Lights ready to shine in Wichita

There was a time when there were doubts as to whether a college wrestling season would even happen in 2021. But not only did a season happen, now, the Montana State University-Northern Lights and the rest of the NAIA are headed to a national tournament that, at one time, seemed like it would never come.

And yet, that time has come, as the Lights battle the rest of the field at the national tournament Friday and Saturday in Wichita, Kansas.

And while there were plenty of hurdles to get there, including fewer than normal matches, no tournaments, the cancellation of the Cascade Conference Championships, and just dealing with the pandemic as a whole, five Lights have now made it to the ultimate stage of NAIA wrestling, and Northern head coach Tyson Thivierge couldn't be more excited.

"I'm pleased we were able to compete this season," Thivierge said. "Many other programs have faced many obstacles and I'm proud the NAIA has stepped up and stuck to their guns about completing a season for these young men. We've had a lot of struggles in the west as well as the Cascade Conference, but we made it to the end of the season and we are ready to go."

The Lights did make it to the end, and they're coming in hot. They beat arch rival Providence their last time on the mat, and while they didn't get as many national qualifiers as they likely would have had it been settled on the mat instead of on a Zoom call, Northern is ready to face the best-of-the-best, by sending in 2020 national champion Nick Kunz at 133 pounds, three-time All-American Isaac Bartel at 197, repeat qualifier Chase Short at 174, and tournament newcomers Carl Hansen at 184 and former Havre Blue Pony and true freshman Connor Harris at 149. Dylan Veis (149) and Carl Crawford (165) were also selected as alternates for the Lights, who are ranked No. 19 in the country going into nationals.

And while the Lights aren't bringing big numbers to the tourney, which starts Friday morning, they are, as usual, bringing quality wrestlers to the mats. And Thivierge is pumped about all of them and their chances.

"Both Nick and Isaac are leaders in different ways," Thivierge said. "They both have the option to come back next year and if we can make that happen it benefits them and their teammates. But right now, the focus is on competing well at the National Championships. And Connor Harris, Chase Short and Carl Hansen can do some serious damage.

"We also have two alternates that may get the opportunity if anything goes wrong within the Cascade Conference. Dylan Veis is the No. 1 alternate on the list and Devin Crawford is sitting as the fifth alternate," he continued. "Dylan Veis has been a staple of this program and shouldn't even be on this list, he should be a qualifier. I truly believe if we had a normal qualifier, Dylan would be in the bracket wrestling without any uncertainty. He has looked the best I've seen him look in his five years at Northern and the decision was taken away from him. As I said, he would have blew up the bracket had we had a normal qualifying tournament. But, if he does get in, look out. This kid is prepping like he's going to get that opportunity and that's what I love about Dylan. He cares about his teammates, MSU-Northern, and he believes in his coaches. Devin Crawford also should have been wrestling, but to repeat myself, it was not up to him. If he's allowed to compete in the tournament, he will also bust up some brackets. He is so unorthodox and hard to defend, and that causes problems for people. We will know after we land in Wichita if one or both are going to be competing. In the meantime, we are training them as if they are in the tournament."

A tough tournament it will be too.

Grand View is once again the favorite. The Vikings have won an incredible nine straight national championships and are ranked No. 1 heading into this weekend. Lindsey Wilson, Life University and Missouri Valley are among the teams expected to also score big points, while Northern, Vanguard and Providence will be the top teams from Cascade, as Menlo College opted out of the 2021 season.

And while catching some of the deeper teams in the field won't be an easy task, Thivierge never wavers on what the goal is once his team reached the national stage, and through a very trying season, but with some of the biggest guns in the tournament on their side, the Lights' goals haven't changed this week.

"My goals will never change," Thivierge said. "I want to win a national team title, but with five (potentially seven) wrestling in the tournament, that is a mountain to climb. So the focus is to have the ones in the tournament wrestle the best they have all season long. My goal is to bring home five to seven All-Americans and to put guys on top of that podium. ... March 5, it's up to them to apply everything they've learned and go score points. It's been a privilege sitting in their corner all these years and I'll be the first to give them a handshake - or massive hug - once they've finished their job."

The 2021 NAIA national tournament runs Friday and Saturday in Wichita, Kansas. Fans can follow all the action on http://www.trackwrestling.com, and the finals will be board cast live at http://www.naia.org .

Here's a breakdown of each individual Light in this week's field.

133 - Nick Kunz (8-1)

After shocking last year's tournament by winning the 125-pound national championship, Kunz bumped up to 133 for most of his senior year and he hasn't disappointed, losing just once. He comes into the tournament as the No. 4 seed and is on the same side as top-seeded Matt Gimson of Indiana Tech, while Carson Taylor of Grand View and Conner Gimson are also top seeds. Kunz has a bye in the first round and wrestles Alex Pena of Wayland Baptist in the second round to get his quest for a second championship started.

"Nick took advantage of his opportunity last season and came home with the ultimate prize. He is focused and is in a great position to do it again, even after moving up a weight class. His drive is crazy and he is laser focused right now. He knows he is a target and it hasn't phased him a bit," Thivierge said.

149 - Connor Harris (7-0)

What a trip it's been for Harris. This time last year he was fresh off a state championship for Havre High and now he's in the national tournament as a true freshman. Harris has scored big wins in Northern's duals this season, including going to 2-0 versus Providence. He's also in a wide-open bracket with favorites that include Trent Johnson of Lindsey Wilson, Anthony Maia of Cumberland and Marty Margolis of Grand View. Harris opens the tourney with a bye and will like face Maia in the second round,

"Harris is a post season freak and has been overlooked most the season. We look forward to seeing Connor gain experience and go deep into the tournament. He has the ability and talent to make a big run at nationals. We expect big things from Connor now and moving into the future," Thivierge said.

174 - Chase Short (8-3)

Short returns to the national tourney after just missing out on All-American honors a year ago. He's been a beast for the Lights again this season and can do plenty of damage this weekend. Short, though, drew a tough bracket as he's facing top seed Brennan Stafford of Graceland in the opening round. Grand View's Casey Randles is also a favorite in the 174-pound draw.

"Chase Short has a ton of experience and is making his third trip to the national tournament," Thivierge said. "He went deep last year and was eliminated just prior to the All-American round. Chase is going to make waves. He has the ability to score big points in any situation. The coaches and his team believe he is going to do great things at nationals. He has to focus on that first match and when it's over, focus on the next one in front of him. Chase is ready to go."

184 - Carl Hansen (8-0)

It's been a great season for Hansen, who is just a sophomore. He was undefeated in Northern's dual lineup and was voted into the national tourney by the CCC coaches. Like Short, Hansen has a tough draw as he'll face No. 1 seed Riley Jaramillo in the first round while Lindey Wilson's Tyler Hall, Grand View's Ben Lee and Indiana Tech's Eric Vermillion are also favorites. Still, Hansen has proven to be a grappler no one in the country should overlook.

"Carl 'Red' Hansen can definitely score big points. Hansen is not the type of kid to panic in any situation, and he grinds out matches. He is so tough on top and he looks really good right now. Carl is gaining confidence every day and when he's on ... he's on. I look for him to represent MSU-N very well to close out the season," Thivierge said.

197 - Isaac Bartel (11-0)

There's little more anyone has to say about Bartel. He's not only the No. 1 seed at 197, he's arguably the best wrestler in the NAIA at any weight this season. And after two straight heartbreaking losses in the finals, the three-time All-American is on a mission to win that elusive championship this week. Bartel wrestles Jeremiah Glise in the second round to start things off, while Lindsey Wilson's Trevor Lawson and Life's Zane Lanham may be his two biggest obstacles. Still, it will be hard for anyone to stop Bartel this weekend.

"Isaac has never looked better. He's on a warpath to rectify his last two trips to the finals. He also knows he has a massive target on his back and he has stayed focused on what he needs to do to win that title," Thivierge said.