By Alan Sorensen
Montana State University-Northern's national championship wrestling team has won more accolades, this time in several publication categories, including a first-place among all NAIA schools.
MSU-N Athletic Director Ted Spatkowski recently announced the awards late last week.
The "2000 Blue Ribbon Wrestling Award" went to MSU-N and head coach David Ray for the team's wrestling brochure. The brochure, written, designed and edited by Ray, won first place among NAIA teams.
"Even more impressive, Wrestling News, the foremost publication of the collegiate wrestling world, has named Northern a winner in several publication categories," Spatkowski said.
In the Annuals Large Format division, Northern was named Honorable Mention for its media guide.
"This is impressive, because our competition includes all the big NCAA Division I programs who have full-time sports information staffs who write and edit their guides," Spatkowski said. "Every program that finished above us is a Division I program. Here at good ol' Northern, there is no sports information staff; the staff is we."
Also, Wrestling USA, in the poster competition, awarded Northern a fourth place finish for its poster titled, "Staying on Track." The picture is of the team standing on and around a Burlington Northern-Santa Fe railroad engine. "Finishing ahead of us were Division I schools Michigan State, U of Nebraska, and U of Minnesota," Spatkowski said. "Wow, some competition."
Spatkowski extends his congratulations to Ray, the wrestling program and athletic department staff.
"Congratulations to David and all who helped him," Spatkowski said. "It is amazing that we can compete with major programs and their professional writing and media staffs and come out on or near the top."
