Northern wrestlers happy they came back for extra year

After the 2020-21 Montana State University-Northern wrestling season was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, the team's seniors were offered the chance to return and compete for one last year. With an opportunity to wrestle for another year, seniors Chase Short, Isaac Bartel and Nick Kunz jumped at the chance.

"Last year's nationals were really fun and I had a great time but I couldn't imagine that next year in my life not having wrestling," Short said. "I really love wrestling a lot. My teammates and my coaches are awesome and I love Havre."

When they were deciding whether to come back for another year, some of the seniors got together to figure out their next step. Some of them were approached by MSU-N head coach Tyson Thivierge who tried to convince them to stay. Regardless of how they came to the decision, it was an easy decision to come back for another year.

"(Coach) convinced me to come back and try again for a third All-American," Kunz said. "It was pretty easy in regards to wrestling. I didn't really need to come back for school but I'm glad I did."

All three of the wrestlers have made the most of their extra year of eligibility. Wrestling in the 197-pound weight class, Bartel is the No. 1 ranked wrestler in his weight class in the NAIA. He has gone 37-2 in his matches this year and he has not lost to another NAIA wrestler in two years. As the year comes to an end, he is happy he came back for another round.

"I'm glad I decided to come back another year," Bartel said. "It's been a lot of fun with the boys and the coaches."

Short has also had a strong year wrestling for the Lights. At 165 pounds, he went 20-6 in his matches and qualified for the NAIA Nationals. While he could have moved on from the program, Short knew that would have been the wrong decision.

"It's been really fun coming back and I think I would have regretted it if I didn't take that extra year," Short said. "You don't have to come back and do this, you get the privilege to do this stuff."

Kunz is also having a strong final year for the Lights. At 125 pounds, Kunz went 24-11 for the Lights and placed third at the Cascade Collegiate Conference. He has already had a stellar career for the Lights as a two-time All-American and a national championship. While he had already left a legacy for the Lights, he was happy to come back for another year to add to it.

"I'm pretty happy with the decision. It's been a really fun year," Kunz said. "I like all the guys on the team and we all get along really well."

Their careers will finally come to an end this weekend as they head to the NAIA Nationals in Wichita, Kansas. All three wrestlers have a shot at a deep run into their brackets, but if they want to end their careers on a strong note, Kunz believes they will just need to wrestle loose.

"We just got to let it fly. This is the postseason, you've done all the work to get to the point that we're at now," Kunz said. "Just got to prove to everyone that you belong there now."

Regardless of what happens this weekend, this extra year has already been a success for Short and the other returning seniors.

"I've made so many memories and become so close with all these guys," Short said. "You stay up here for five years and you develop relationships everywhere with your teammates, your coaches and your coaches' families."

The NAIA Nationals will begin in Wichita this Friday.