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Lights perform in Reno

Ben Stroh captures prestigious individual title at Reno T.O.C.

The Montana State University-Northern Lights seemed to hit their stride on the mat last Thursday night when they scored a big road win at Southern Oregon. And that roll continued right into the Reno Tournament of Champions.

Northern scored 33 points and finished in 11th place at the Reno T.O.C. Sunday, and while that finish might seem modest, consider the Lights were in a field that included more than 20 NCAA Division I teams, including top-ranked and T.O.C. champion Oklahoma State. The Lights also finished ahead of DI teams like Arizona State and Northern Colorado, and they were the top NAIA team in the field, and finished behind just one NCAA Division II program.

Northern’s strong showing Sunday was spearheaded by star senior Ben Stroh, who was one of two Montanan’s to capture individual titles. Stroh won the 184-pound championship, defeated Northern Colorado’s Dylan Gabel 5-2 in the title bout. Stroh’s road to the prestigious championship started with s 2-0 win in the first round, then a pin the second. In the quarterfinals, Stroh beat Michigan State’s Shwan Shadaia 5-3. In his semifinal match, he took down another NCAA DI opponent, Utah Valley’s Gary Jantzer, 6-4.

It was a spectacular run by Stroh, who has had success in the past at the T.O.C., when he was wrestling for the University of Wyoming. But many of his teammates competed well against the stellar field, too.

Senior Tommy Cooper reached the 157-pound quarterfinals before falling to Oklahoma State’s Davey Dolan. Drake Randall also made it to the 149-pound quarterfinals, where he was upended by former GFH Bison star Cole Mendenhall. The Wyoming standout, who’s currently ranked 11th in the NCAA, went on to win the 149-pound title Sunday.

Andrew Bartel (165) and Taylor Kornoely (HWT) also scored two wins each for the Lights, while freshman Dylan Veis won once.

Now, after a very successful road trip, the Lights will take a break for the holidays. Northern won’t be back on the mat until Jan. 12 when the Lights host NAIA rival Dickinson State. That dual will be the final home match for the Lights this season.

 

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