The NIU wrestling team began its regular season with some of its athletes making deep runs in the Michigan State Open.

Twenty-four Huskies participated in the tournament on Saturday and 10 of them placed in the top six in their respective brackets.

“I was pleased; they really wrestled hard,” said NIU head coach Dave Grant. “The tournament was a lot tougher than it was last year. It took two hours longer and there were 100 more wrestlers in the way.”

Senior Tristen DeShazer finished the day in second at the 141-pound weight class after going 3-1 with two decisions and a fall in 55 seconds in his opening match.

DeShazer lost the final in an 11-9 decision to Purdue’s Juan Archuleta.

After redshirting last season due to an injury, junior Brad Dieckhaus didn’t look to skip a beat from his fourth place finish at the 2009 MAC championship and grabbed second in the 184-pound weight class.

Dieckhaus went 2-1 on the day, with every match-up against a Big Ten opponent, and lost the final in a 6-4 decision versus No. 6 A.J. Kissel from Purdue.

“Brad’s just got a great attitude and he’s very determined and that goes a long way in this sport,” Grant said. “Tristen brought a lot of determination to this tournament too and in the end, the guys with the determination and drive are the ones that get their hand raised at the end of the year.”

In the Fresh/Soph 125 tournament, Nick Smith went 6-1 en route to a third place finish in his first collegiate competition. Smith won three of his matches by pin fall and the other three by major decision.

“He’s got a learning curve, but he’s a damn machine,” Grant said. “He’s really inspiring to watch.”

Two time NCAA qualifier Bryan Deutsch finished fourth in the 157-pound weight class after starting the day 3-0. Deutsch lost his final two matches which included a 17-6 major decision loss to No. 9 Paul Young from Indiana.

In the 133 Open, Izzy Montemayor and Kevin Fanta, who was battling through an elbow injury, both advanced to the semifinals via overtime victories, but fell to the consolation bracket. Montemayor would finish fifth while Fanta would concede defeat in his final two matches due to the injury.

“He’s a pretty hard-nosed kid; he’s been wrestling through it and doing a great job,” Grant said. “He’s a pretty tough-minded character so he pushes through a lot of stuff.”

The surprise of the day came in the 141-class as Pat McLemore, who defeated DeShazer in the wrestle-offs, lost his only two contests of the day to Mike Leholm and Seth Schaner of Eastern Michigan.

“It’s unfortunate, but it’s still early in the year,” Grant said. “There are still opportunities for rebounding before the MAC tournament.”

NIU will continue its regular season November 27 at the Indiana Duals, but needs to do some work on part of its game.

“I thought our defense was weak,” Grant said. “I think we need to get a little tougher with our defense. I’m really pleased with our shape, but we’re letting too many people grab our legs. Obviously, if you’re not letting people get on your legs and you’re getting on theirs, that’s the ideal situation.”

RESULTS:

OPEN 133

Fifth Place Match

Izzy Montemayor (NIU) inj. default Kevin Fanta (NIU)

OPEN 141

First Place Match

Juan Archuletta (PU) dec. Tristen DeShazer (NIU), 11-9

OPEN 149

Fifth Place Match

Sam Patacsil (PU) dec. Vince Castillo (NIU), 8-2

OPEN 157

Third Place Match

David Cheza (MSU) dec. Bryan Deutsch (NIU), 4-1

OPEN 184

First Place Match

No. 6 A.J. Kissel (PU) dec. Brad Dieckhaus (NIU), 6-4

FRESH/SOPH 125

Third Place Match

Nick Smith (NIU) maj. dec. Christian Reed (Tiffin), 10-0

FRESH/SOPH 141

Third Place Match

Zac Hancock (BU) maj. dec. Shawn Fayette (NIU), 13-3

FRESH/SOPH 149

Third Place Match

Mike Hillock (UM) pin fall Matt Smith (NIU), 0:32

FRESH/SOPH 157

Fifth Place Match

Sam Bennett (NIU) dec. Patrick Robinson (PU), 7-2

FRESH/SOPH 184

Third Place Match

George Lopez (U of Ind.) dec. Charles Argue (NIU), 5-2