Northern matmen geared up for the new season

The Montana State University-Northern wrestling program has always been about winning championships.

And under longtime head coach Tyson Thivierge, the Lights are chasing a nothing less than that again this season, a season that begins this weekend.

With a talented lineup, and deep roster, the 19th-ranked Lights will be a force in NAIA wrestling once again.

Northern is led by returning standouts Rylin Burns, who is a returning NAIA All-American and is ranked No. 3 at 174 pounds, while the Lights also have a host of standouts in the upper weights. Justin Windauer is ranked No. 22 at 157 pounds, Devin Crawford is ranked No. 16 at 174, Austin Vanek is ranked No. 7 a7 184 and Shane Mattson is ranked No. 19 at 285.

The Lights also have more talent up and down the roster, including Cade Gubler, Caeleb Ishmael, Ryan Graves, Kolten Powers, Travis Waldner, Gabe Walker, Cael White, Reece White, and Kade Willis. Former Havre Blue Pony state champion Orion Thivierge should also really bolster the Northern lineup this season, while freshmen Keegan Hanson, A.J. Harris, Aiden Harris and Caleb Morales also will be highly competitive in Northern's wrestling room.

And the Lights will again have a really competitive schedule. Including home duals against Arizona Christian, Embry-Riddle and Providence to end the season, as well as Cascade Conference road duals at Providence, Eastern Oregon and Southern Oregon. Tough tournaments also include the Grand View Open, Spokane Open, Battle of the Rockies, NWAC National Duals, Missouri Valley Tournament and the Tyler Plummer Classic. MSU-N also makes its annual trip to the star-studded Reno T.O.C.

Of course, all of the action leads to the postseason, starting with the CCC FEb. 21-22 in Redding, Calif., and the NAIA national tournament March 6-8 in Wichita, Kansas.

The Lights open their season with a home dual against North Idaho College Friday night at 6 p.m. in the Armory Gymnasium.