DeKALB | Even with NIU finishing fifth of six in the MAC Championship standings, two NIU wrestlers were able to reach the ultimate stage of college wrestling, booking their tickets to Philadelphia for the NCAA Championships.

Junior Brad Dieckhaus stormed through the 184-pound bracket to win his first MAC title, clinching the lone seed available for his weight class. Senior Bryan Deutsch was able to grab one of the three available bids in his weight class in order to advance to the NCAA Championships, finishing second at 157 pounds. This is the third-straight year Deutsch has qualified, and the first of Dieckhaus’s collegiate career.

Dieckhaus entered the tournament as the second seed and delivered in a must-win match after a first-round bye. The double-overtime victory was the highlight of the first day of the tournament for NIU fans, who jumped to their feet when Dieckhaus took down Jimmy Hamel of Buffalo. Dieckhaus had stated how important the fan base would be, and was grateful to have its support during his matches.

“It’s a pretty good feeling,” Dieckhaus said. “It almost seemed surreal. I’ve got a lot of emotions with my family coming out from St. Louis, a lot of emotions flying.”

Dieckhaus fell behind early in the title match to the No. 1 seed, Casey Newburg of Kent State, but clawed his way back to bring the score to 2-2 entering the third period.

Dieckhaus rode Newburg for the entire final two minutes of the match to receive a bonus point and the 3-2 victory, showing an enormous amount of mental and physical strength.

“I was putting as much pressure on him as I could to keep his hips on the mat,” Dieckhaus said. “I was just like, if I want it I’ll get it.”

Deutsch’s day didn’t end as planned, falling in his championship match to first-seeded Mark Lewandowski of Buffalo, 10-9.

After winning in a major decision in his first match, Deutsch needed to beat the second seed, Kent State’s Matt Cathell, in order to reach the finals. He was able to win with the 11-9 decision in a match that came down to the final seconds, but fell on the wrong side of a last-second decision on Sunday.

“I think those last 20 seconds or so of that match will haunt me for a little bit,” Deutsch said. “I just have to do what [head coach Dave Grant] has been telling me all along. If I had just stayed basic in that match it wouldn’t have been close.”

Deutsch was able to joke after a disappointing finish to the weekend by claiming his matches are always close because he enjoys keeping them exciting for the fans. On a more serious note, he does hope to achieve a goal both he and Dieckhaus have been striving for this season: finishing in the top eight at Nationals to become an All-American.

Sunday was also the last time Deutsch will ever wrestle at NIU, after five years in DeKalb.

“I’ve had a great time,” Deutsch said. “NIU’s a good place, and I’ve just met a lot of quality people. I’m sad it’s over with.”

With Grant’s career coming to a close as well, he couldn’t have been happier with the effort his guys displayed over the weekend. He said that not only did Dieckhaus and Deutsch deserve their bids, but he believes his team wrestled with as much determination as it could.

“Everybody put their heart out there on the mat,” Grant said. “I felt that we gave a great performance. If you go out and give 110 percent in everything you do, as a coach, you’re very pleased with that.”