Six Lights battle for NAIA gold

It's been a season unlike any in recent memory for the Montana State University-Northern wrestling team.

Injuries, illness, travel snafus and more really hampered Northern's progress in the second half of the 2023-24 season.

Now though, all that is behind the Lights and head coach Tyson Thivierge. Instead, six Lights will make a push for national championship glory this weekend, as the season starts all over with the NAIA Wrestling Championships in Wichita, Kansas.

Northern is led by star NaKoda Siegel, a former NAIA All-American, who comes into the tournament as the No. 4 seed. Siegel is 19-4 on the season and is more than capable of making a run to the national championship in his final season of what has been a brilliant Lights career.

Siegel is joined at 174 by teammate Cade Gubler, who is making his first trip to nationals. Gubler had a strong showing at the Cascade Conference Championships, and brings a 10-5 record and the No. 16 seed into the tough 174-pound bracket.

MSU-N is also doubled up at 184 pounds. Austin Vanek received a bid to nationals and will be the No. 15 seed after earning All-American honors a season ago. Vanek has had some injuries this season, but has battled his way to a 16-11 record. Teammate Rylin Burns is also in the 184-pound bracket. Burns has been a stalwart for the Lights, and at 18-8 on the season, he, along with Vanek, could do some serious damage.

Another upper weight veteran, Carl Hansen, is also back at the national tournament for the Lights. Hansen is seeded No. 16 for the Lights at 197 and is poised for a big weekend.

Devin Crawford, seeded No. 15 at 165, rounds out the Lights' lineup in Kansas. Crawford is also a veteran wrestler for Northern, and has a 24-11 record on the season.

And while the Lights have some strong individual talent in the field this weekend, they also can certainly battle for a trophy. Grand View and Life are heavy favorites this week, while Menlo and Providence, both rivals of Northern will be in the hunt as well.

However, the Lights' goal is always to compete for a championship, and the six Lights wrestling this weekend will do just that.

The 2024 NAIA championships run today through Saturday night's finals at Hartman Arena in Wichita, Kansas.