Nov. 9, 2008

Complete Results in PDF Format

STEVENS POINT, Wis. - The Northern Illinois wrestling team showed youth can be a strength, as a trio of Huskies opened the season by winning tournament titles at the Pointer Open, Saturday.

True freshman Steve Zimmerman (Chicago, Ill./St. Rita) highlighted the day at 149 pounds, where he earned two falls and two major decisions en route to beating Sam Schmitz of Lindenwood by a 4-1 decision to take first place.

Huskies dominated the final four at 141 pounds, with Pat McLemore (Hinckley, Ohio/Padua Franciscan), Dan Ruettiger (Joliet, Ill./Providence), and Vince Castillo (Western Springs, Ill./Lyons Township) taking up three of the last four places. Castillo, a redshirt sophomore, outlasted his teammates by beating Aaron Sence of Meramec then using a first round pin to down Ruettiger.

In the 157-pound bracket, redshirt sophomore Bryan Deutsch (Columbia City, Ind./Columbia City) used two wins by fall and three close decisions to become the last man standing. Deutsch bested Ben Jordan, a Wisconsin grappler competing unattached, by a 7-4 margin in the final.

In addition to the three individual winners, two Huskies made it to the championship match. Redshirt sophomore Tristen DeShazer (Wichita, Kan./Wichita West) premiered at his natural weight of 133 pounds after spending last season at 141. His debut resulted in three wins by fall and one by a 4-3 decision.

At heavyweight, Dakota Greenhaw (Monett, Mo./Monett) made his competitive debut for the Huskies after redshirting the 2007-08 season. He picked up three wins, including an 11-1 major decision, before falling in the championship match to Dan Laurent of UW-LaCrosse.

Redshirt freshman Scott Penny (Granite City, Ill./Granite City) also wrestled his first official tournament in the Cardinal and Black, grappling his way to fourth place at 197 pounds.

The Huskies placed two true freshmen in the top-five at 125 pounds. Bobby Wunnicke (Dodgeville, Wis./Dodgeville) used four pins to advance to fourth place, while Izzy Montemayor (Barrington, Ill./Grant Community) went 5-2 en route to fifth place.

Northern Illinois opens its dual meet season, Saturday, Nov. 15 at the Boilermaker Challenge, where the Huskies will face Campbellsville, Tennessee-Chattanooga, and Purdue.