Lights finally getting back on the mats

The Montana State University-Northern wrestling team had a break planned for just before the holidays. But due to some foul weather, that break got much longer than Northern head coach Tyson Thivierge would have liked.

Now however, the No. 3 Lights will look to shake off the rust at a tournament they’ve never been to before, and one that will feature some fierce NAIA competition. Today and Saturday, Northern will take part in the Missouri Valley College Invitational in Marshall, Missouri.

The Lights come into the double-elimination, invitational tourney having not wrestled competitively since Dec. 21 at the Reno Tournament of Champions. Northern’s senior night dual against Western Wyoming, scheduled for Jan. 6, was canceled because of a winter storm, so this weekend’s tournament will hopefully springboard the Lights back into action.

“This is huge for us as far as competition goes,” Thivierge said. “This tournament gives a chance to see a lot of teams and wrestle against competition we don’t normally get.”

Indeed, the MVC Invite is filled with some of the NAIA’s elite, including No. 1-ranked and two-time defending national champion Grand View. Of the 27 teams in the field this weekend, 11 of them are ranked in the NAIA Top 20, including the Lights. The field also includes No. 6 Indiana Tech, No. 7 Menlo, No. 10 and host Missouri Valley, No. 11 Life College, No. 13 Oklahoma City, No. 14 Concordia of Nebraska, No. 15 Baker, No. 16 William Penn and No. 17 Benedictine.

Individually, especially with Grand View in the field, the tournament will be a great battle, and the Lights who make the trip will certainly get some good matches in.

Currently, Northern has seven nationally ranked wrestlers, led by senior Ethan Hinebauch, who ranks No. 1 at 165 pounds. Fellow senior Jared Miller is No. 2 at 174 pounds, while junior Willie Miller has risen to No. 3 at 184 pounds. Sophomore Garrett DeMers is No. 3 at 197 pounds and junior Toby Cheff is No. 8 at heavyweight. Junior Riley Miller is ranked No. 14 at 125 pounds and Drew Randall is No. 11 at 149 pounds.

The Missouri Valley Invite starts today in Marshall, Missouri and runs through Saturday afternoon. The Lights will then travel to the Tyler Plummer Classic Jan. 24 in Dickinson, North Dakota.