Hi-Line Athlete Profile: Tommy Cooper, MSU-N Wrestling

Veteran Tommy Cooper and the Lights make their home debut tonight against SOU

Montana State University-Northern wrestling team members are already no stranger to big duals this season, and that includes junior 157-pounder Tommy Cooper.

But with two big duals already done, Cooper and the Lights are gearing up for their biggest dual yet — a home debut tonight against arch rival Southern Oregon.

For Cooper, it’s yet another exciting test in what has been an excellent start to his third season as a Light. Cooper comes into tonight’s dual with the 14th-ranked Raiders as the No. 8 157-pounder in the NAIA.

But, perhaps more importantly than a ranking, Cooper comes into tonight’s home debut as one of Northern’s veteran leaders. Cooper came to Havre from Laurel four years ago, where he was a two-time state runner-up for the Locomotives. He eventually worked his way into the lineup, and as a red-shirt sophomore, earned his first trip to the NAIA national tournament. Now however, Cooper isn’t just content with getting to nationals, he’s motivated to become an NAIA All-American and help his currently fifth-ranked Lights to a national championship run.

And that motivation has also served to help Cooper become one of the important, emotional leaders for head coach Tyson Thivierge’s team, in the practice room and on the mat during competition.

“Tommy looks really good right now,” Thivierge said at the start of the season. “He’s showing great leadership in the room. And if he can find his consistency, he’s going to go a long way this year.”

“One of my goals is to be a mentor on this team,” Cooper said. “Being one of the older guys here, I know I need to be a good team leader now.”

And Cooper is hoping to help lead the Lights to a victory in tonight’s home-opener at the Armory Gymnasium. SOU may not have the team that finished second to Grand View at the national tournament the last two years, but the Raiders are always tough, and they will be tonight.

Key matches tonight will include the 149-pound bout where SOU will send out second-ranked Tyler Cowger to take on either 16th-ranked Brandon Weber or Drake Randall. SOU also has Ryan McWatters ranked third at 184 pounds, and he’ll face Dace Fisher. At 141, Matt Weber will face 14th-ranked Trevor Hancock of SOU. At 174 pounds, fourth-ranked Willie Miller will battle 16th-ranked Oscar Flores, while the Lights will also send out either Quintel Fuchs or Mhar Caballa at 125, Blake Ivie at 133, Cooper at 157, freshman Austin Blaede at 165, top-ranked Garrett DeMers at 197, and either second-ranked Toby Cheff or eighth-ranked Taylor Kornoely at heavyweight.

And while the dual will be a tough one, Cooper knows it’s a big night, as he loves wrestling in big matches, and especially big matches at home.

Here are five questions with one of Northern’s leaders before the Lights meet the Raiders at 7 tonight in the Armory Gymnasium.

HDN: What are some of your big goals for this season?

Cooper: “The goal is always to get on the podium and be an All-American. I want to be one of the top wrestlers in the nation. And I also want to be a good mentor for my team, I want to be a good team leader.”

HDN: How crucial was it for you to make it to nationals last year?

Cooper: “It was huge. Making it to nationals was a major step in my wrestling career. And it made me want to come back this season and work even harder. Being there last year makes me that much more motivated to go back and get on the podium and be an All-American.

HDN: What are the biggest improvements you’ve made since you got to Northern?

Cooper: “Definitely my work ethic. I’ve learned what it really means to work hard here. I’ve also learned that school comes first. I’ve learned how to balance school and wrestling. And I think I’ve matured a lot, too. I’ve learned what it takes to be a leader.”

HDN: Wrestlers train very hard. What is it like training as a Light?

Cooper: “Coach Thivierge and Coach (Dustyn) Azure both wrestled in this program, so they know exactly what it takes to be a Northern wrestler, and they train us the same way. They put us through a lot, and they do things to give us an edge over other teams. We’re up lifting two or three times a week at 5 p.m. when everybody else is sleeping, and I don’t know of a lot of other programs that do that, but we do and I think that gives us an advantage. Training in college, and Northern is definitely a grind. You’ve got to have a great mental attitude. And you have to know how to take care of your body. You have to get rest at night and be ready to go again the next day. And there’s watching what you eat. In other sports, athletes can eat whatever they want, but we can’t do that. We have to diet and then go train hard for two or three hours. It’s just really different, and in order to do it right, you have to really be mentally strong and disciplined.”

HDN: Tonight is your third big dual in a row. But it’s also your first at home. I’m sure you and your teammates are pretty fired up?

Cooper: “Definitely. It’s a lot of fun to wrestle in front of our home crowd. They are great fans, and we want to go out and put a good showing on the mat for them. They don’t get to see us wrestle very often, so we want them to see how hard we work and how good we can be.”