Off to Las Vegas.

That is where wrestler Bryce Hasseman, a redshirt junior, and assistant coach Raphael Davis will be from May 8 to 10 to attend the U.S. Open at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

Hasseman is heading to Vegas with one thing on his mind, besides the $40 he – and the other participants – will pay to participate in the U.S. Open.

“There are going to be about 15 studs in each division,” Hasseman said. “There will be All-Americans, national champs and people like me there. A lot of people are going there trying to make a name for themselves, just like I am. I hope to place.”

Davis is a graduate of Cal State-Bakersfield, where he was an All-American his senior year in the 197-pound weight division.

The senior division, where Hasseman and Davis both will compete, is open to anyone who was born after 1983.

Hasseman, who took second in the National Redshirt Championships this year in the 174-pound division, talked about the real reason he is competing in the U.S. Open.

“I want the competition, and I want to get back on the mat,” Hasseman said. “I really, really want the competition. I want to take on the best of the best to improve myself.”

The Huskies also received some good news as Scott Owen is going to help the coaching staff next year. He is going to be an assistant coach along with Jason Hayes and Raphael Davis.

NIU also might not be finished with its recruiting. The coaching staff is working on bringing in one out of three heavyweights from Illinois.