Huskie Duo Advance at NCAA Championships

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Deutsch and Dieckhaus battling in wrestlebacks

PHILADELPHIA - Northern Illinois University wrestlers Bryan Deutsch and Brad Dieckhaus have advanced to the second day of competition at the 2011 NCAA Wrestling Championships at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pa.

Deutsch, who opened his tournament with a pin fall loss to North Carolina's Corey Mock in a pigtail match at 157 pounds, has battled his way through the wrestlebacks to stay alive in his final NCAA Championships.

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The senior from Columbia City, Ind. shutout Michigan State's Sean McMurray, 5-0, then proceeded to post a 9-5 decision over Oklahoma's Chase Nelson. Deutsch will face David Bonin of Northern Iowa tomorrow. It will be a rematch of their bout in Cedar Falls, Iowa earlier this season. Bonin posted a 14-4 major decision in that meeting Jan. 28.

Dieckhaus, who earned his bid by winning the Mid-American Conference championship at 184, suffered a 16-0 technical fall loss to No. 3 seed Steve Bosak of Cornell in his first match of the day. The junior from St. Charles, Mo. rebounded in the wrestlebacks, scoring an 11-2 major decision over Iowa State's Richard Shafer.

Like Deutsch, Dieckhaus' next bout will be a rematch. He will be facing No. 8 seed Kevin Steinhaus of Minnesota. The two met earlier this year in the Huskies' first match of the NWCA/Cliff Kean National Duals Jan. 8 with the Gopher grappler winning, 7-0.

"The guys had great effort in the wrestlebacks," NIU head coach Dave Grant said. "It takes a lot of heart and desire to come through the wrestlebacks. Both Brad and Bryan were able to dig deep and pick up wins tonight."

Competition resumes Friday at 9:30 a.m. Central Time. Fans can follow all the action live via the NCAA's Championships Central page.

-NIU-