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Mar. 2, 2010 - For the second time in four years, North Central College will send a four-man delegation to the NCAA Division III National Wrestling Championships, the most the Cardinals have ever sent to the event in a single year. While the road to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, is a well-worn path for one member of the group, the other three will make their initial trips after traveling very different routes to this point.

One of the most decorated wrestlers in North Central's history, Gabe Youel is making his fourth and final appearance at the national tournament. The Cardinals' all-time leader in victories (153) and a four-time champion at the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin Championships as well as the prestigious Wheaton College Pete Willson Invitational, Youel has placed fourth at the national tournament the last two years, earning All-America honors both times.

This season, Youel believes his experience in previous championships will give him an edge over his opposition as he attempts to win the first individual national championship at North Central in over 40 years.

“I have a lot more confidence going in,” he said. “I know what to expect, and how you have to wrestle when you're there. I know I can beat anybody there. I've seen most of them, some multiple times, and if things go my way it should be a good weekend.”

Youel (30-4), who is seeded fourth at 184 pounds heading into this weekend, acknowledged that the familiarity the qualifiers have with each other can sometimes present new challenges, and takes that information into account as he prepares for this year's tournament.

“In some ways, it is tougher,” he said. “It makes it harder for either person to score because you know what the other guy likes to do, so you try to come up with some new things or just find a way to power through and do what you're good at.”

One of the other qualifiers with whom Youel is very familiar is third-seeded Phil Moenkedick of Concordia College (Minn.), last year's national runner-up. Youel posted a 9-6 victory over Moenkedick at the Wartburg College Desert Duals in December, though Moenkedick defeated Youel ,2-1, in the championship round of the Great Lakes Regional. The championship match ended amid some controversy, as Youel was assessed a penalty point for stalling in the final seconds.

“I don't know if I was being passive,” Youel said. “I didn't shoot a lot, but I was still moving forward. I would have rather been taken down than have the match decided in that fashion. I'll just have to make sure I score points and don't leave it to the officials next time.”

Another senior, Cowan Brown, will be making his first trip to the national championships after moving up two weight classes and overcoming an early loss in the regional tournament to earn his invitation to Cedar Rapids.

As a junior, Brown won an individual CCIW championship and placed fifth in the region at 157 pounds. Coming into this season, the Cardinals had a vacancy at 174, and Brown turned out to be the ideal candidate to make the switch.

“At 157, I felt like I was cutting too much weight,” he said. “My energy just wasn't there. This year, I haven't had to worry about weight at all. I feel energized, and I'm confident every time I go out that I can wrestle a full seven-minute match without running out of gas.”

The move bore positive results immediately, as Brown (28-7) has enjoyed the best season of his collegiate career and won the CCIW Championship at 174.

A 5-4 quarterfinal loss to Ross Dankers of Concordia (Minn.) threatened to derail Brown's bid for a spot in the national championships, but the senior regrouped quickly. In his first match in the consolation bracket, Brown, who had just eight pins to his credit throughout his career, stuck Josh Nord of Concordia University (Wis.) in just 22 seconds for the first of four consecutive wins.

“When I lost in the quarterfinals, I thought I was done,” Brown said. “I went through a lot of emotions, then I thought, 'I really want to finish this off. If I don't make it to nationals, I want to finish on a winning note.' That got me where I needed to be, and it worked out for the best.”

Brown finished his day at the regional with a 16-6 major decision over Ryan Renon of Lakeland College (Wis.) in the third-place match, and received one of the Great Lakes Region's eight wild-card bids to the national tournament.

“Making the national championship was always a goal of mine,” he said. “I also want to be an All-American, so I haven't achieved all my goals yet, but getting there was the biggest part for me. I'm looking forward to this weekend.”

Also qualifying for the national championships after changing weight classes is Johnny Starzyk, who is seeded fourth at 141 pounds. A three-time Illinois state champion in high school, Starzyk wrestled for the University of Oklahoma at 133 pounds as a true freshman before electing to transfer closer to home.

“I got a phone call from a friend of mine, saying he was going to come check out the campus,” he said. “I had previously visited a few other Division III schools, but I came here and just loved it.”

Midway through this season, Starzyk stepped up from 133 to 141, doing so prior to the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals in early January. Starzyk went 2-1 during the weekend, including a 5-4 victory over eventual Great Lakes Regional champion Jafari Vanier of top-ranked Augsburg College (Minn.)

“That was a good view on the 141-pound class,” Starzyk said. “It was a good eye-opener to see where I was at, and to find out that I could compete with those guys. The guys at 141 are stronger. There's not as much scrambling and it's more technical, but it wasn't that big of an adjustment.”

Shortly thereafter, Starzyk (14-4) suffered a foot injury that kept him out of action until the regional, where he won three straight matches to advance to a rematch against Vanier in the championship round. Starzyk led early before surrendering a 6-4 decision.

“That many matches in one day was a lot after just coming back,” Starzyk said. “I know I started feeling it the last two matches. The nationals are a two-day event, so hopefully that will be a little better for me.

“I feel like I'm right there with all the other qualifiers. Whoever has the best tournament will win it. I've wrestled almost all of them, so we'll see how it goes.”

Starzyk's change in weight class became necessary because of the success of sophomore Nathan Fitzenreider at 133, who is seeded second at this year's championships. After having his freshman season cut short due to injury, Fitzenreider found the resolve to elevate his efforts on the mat to a new level and has seen the efforts pay off in individual CCIW and Great Lakes Regional Championships.

“It was rough,” Fitzenreider said of his time on the sidelines. “That's one of the hardest things I've had to do, but it taught me a lot. Watching all the other guys wrestle, it gave me that urge to come back and work even harder, which has helped me so much. I've been in love with the sport this year more than I ever have.”

Fitzenreider (36-3), whose only loss to a Division III opponent this season occurred on Nov. 21, credits daily workouts with Starzyk and head coach Kevin Bratland with his technical improvement on the mat.

“I think the biggest area where I've improved is my scrambling,” he said. “Johnny and Kevin are two of the best scramblers I've ever wrestled with. Being able to wrestle with them every day has helped so much. That competitive edge is always there, and we're always able to go at it and learn from each other.”

Fitzenreider was at his best at the Great Lakes Regional, recording a pin and two major decisions before defeating Augsburg's Paul Bjorkstrand, 10-6, in the final. The youngest of four brothers, each of whom has wrestled at North Central, Fitzenreider is the first member of his family to qualify for the national championships.

“They were real proud,” he said of his family, which was out in force at the regional tournament. “They were going off-the-wall crazy, they were so excited that one of us got to nationals. My brothers were real supportive. It's been a long time waiting for someone from our family to make it to nationals.”

Now stamped as a contender for an individual championship, Fitzenreider looks to make his family's first trip to the national tournament an extended stay.

“There's so much talent throughout the tournament,” he said. “Everyone at this weight class is evenly matched. It's anybody's game. It's going to come down to how you wrestle on that day, so I'm just hoping for a good day there.”

The first round of wrestling at the U.S. Cellular Center will begin at 11 a.m. Friday.