DIFFERENT ROADS, SAME DESTINATION

The Montana State University-Northern Lights are a young wrestling team this season — young, but very, very good, and very, very talented.

But even young talent needs veteran leadership, and the Lights have that too in the form of seniors Toby Cheff and Willie Miller.

Not only are Cheff and Miller great leaders in the wrestling room, and off the mat, but they lead by example, because they are two of the very best in all of NAIA wrestling. And that’s why this weekend’s NAIA national tournament is so special, and so exciting for both of Northern’s talented seniors.

Because this weekend is their last weekend. For both Miller and Cheff, who took very different paths to get to this weekend’s last national tournament, it’s their final matches of their wrestling careers — and their last chance to get to the top of a podium they’ve been standing on for years.

Traditional Journey

Northern head coach Tyson Thivierge says what Toby Cheff has done as a Light is becoming more and more rare in collegiate athletics these days. And that’s come to a program out of high school, red-shirt and then compete for four years.

But that’s exactly what Cheff, the No. 2 heavyweight in the NAIA has done. He’s used his traditional time at Northern to grow, as a wrestler, as a student and as a man.

“I get asked all the time, ‘When’s he gonna be done?’” Thivierge said about Cheff, who won back-to-back Class A state titles for Ronan, under current Northern assistant coach Dustyn Azure. “Because it does seem like he’s been here for a while. But it’s been so much fun coaching him. Toby is a great guy. Obviously, he’s a great wrestler. He’s already proven that. But he’s also a great father, a great student, and a great person. And what he’s done here at Northern, that’s becoming pretty rare these days.”

And while it may seem like Cheff is the “old man” for the Lights, and some days, he may feel like it, he says his college career, one which has been highly-successful from the get-go, has gone by much too fast. In the previous three years, Cheff has went to the national tournament in each, finishing third at 197 his red-shirt freshman season, and third last year at heavyweight. And for the last two seasons, Cheff has been ranked no lower than second in the NAIA Coaches Poll at any time.

Along the way, Cheff has had some major injury issues, but, five years, a lot of matches, a lot of pain, and a lot of success, he says it’s all been worth it in the end.

“It’s taken its toll on me physically,” Cheff said. “But, that’s just part of the sport, and one of the biggest parts of this sport is overcoming those things (injuries). I’ve always enjoyed working hard. Hard work runs in my family, and working hard in this sport has just been a part of my life for as long as I can remember.

“And honestly, my college career has just flown by,” he continued. “But I’ve had the time of my life. I’ve enjoyed every minute of it.”

And Cheff is trying to make sure the last chapter in his lengthy Northern career is his best. He’ll enter this weekend’s national tournament as one of the favorites to win the heavyweight championship, just like he did a year ago. But now, with maturity and experience on his side, things are different — his mind set is much different.

“I feel like, over the years, I’ve really grown mentally,” Cheff said. “I’m able to have a much sharper focus now. I know what I’m supposed to do and I don’t have a problem concentrating on that. So right now, I’m just really excited for this tournament, I’m just really pumped up for it.

“Toby is very dedicated to success,” Thivierge added. “He works very hard at it. He hates to lose. But he’s really grown as a wrestler in his time here. Injuries have really affected his career, but he’s always been dedicated to himself, to his team and to this program, and it’s meant a lot to me that he’s stuck it out. He’s meant a lot to this program, and I’m glad we’ve had him here.”

And the program has meant a lot to Cheff. And it’s the teammates and coaches he has spent the last five years with, including getting to wrestle two seasons with his older brother Mickey, that he will cherish the most. Yes, Cheff loves to win, and a national championship this weekend is his goal. But, when it’s all said and done, it’s the unique camaraderie that a wrestling team shares that he’ll remember most about his traditional journey with the Lights.

“The atmosphere of a being a part of a wrestling team, that’s what I’m always going to remember,” Cheff said. “I’ve made hundreds of friends through this sport over the years, and there is really nothing like being a part of a wrestling team. It’s an experience unlike anything else, and I’m lucky that I got to go through college with a team that is your family, with guys who understand and are going through the same things you are. That’s what I’m always going to look back on and think about the most.”

A Different Path

While Toby Cheff may have taken what many consider the traditional route with the Lights, his senior counterpart's journey was anything but traditional.

After winning two state championships for his father as a Chinook Sugarbeeter, Willie Miller didn’t just leave home, he went a long, long way from home, enrolling at the Naval Preparatory Academy, essentially becoming a red-shirt for the Midshipman. However, that was only the start of Miller’s journey, a journey that has brought him to his last wrestling tournament of his college career.

A year after high school, Miller returned to Northern and wrestled as a red-shirt for the Lights, but with the intention to always return to the Naval Academy, which he did, wrestling two varsity seasons for the Middies. But then, Miller made the tough choice to leave the academy and return home, and return with the chance to compete for the Lights for the last two seasons of his college career.

And because of the relationship Miller had already forged with Thivierge, transferring back to Northern was the perfect fit.

“I approached Tyson about needing a place to wrestle for a year after I went to the preparatory school,” Miller, the No. 2-ranked 174-pounder in the NAIA said. “And he was great about it. He knew that I was going to go back to Navy, and he supported me all the way. So I’m very grateful for the opportunity that he gave me that year.

“I loved my time at Navy,” he continued. “It was a great experience. But I was the No. 2 at my weight, and the guy ahead of me was, and is very good. He’s ranked in the Top 15 in the NCAA at 174 right now. So, after my sophomore year, I decided to go home, and Tyson was always supportive of me coming back. The whole time I was at Navy in fact, he was keeping in touch with me, just checking in on me to see how I was doing, and that really meant a lot to me. And a spot was open here, and Tyson basically said, we’ve been waiting for you to come back. So coming back here was the best decision I could of made.”

Miller said he didn’t have to enlist in the Navy because, at the academy, that decision doesn’t have to be made until the sophomore year has been completed. So, back to the Hi-Line he came, with a chance to wrestle for a program he’d known since he was a little kid, and for a coach he’d admired growing up.

“I’ve known Willie since he was little,” Thivierge said. “We go back a long way. He was coming to our camps here when I was wrestling here, and obviously, in this area, his dad, Perry, is second to none when it comes to this sport. So Willie and I have always had a bond, a relationship, and while he may have a tough exterior, he’s a very caring individual and that’s one of the biggest impacts he’s had on me and this program. He cares about people, he cares about his teammates and his coaches, and that’s something I really appreciate about him. Willie and I may not always see eye-to-eye on everything, but at the end of the day, we have a great relationship, we understand each other, and he has been awesome to coach. He’s had a tremendous impact on this team the last two years.”

Interestingly, Miller admires the same qualities in his head coach, and the fact that Thivierge cared so much about Miller is one of the biggest reasons he’s back on the Hi-Line, and about to finish a stellar wrestling career with the Lights.

“Honestly, when I was little, going to David Ray’s camps, I was so scared of Tyson,” Miller said. “He was a big guy, ripped, and with a bunch of tats. And on top of it, he was one of the best wrestlers in the country. So he was very intimidating. But, coming back to wrestle for him has been nothing but great. Inside, he’s a big teddy bear. Wrestling is a tough sport, and wrestling coaches have to be tough. But Tyson also cares about his athletes off the mat just as much as what we do on it. He looks out for us, he guides us and he cares about us as people.

“That’s always meant a lot to me,” he continued. “I’m a hothead on the mat, but he always helps me calm down. So he’s meant a lot to me, and coming back here to wrestle for him, and for Northern has been phenomenal.”

And Miller’s first year back for the Lights was phenomenal — for a while. As a junior, wrestling at 184 pounds, Miller was racking up wins last winter, and was one of the top-ranked grapplers in his class. But, a broken jaw just before the regional tournament sidelined him, and while he did gain an at-large berth into the national tourney, he just wasn’t the same. He had lost weight while sitting out, and his first trip to the big dance went nothing like he had envisioned earlier that season.

“Last year ended pretty rough for me,” Miller said. “I was sitting there in the stands watching guys I had beaten all season win and advance and get All-American, and I should have been one of them. But really it ended tough for the team, too, because we had so many injuries. So it wasn’t how I or we envisioned.”

Like Miller’s journey through collegiate wrestling, one that has taken him from Chinook to Annapolis, Maryland, to Havre, back to Annapolis and back to Havre, it isn’t the path one chooses sometimes as much as it is the ultimate destination. And through a great work ethic, determination, a huge heart and plenty of talent, Miller has almost reached his final destination.

Almost.

“It’s been a phenomenal journey,” Miller said. “I’ve learned a lot along the way. Being a Plebe at Navy was every bit as hard as people say it is. It was a struggle almost every day. But it taught me a lot, and it helped prepare me for the things I’ve faced since, like the injuries and just things that happen in life. So I loved it there, my time there was awesome.

“But, I’ve loved and cherished my time here at Northern even more,” he continued. “I can’t say enough about all my teammates, and my coaches. They’ve meant so much to me, and they’ve been so great to me. It’s been an amazing experience to be able to wrestle for the Lights, who I loved watching growing up. And I got to do it with my family and friends close by, and my community right down the road. That’s something very special to me, and it’s not something everybody gets to experience. It’s not over yet. There’s still one goal and this is my last chance to accomplish what I’ve always wanted to do. But, when it’s all over, no matter what, my time here was awesome, and I couldn’t have asked for a better college experience.”

Yes, Cheff and Miller took completely different routes to get to where they are right now. But now, they’re in the same exact place. They’re in Topeka, Kansas, taking their last shot at glory. They’re fighting to finish what they started the best way they know how, and that’s to lead, and to win.

In that respect, Cheff and Miller are no different. They are great wrestlers, ultra-hard workers, winners and born leaders. They may have had completely different journey’s along the way, but they are one in the same when it comes to that. And, they are hoping to be standing on the NAIA mountain top, together come Saturday night.