Rested Lights do battle at Reno T.O.C

After a well-deserved week of rest, the Montana State University-Northern wrestling team has a big opportunity on its agenda. And the Lights will have to travel all the way to Reno, Nev., to take advantage of it.

On Sunday, the No. 2 Lights of the NAIA will participate in the annual Reno Tournament of Champions. The annual tournament features top teams from every level of college wrestling, and is billed as the “Toughest Tournament in the USA.” It will also be Northern’s final chance to get on the mat until mid-January, so head coach Tyson Thivierge's team would love nothing more than to do well.

However, the RTOC is loaded with high-caliber teams and individuals, especially from the NCAA Division I level. The tourney will include grapplers from three NCAA Top 25 teams in No. 8 Nebraska, No. 18 Stanford and No. 24 Oregon State. Also out of the NCAA ranks are top programs like North Carolina, Arizona State, Boise State, Cal Poly and West Virginia. The University of Wyoming, which features former Chinook star Ben Stroh, will also be in the tournament, as will several quality NCAA DII programs.

Northern is one of several NAIA powers in attendance. Fellow Northwest Region rivals Southern Oregon and Simpson College will also be at the big tournament. In all, 23 teams and over 200 wrestlers will participate in Sunday’s tournament. Each weight class will feature a double-elimination format, so every wrestler is promised at least two matches in Reno.

Northern will bring a strong contingent into Sunday’s event, which will be an important one considering the Lights won’t wrestle competitively again until the NAIA National Duals Jan. 11-12. MSU-N’s lineup is expected to include 125-pounders Aaron LaFarge and Duell Stadel, who are ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in the NAIA, respectively. Cameron Neiss is ranked No. 4 at 141 pounds, while Hunter Azure is seventh at 149 and Mickey Cheff is third at 157. Ethan Hinebauch is ranked No. 2 at 165 pounds, Jared Miller is ranked No. 10 at 174 and Kody Reed is ranked No. 6 at 184. Toby Cheff is currently No. 4 and Garrett DeMers is ranked No. 8 at 197 pounds, while heavyweights Jorrell Jones and Rico Paz should also see action in Reno.

The ROTC, which also runs a large high school tournament at the same time, will last all day Sunday in Reno, Nev. The Lights don't wrestle at home again until a Jan. 18 dual with Western Wyoming College.