After a three-week layoff, the NIU wrestling team has an enormous challenge awaiting it.

The Huskies (1-2) will square off with No. 17 Northwestern (4-1) tonight at 7:05 p.m. in Evanston.

The Wildcats have already conquered a pair of MAC teams in Eastern Michigan and Kent State.

This could be the second win over a ranked NU team in the past two years for the Huskies. Last season, the Wildcats were the No. 5 team in the country and NIU defeated them 22-19.

Even with the high stature of the Wildcats, NIU head coach Dave Grant thinks his team is well prepared.

“This is what we’ve trained for,” Grant said. “Our guys are motivated and they’re ready to go after it.”

NIU sophomore Brad Dieckhaus will return for his first match since last season. His 184-pound match will pit him against No. 2 Jake Herbert (9-0).

The Huskies have struggled so far this year in the weight class with a 1-5 record and are hoping for Dieckhaus to give them a boost.

“He’s definitely one of the forces in our program,” Grant said. “With his attitude and overall hustle, he’s one of our top individuals. It’s really good to have him back.”

This week the Huskies removed redshirt status from freshman Steve Zimmerman. Zimmerman is 11-0 on the year with two tournament championships in the 149-pound weight class. He will be paired up with NU’s Marty Gould.

“He’s the best guy in that weight class,” Grant said of Zimmerman. “We look at, number one, if the wrestler is ready to go, and number two is, can he help the team? Both answers are yes.”

NIU freshman Izzy Montemayor (12-4) will also have a tough test of his own. He will face off against No. 3 Brandon Precin (7-1) in the 125-pound weight class.

“Anytime you’re head-to-head with another guy, you have an opportunity to beat him,” Grant said. “They’ve been training hard and they have great attitudes so we just believe all things are possible.”

The Huskies also have two other pairings with top 25 opponents.

Pat McLemore (3-2) or Vince Castillo (10-3) will face No. 6 Keith Sulzer (8-2) at 141 pounds, while either Bryan Deutsch (10-3) or John Odeen (3-3) will face No. 15 Jason Welch (7-3) at 157 pounds.