MSU-N wrestling to hold scrimmages

The Montana State University-Northern wrestling team is preparing for a brand new NAIA season.

And with high hopes for the coming campaign, plenty of wrestling fans around Montana will get to see the Lights in action as they get ready for their season-opening matches Oct. 29 against North Idaho College in Havre.

Northern has four scrimmages planned before the Lights face off against the Cardinals. The first three will be Maroon and Gold Duals and the preseason will wrap up with the annual Alumni Dual Oct. 23 in Havre.

The first of Northern's three intra-squad duals third-year head coach Tyson Thivierge has planned will take place Thursday night in Ronan. The second will be held Oct. 18 in Glasgow and the last dual will be held Oct. 20 in Havre.

The duals will be used not just as preseason preparations, but also for wrestle-off's for varsity positions.

Competing for varsity spots over the next two weeks will be Harlem's Chase Dirden and Havre's Ryan Shelstad at 125 pounds. At 133 pounds, freshmen Cameron Neiss of Ronan and Derek Rogers of Simms are likely to compete, while Derek Gorder of Poplar and Demetrios Mitchell, a freshman recruit from Illinois will look to man the 141-pound class. At 149, Anthony Weerheim, a junior from Idaho and James Petersen, a freshman from Charlo are scheduled to compete, while a pair of freshmen in Travis DuMont of St. Ignatius and Cody Miller of Deer Park, Wash will compete at 157 pounds. Northern could be deep at 157 this season with senior Tay Todd and freshman Mickey Cheff of Ronan.

In the upper weights, the Lights have Jared Miller, a freshman and Helaman Bingham looking at 165 or 174 pounds, and Max Payne, a redshirt from Arizona and the veteran Evan Hinebauch from Havre. Hinebauch is one of the top returning 184-pounders in the NAIA. At 197 pounds, the Lights are looking at freshmen Nick King of Clarkston, Wash., and Kody Reed of Missoula, while young heavyweights Rudy Schaffroth and Devin Norland will also compete.

The Maroon and Gold duals in Ronan and Glasgow are scheduled to start at 6 p.m. each night. The dual in Havre on Oct. 20 is slated to begin at 7 p.m. at the MSU-Northern Fieldhouse. The Oct. 23 Alumni Dual will begin at 1 p.m. in Havre. The Lights open their season at home on Oct. 29.