MSU-N's Andrew Bartel earns Cascade honor

The Montana State University-Northern wrestling team fared very well in their first tournament of the season and, one Light got rewarded for his performance.

Last Saturday, Andrew Bartel placed second in the Elite Division at 165 pounds at the Cowboy Open in Laramie, Wyoming. The tournament is hosted by the NCAA Division I University of Wyoming Cowboys, and always features a tough draw, so Bartel, who is ranked No. 1 at 165 in the NAIA, certainly had a great result.

For his efforts, he was named Cascade Conference Wrestler of the Week. In wrestling, Northern is part of the Cascade Conference, and Bartel received the honor earlier this week.

Now, Bartel and the third-ranked Lights will head back to Wyoming. Saturday, the Lights will be in Powell for the Trapper Open. The tournament is hosted by Northwest College, and will feature several NJCAA squads, as well as other teams from the Northwest.

The trip to the Trapper Open will also be the final tune-up for the Lights before returning to dual action next week when they host arch rival Providence. The Lights are already 2-0 in duals this season, with dominant wins over Eastern Oregon and North Idaho College, but the Argos will be Northern's first big challenge of the dual season.

First though, the Lights will have their attention on the Trapper Open, which runs all day Saturday in Powell, Wyoming. The Northern/Providence dual is set for Wednesday at 7 p.m. in the Armory Gymnasium.