Three Lights place first at Tyler Plummer Classic

With the postseason just under a month away, the Montana State University-Northern wrestling team is looking to find its momentum just in time. The No. 8 Lights looked to get things going at the Tyler Plummer Classic in Dickinson, North Dakota, this past Saturday. While the tournament did not keep track of team scores, MSU-N assistant coach Landon Bailey believed the Lights wrestled well.

“We did good. We had some great performances from some guys,” Bailey said. “Three champs, five in the finals. That’s always a good feeling.”

Martin Wilkie had a strong day as he took first wrestling in the 141-pound weight class. After a bye to start the tournament, Wilkie won, 12-0, for a major decision over Caleb Birdwell from Providence. In the semifinal, Wilkie pinned Destin Summers from Western Wyoming College 1:38 into the match. In the first-place match, Wilkie won, 18-2, for a technical fall over Caleb Nathan from Western Wyoming College.

“Wilkie looked outstanding this weekend. He’s starting to get back in that groove,” Bailey said. “His offense looks great. He’s just looking good out there.”

Connor Harris placed first for the Lights as he wrestled at 157 pounds. After a bye to open the tournament, Harris won, 20-4, for a technical fall over Cody Booth from Dickinson State. In the semifinal, he won, 19-4, for a technical fall over Bearett Browne from Dickinson State. In the first-place match, Harris won, 7-2, against Kale Corley from Dickinson State.

“Connor’s finally starting to get his breakout season going,” Bailey said. “He looked great as well. Just good to watch him wrestle.”

Isaac Bartel took first wrestling at 197 pounds. After a bye to start the tournament, Bartel pinned Ryker Blackburn from Northwest College 1:40 into the match. In the first-place match, Bartel won by forfeit against Cole Huss from Northern State.

“Bartel’s just super consistent,” Bailey said. “Always a good kid to have on trips and tournaments. He’s just tough.”

Many other Lights placed over the weekend. Devin Crawford took second for the Lights at 165 pounds. After a bye, Crawford won, 8-6, for a sudden victory in overtime against Damon Ashworth from Minnesota West Comm & Tech.

At 184 pounds, Carl Hansen took second for the Lights. In the quarterfinal, Hansen won, 10-3, against Tanner Jarrett from Dickinson State. In the semifinal, Hansen won, 5-0, against his teammate Jett Jones.

Jones also wrestled well for the Lights as he took fourth at 184 pounds. After a bye, Jones won, 3-1, for a sudden victory in overtime against Brett Graham from Minnesota State Moorhead. In a consolation match, Jones won, 8-0, for a major decision over Jack Barry. Riley DeVries took sixth wrestling at 125 pounds. In a consolation match, DeVries won, 18-0, for a technical fall over Ivan Lee from Northwest College.

Many Lights won matches throughout the weekend. In a consolation match, Georgino Moraga won, 9-1, for a major decision against Kyler Grems from Minnesota West Comm & Tech. Travis Adams won a consolation match, 5-1, against David Stewart from Dickinson State.

With just a few weeks left before the postseason, the Lights hope to keep improving on the mats. Bailey believes that this past weekend’s tournament will be a good jumping point for the rest of the regular season.

“A lot of them are just starting to set their goals pretty high for this postseason,” Bailey said. “We’re starting to look good where we need to be.”

The Lights will next wrestle at Arizona Christian University in Glendale this Friday.

MSU-N Individual Results

125 - Riley DeVries (6th Place)

Quarterfinal - Cole Jensen (Western Wyoming College) won by decision over Riley DeVries (MT State Northern) (Dec 10-9); Cons. Round 1 - Riley DeVries (MT State Northern) won by tech fall over Ivan Lee (Northwest College) (TF 18-0); Cons. Semi - Teagan Block (Northern State) won by tech fall over Riley DeVries (MT State Northern) (TF 16-0); 5th Place Match - Dane Christopherson (Minnesota State Moorhead) won by fall over Riley DeVries (MT State Northern) (Fall 0:36).

141 - Martin Wilkie (1st Place)

Champ. Round 1 - Martin Wilkie (MT State Northern) received a bye (Bye); Quarterfinal - Martin Wilkie (MT State Northern) won by major decision over Caleb Birdwell (Providence (Mont.)) (Maj 12-0); Semifinal - Martin Wilkie (MT State Northern) won by fall over Destin Summers (Western Wyoming College) (Fall 1:38); 1st Place Match - Martin Wilkie (MT State Northern) won by tech fall over Caleb Nathan (Western Wyoming College) (TF 18-2).

149 - Georgino Moraga

Champ. Round 1 - Georgino Moraga (MT State Northern) received a bye (Bye); Quarterfinal - Trey Fischbach (Dickinson State) won by fall over Georgino Moraga (MT State Northern) (Fall 4:59); Cons. Round 2 - Georgino Moraga (MT State Northern) won by major decision over Kyler Grems (Minnesota West Comm & Tech) (Maj 9-1); Cons. Round 3 - Ethan Kiehm (Minnesota State Moorhead) won by fall over Georgino Moraga (MT State Northern) (Fall 6:26).

157 - Connor Harris (1st Place)

Champ. Round 1 - Connor Harris (MT State Northern) received a bye (Bye); Quarterfinal - Connor Harris (MT State Northern) won by tech fall over Cody Booth (Dickinson State) (TF 20-4); Semifinal - Connor Harris (MT State Northern) won by tech fall over Bearett Browne (Dickinson State) (TF 19-4); 1st Place Match - Connor Harris (MT State Northern) won by decision over Kale Corley (Dickinson State) (Dec 7-2).

165 - Devin Crawford (2nd Place)

Quarterfinal - Devin Crawford (MT State Northern) received a bye (Bye); Semifinal - Devin Crawford (MT State Northern) won in sudden victory - 1 over Damon Ashworth (Minnesota West Comm & Tech) (SV-1 8-6); 1st Place Match - Jordan Komac (Providence (Mont.)) won by decision over Devin Crawford (MT State Northern) (Dec 4-2).

184 - Jett Jones (4th Place)

Champ. Round 1 - Jett Jones (MT State Northern) received a bye (Bye); Quarterfinal - Jett Jones (MT State Northern) won in sudden victory - 1 over Brett Graham (Minnesota State Moorhead) (SV-1 3-1); Semifinal - Carl Hansen (MT State Northern) won by decision over Jett Jones (MT State Northern) (Dec 5-0); Cons. Semi - Jett Jones (MT State Northern) won by major decision over Jack Barry (Unattached) (Maj 8-0); 3rd Place Match - Hayden Schrull (Providence (Mont.)) won by decision over Jett Jones (MT State Northern) (Dec 10-4).

184 - Carl Hansen (2nd Place)

Champ. Round 1 - Carl Hansen (MT State Northern) received a bye (Bye); Quarterfinal - Carl Hansen (MT State Northern) won by decision over Tanner Jarrett (Dickinson State) (Dec 10-3); Semifinal - Carl Hansen (MT State Northern) won by decision over Jett Jones (MT State Northern) (Dec 5-0); 1st Place Match - Tyce Raddon (Western Wyoming College) won by decision over Carl Hansen (MT State Northern) (Dec 9-7).

197 - Isaac Bartel (1st Place)

Quarterfinal - Isaac Bartel (MT State Northern) received a bye (Bye); Semifinal - Isaac Bartel (MT State Northern) won by fall over Ryker Blackburn (Northwest College) (Fall 1:40); 1st Place Match - Isaac Bartel (MT State Northern) won by forfeit over Cole Huss (Northern State) (FF).

285 - Micah Cashdollar

Champ. Round 1 - Micah Cashdollar (MT State Northern) received a bye (Bye); Champ. Round 2 - Wyatt Kearn (Western Wyoming College) won by fall over Micah Cashdollar (MT State Northern) (Fall 0:30); Cons. Round 2 - Micah Cashdollar (MT State Northern) received a bye (Bye); Cons. Round 3 - Edgar Espinoza (Jamestown) won by fall over Micah Cashdollar (MT State Northern) (Fall 1:12).

285 - Travis Adams

Champ. Round 1 - Travis Adams (MT State Northern) received a bye (Bye); Champ. Round 2 - Kaden Montano (Western Wyoming College) won by decision over Travis Adams (MT State Northern) (Dec 5-4); Cons. Round 2 - Travis Adams (MT State Northern) received a bye (Bye); Cons. Round 3 - Travis Adams (MT State Northern) won by decision over David Stewart (Dickinson State) (Dec 5-1); Cons. Round 4 - Wyatt Kearn (Western Wyoming College) won by fall over Travis Adams (MT State Northern) (Fall 1:49).

285 - Rylan Moldenhauer

Champ. Round 1 - Rylan Moldenhauer (MT State Northern) received a bye () (Bye); Champ. Round 2 - Cody Pinkerton (Northwest College) won by decision over Rylan Moldenhauer (MT State Northern) (Dec 5-2); Cons. Round 2 - Rylan Moldenhauer (MT State Northern) received a bye (Bye); Cons. Round 3 - Ethan DeRoche (Providence (Mont.)) won by decision over Rylan Moldenhauer (MT State Northern) (Dec 5-3).