Lights battle each other on the mat

The Montana State University-Northern wrestling team got its first taste of competition with the Alumni Dual last Sunday. Now the Lights will have to compete against each other, with spots in the starting lineup on the line.

Tonight, Northern holds its annual Maroon/Gold Dual with eight wrestle-offs and an exhibition match planned. Starting spots in the Lights’ dual lineup will be on the line tonight, but head coach Tyson Thivierge is just more looking forward to seeing how his guys compete.

“I’m going to kind of sit back and let them coach themselves,” Thivierge said. “These guys are all hungry and very competitive.”

Northern should have plenty of intriguing battles within its roster this season. The Lights have a good mix of veterans and new faces, though MSU-N doesn’t have a single senior on the roster.

But no seniors doesn’t mean no big guns. The Lights return junior and returning NAIA national champion Brandon Weber at 157 pounds, as well as junior Matt Weber at 141, Andrew Bartel at 165, Rob Pair at 125 and Steeler French at 184. Add in Boise State transfer Chris Nile at 174, and there’s plenty of firepower in MSU-N’s lineup. Twins Brennon and Dylan Veis are also back for their sophomore season.

The Maroon/Gold Dual gives Thivierge, and Northern fans a chance to see the Lights’ young, new talent. Ones to watch include 125-pounder Nick Kunz, Landon Bailey (125/133), Chase Short (174), Rylan Moldenhauer (184), Isaac Bartel (197) and Jake Ferris and Jeremy Smith at 197.

Tonight’s dual is also the last live competition the Lights will have before they embark on their 2017-18 season — a season Thivierge is extremely excited for.

“This is shaping up to be a really fun team,” Thivierge said. “We have so much potential. It’s very exciting. I know a lot of people don’t look at us as a national championship contender right now, and that’s OK. But I believe this team will really turn some heads this season, and they can accomplish great things. They work hard, they are a tight group and they are hungry. Those are all things you need to be a good team, and we have all of that in our room. So I’m really looking forward to seeing what these guys can do.”

The Maroon/Gold Dual will start at 7 tonight inside the Armory Gymnasium. The Lights open their season Nov. 4 at the Cowboy Open in Laramie, Wyoming.