Two Northern wrestlers join storied history of champions

The Montana State University-Northern wrestling team has made history for decades now. The Lights made more of it Saturday night.

Two Northern grapplers won individual national championships at the NAIA National Tournament Saturday in Topeka, Kansas, as senior Ben Stroh and sophomore Brandon Weber both brought home national championships.

"It's a great feeling for both of those guys," MSU-N head coach Tyson Thivierge said. "I am very proud of them. It's a great accomplishment for each of them, and they both deserved it, they each sacrificed and worked really hard and came out here and took care of business."

Stroh, the former Chinook Sugarbeeter and four-time Montana high school state champion who transferred to Northern from the University of Wyoming, not only beat Campbellsville's Chuck Sharon in the 184-popund championship match, but with a 45-2 record and a domninant season ending with a national championship, was also named NAIA wrestler of the year.

"He is worthy of it just because he has been so good all year long," Thivierge said. "He has won 41 straight matches, and he has just been dominant. He beat a defending national champion in the semifinals, and he didn't just beat a lot of great wrestlers, he dominated them."

Weber, meanwhile, had a dominant last two months, culminating with his thrilling overtime win over Lindsey Wilson's Cam Tessari Saturday night in the 157-pound weight class. The former state champ from Forsyth also earned the 2017 NAIA National Tournament Most Outstanding Wrestler Award.

"He was just consistent right from the first match," Thivierge said. "He was just ready to go and he wrestled at a really high level all weekend. It was great for him."

Together, Stroh and Weber became Northern's first individual national champions since former Havre Blue Pony Evan Hinebauch captured the 184-pound title in 2011. They also became the first teammates to win titles since the trio of Stryder Davis, Jesse Juarez and Brian Luna did it in 2005. The Northern duo also joined the elite and storied list of Northern national champions, one that dates back to 1986 and now includes an incredible 33 grapplers.

As a team, the Lights, with just five wrestlers entered, finished a solid eighth, their sixth-straight Top 10 finish at the national tournament. For much more on Northern's two national champions, and the Lights' weekend in Topeka.