MSU-N Wrestling Preview: New season, same goals for talented Lights

Getting started hasn't been easy. Nothing during the COVID-19 pandemic is. But the Montana State University-Northern Lights wrestling team are trying their best to make a go of a 2020-21 season.

And if and when the Lights do hit the mat, they're expected to once again be one of the top teams not only in the Cascade Conference, but also in all of the NAIA.

Northern, of longtime head coach Tyson Thivierge, comes into the new season ranked No. 12 in the NAIA Coaches Poll, while the Lights have a pair of top-ranked individuals, and five ranked overall. And given Northern's rankings, their returners, and their experienced talent, expectations and hopes are certainly high in the MSU-N wrestling room this season.

"This year's squad is full of veterans and great young talent," Thivierge said We just have to keep building."

The Lights do have star-power and veteran talent, led by defending NAIA national champion Nick Kunz at 125 pounds and senior 197-pounder and three-time All-American Isaac Bartel. Kunz and Bartel are both ranked No. 1 at their respective weights and are leaders of a loaded group of Northern returners.

And that group includes senior Chase Short, who is ranked No. 10 at 174 pounds and has qualified for the national tourney two years in a row. Also back is Steeler French, after redshirting last season. French qualified for the national tourney two years ago, and is ranked 14th at 184 pounds. Junior Clayton Currier also returns at 141 pounds after transferring to Northern last fall. Currier, along with Carl Cronin at 133, and senior Dylan Veis at 149, give Northern a strong lower weight lineup, anchored by Kunz at 125. Thivierge also expects to be very deep with Kaleb Frank also at 125 and freshman Connor Harris at 149.

Northern, though, will be equally as tough in the upper weights, with Bartel, French and Short leading the way. But former Blue Pony Lane Paulson returns to wrestle at 149 after gaining valuable experience last season, while Brock Bushfield is expected to impress there as well after missing last year with an injury. Sophomore Nakoda Siegel is also back and is expected to join Short at 174 pounds, while sophomore Carl Hansen gives Northern depth at 184. The Lights also return starting heavyweight Rylan Moldenhauer after he came on strong a year ago, while former Blue Pony Travis Adams has joined the squad and will wrestle at heavy as well.

"I've always had confidence in the guys I put on the mat," Thivierge said. "But we have some of the most returners that I've had in a long time. If all goes well, I will be returning nearly all of this team again in 2021-22.

"Having consistency like that is going to be big for the program, but I have to do a better job recruiting in these difficult times. But, per this roster, I love these guys. They are hard-nosed and hardworking guys."

Indeed, the Lights, who were picked third in the Cascade Conference, are really good, and they showed that last year with their run at nationals. And, as Thivierge noted, they're expected to be exciting again this season. However, the season, of course, is in flux because of the pandemic, and that has made even scheduling difficult. Northern held its Maroon/Gold Dual last week in the Armory Gymnasium with no fans in attendance, and the Lights' schedule is up in the air going forward, including likely only wrestling arch rival Providence once this season, instead of the usual two times.

"This year's schedule is difficult as everything we put together was canceled or postponed," Thivierge noted. "We are scheduling on the fly and will be having more duals in January than ever before. The downside of that is that these guys aren't getting tournament experience. That is difficult, but the veterans on our team have plenty of experience in that area. It's going to affect the younger guys more than the veterans. We will take it all in stride as a team and move forward."

The pandemic makes it tough on scheduling, but earlier this fall, Thivierge also saw a silver lining. Many have called into question the sport of wrestling during the pandemic because of the obvious close contact. But, Thivierge sees things a different way.

"I believe wrestling has been prepared for this for decades," he said. "We take extreme precautions sanitizing mats, dealing with infectious skin diseases and such. As unpopular as it may be, I think wrestling is one of the cleanest sports, there are only two wrestlers on the mat competing at one time. I feel we can beat this and move forward to a national championship."

And at the end of the day, no matter the challenges, the goal continues to be a national championship. The first step in that process will be the Cascade Conference Championships, which are scheduled to take place in Havre in February, while the NAIA national tournament is set for March 5-6 in Park City, Kansas, and the Lights plan on not only being there, but also making a run at the biggest prize in college wrestling.

"Championships will always be the goal, team and individual championships," Thivierge said. "But this team has the ability to do something we haven't done in some time. It's up to us coaches to prepare them, keep them healthy mentally and physically, and let them loose when we have opportunities to compete. The sky is the limit for these boys; we just have to get matches under our belts."