-Americans Ryan Mango at 133 and Nick Amuchastegui at 174. Amuchastegui is ranked as the top wrestler in the nation at 174 entering the 2011-2012 season, while Mango sits at third in his class.

According to d1collegewrestling.net’s preseason Coaches Poll, Mango has one of the best double-leg takedowns in the country. Amuchastegui is voted as one of the most improved wrestlers while also being noted as great on top and at riding legs.

NIU feels confident to be back on Victor E. Court, Jillard certainly will have his fair share of competition to start the season, but as a team.

“We’re heading [into the season] with a full head of steam,” Ludwig said. “We’ve had a tremendous preseason and worked very hard. Of course our guys are antsy to get their hands on somebody else and stop wrestling each other for a day.”

NIU will be without last season’s MAC Champion at 184, Brad Dieckhaus, while he continues to rehab after his recent knee surgery. Despite missing the opening weekend of competition, Ludwig expects Dieckhaus to return to full strength in the very near future.

“He’s making real good progress,” Ludwig said. “He won’t be in the lineup this weekend, but he’s getting very close to breaking on back into it, so we’re really excited about that.”