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(article posted by Lauren Brightmore, Student Sports Information Assistant)

Mar. 9, 2011  - This week the North Central College wrestling team sends off three of its athletes to La Crosse, Wis. for the NCAA Division III Wrestling Championships. After a strong performance at the Great Lakes Regional Championship, Nathan Fitzenreider, Andrew Zobac, and Eric Oyster are relaxed and ready to move onto the final phase of their season: to compete with the best and win.

Fitzenreider has gone 33-2 overall this season. On Feb. 26 at the regional championship, he finished first at 133 pounds, claiming his second straight regional title. Now Fitzenreider makes his second trip to nationals, feeling a lot more confident returning to the mats.

“It helps to have been there before,” he said. “You have a good feel for what the tournament is going to be like and what the atmosphere is. That helps build up a lot of confidence, and I just feel like I'm a much better wrestler this year than I was last year.”

Fitzenreider is currently the No. 2 seed at 133. He refuses to rest on the laurels of success though. Having made the trip to the NCAA's last season and falling short in the first round, he understands the importance of having a level head and keeping the pressure at bay.

“There's not really any pressure after my performance last year,” he said. “I just feel more relaxed and confident. I'm more excited now to get back there and kind of avenge what happened last year."

Even with two College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) and regional titles, a seasoned athlete like Fitzenreider knows that these accomplishments stem from a variety of sources. He credits his achievements to the dedicated group of North Central coaches.

“I can't explain how much they help. Coaches Kevin Bratland , Karl Bratland, Adam Johnson, Joe Norton, and Derrick Martin - they all have different areas which they help us with,” he points out. “They push us past where we thought we could ever go, which is exactly what you need to do to make it to nationals. I'm real thankful for what the coaches have done for us so far.”

The journey to nationals is a dream come true for Zobac. Making some changes in his training over the summer, Zobac has prepared physically and mentally for this moment all year. At the conference championships in February, Zobac finished first at 141, clenching his second career title. He then went on to take third place at the regional championship. His only defeat of the day was in the semifinals against the No. 5 seeded wrestler, Ryan Timmerman of St. Olaf College (Minn.)

Although he is making first appearance at a national meet, Zobac already has an advantage, having wrestled many athletes in his weight class at regionals. “I feel like I'm able to study my opponent really well, and am able to adapt,” he said. “Having wrestled a lot of people that are going to be there, I do feel pretty confident in my abilities.”

Zobac has steadily improved as a wrestler throughout his career. Starting as a freshman with a varsity record of 11-4 and four pins, Zobac enters the national championships two years later with a season record of 39-7. He has always imagined going to nationals, and now that his vision has come true, he can focus on each match ahead.

“I remember going to the first national tournament and seeing our guys wrestle. That was my goal,” he said. “I felt a lot of pressure going into regionals, but I feel like a lot of it is gone because I finally got to nationals. Now it's time to have fun and perform.”

With his teammates by his side, Zobac feels more comfortable entering this new environment. “This is just like any other tournament," he said. "Nate wrestles right before me, then I wrestle, and then Eric wrestles. We've been to a few two-day tournaments before, which helps prepare us for the two-day competition at nationals. On any given day, anybody can win. Why can't it be me?”

Oyster, a freshman, is entering the national arena this season at 149. He finished third at the Great Lakes Regional Championships, and did not originally get the bid to go to nationals until the NCAA Division III Wrestling Committee added his name to the list as part of their effort to expand the field from 160 wrestlers to 170.

During the regional championship, Oyster pinned Maranatha Baptist Bible College's (Wis.) Jonathan Rhine in the first round and kept the momentum going until he was stopped in the semifinal by a two-time national finalist, Tony Valek of Augsburg College (Minn.)

“I just kept doing the same thing,” he said. “It was a really close match, and my coaches just told me to keep it going. We wrestle in a style that keeps pressuring the opponent, and I had a couple more tight matches, including the one I had to wrestle back for third. It just worked out my way.”

With his success at regionals, Oyster was chosen as an alternate for the national championships until a call from his coach changed everything.

“I was in class and Kevin called me, but I couldn't answer,” he recalled. “I knew he had news, so I hurried up right after class and called him, and he told me I was in. Honestly, my hands couldn't stop shaking for like an hour. I was just that excited. It's a big accomplishment.”

While the grandeur and excitement of a national competition may psyche some athletes out, this freshman maintains the same mindset he's had all season.

“I've been wrestling tough kids for a long time. If I keep doing the same thing, keep doing what my coaches tell me, I honestly feel that I can be an All-American,” he said.

The championships, held this year at the La Crosse Center, begin on Friday at 11 a.m. More information can be found at www.ncaa.com/championships/wrestling/d3.