Northern matmen suffer season-opening setback to NIC

Excited to make their 2024-25 season debut, the Montana State University-Northern Lights suffered a tough setback last Friday night in the Armory Gymnasium.

Opening their season against the North Idaho College Cardinal, the Lights fell in their home debut 27-10.

The Cardinal, a perennial NJCAA powerhouse, won the first five matches of the night, before the Lights got on the board with a 5-3 win from Travis Waldner at 165 pounds. Devin Crawford, one of the top wrestlers in the NAIA also got a major decision for the Lights at 184 pounds with an 11-1 win, while nationally-ranked Shane Mattson won a 5-4 decision at heavyweight for the 19th-ranked Lights.

The season is young, and the Lights have plenty of time to grow this year. But, coming up next is a road dual at arch rival Providence on Nov. 6.