2018-19 MSU-N Wrestling Preview: Bright horizon for the Lights

Montana State University-Northern wrestling coach Tyson Thivierge always has high expectations for his team. And he's never afraid to put those goals and expectations on display.

But as the Lights get ready to embark on the 2018-19 season, goals and expectations might just be at an all-time high because the Lights are loaded.

Coming off a 2017-18 season in which Northern crowned five NAIA All-Americans, and all five finished in the top four at last year's national tourney, the Lights graduated just one grappler. So it stands to reason that Thivierge, with a lineup full of talented and tough seniors, would be excited about what his Lights can do on the mat this season.

"I don't know how many years in a row I've said, we're a young team," Thivierge said, "but that's not the case this year. This is the team we've been waiting for, building for, all these years. We've got a room full of older, experienced guys, and it's exciting."

Exciting indeed. But put a different way, the Lights are no doubt going to be a powerful player in the Cascade Conference, and the NAIA, all season long. Northern was picked to win the Cascade this year and starts the season ranked No. 3 in the NAIA Coaches Poll. Northern has nine wrestlers who hold national rankings as well.

Leading the way for Northern's roster is a veteran group of senior leaders, but it's not just experience that's on the side of the Northern seniors, they're all really good.

Brandon Weber, a national champion in 2017, returns for his final year at 157 pounds. Weber battled through injuries last year to reach the national championship match for the second year in a row, and now he returns for one last season with the Lights.

"Brandon's motivation is to get back to the top of the podium," Thivierge said. "He wants to go out on top."

Weber's brother, fellow senior Matt Weber is also back after reaching the finals at 141 pounds last March. He lost a heartbreaker in the finals, but he returns for his final season hungry for more.

"Matt's really focused," Thivierge said. "He's kind of been through it all in his career. He's seen ups and downs and injuries. He's been an All-American and he's been to the finals, so his focus this year is to not leave anything on the table. He wants to be more aggressive, score more points, get more pins. He's really focused and he's hungry."

The Lights also have senior leaders and returning All-Americans at 165 and 174 pounds, respectively. Andrew Bartel, who finished fourth at 165 is back, as is Chris Nile, who came on strong last year to finish fourth at 174.

"Bart (Bartel) is another guy who has been through all the ups and downs of college wrestling," Thivierge said. "And now it's his turn to be that top guy. I think getting All-American last year shows how much he's grown in his time here, and he's one of the hardest workers I've ever had in the room, so he's poised for a big year. Chris came here last year and he was rusty, but boy, when he knocked that rust off, you saw what he was capable of. He had a great finish and that's going to carry over into this season."

No doubt, Northern's group of returning All-American seniors will be big leaders for the Lights this winter, but across the board, Thivierge could very well have the deepest team he's ever had.

At 197 pounds, sophomore Isaac Bartel returns after busting onto the scene as a true freshman to finish third at nationals.

"Isaac was phenomenal last year," Thivierge said. "To finish third as a true freshman, that speaks volumes to how good he is, and he's only going to grow and get better."

Bartel is indicative of how deep the Lights are in the upper weights once again. Rylan Moldenhauer is a standout who will back Bartel up at 197, while Steeler French returns for a third year at 184. But he also has company in the form of his older brother Jake, whose journey has taken him from playing football at Carroll College, to wrestling for the Lights, to playing football for the Lights, back to Northern's wrestling room.

"Steeler peaked at the right time last year," Thivierge said. "Being a national qualifier last year was big for his confidence, and I think he has a lot of momentum coming into this season. With Jake, he came to me and said, I know who I am, I need to wrestle. So they're going to really push and challenge each other all year, and it's really going to be good for both of them."

Like at 184, the Lights also have two grapplers at 174 who will push and challenge each other. Sophomore Chase Short joins Nile at 174, and those two could very well be the top duo in the country at that weight class.

"They're going to be battling again," Thivierge said of Nile and Short. "Chase had a really good season last year, and he dedicated his entire summer to wrestling. So there's going to be fireworks in our room all year with those two. But they're also good friends, and they're going to make each other better."

At heavyweight, the Lights will go with former Havre Blue Pony Jase Stokes. He started his collegiate career playing football at Montana Tech, but transferred to, and red-shirted at, Northern last winter. Now, Stokes, a four-time state champion, will be the man at the end of Northern's lineup every night. Xavier Moran will back Stokes up at heavyweight.

"When Jase came to us last January, he was rusty," Thivierge said, "but now things are changing for him. He's getting his feet back, his conditioning back, and when you add all that to the great motor Jase has, and how hard he works, he's progressing really fast. Everything is going to fall into place for Jase."

As good as Northern looks to be in the upper weights, the Lights can be equally as dangerous at the front end of their lineup, too.

Sophomore Nick Kunz and junior Landon Bailey were national qualifiers at 125 and 133 pounds, respectively a season ago, and they should be even better this winter.

"Nick Kunz had a huge year last year," Thivierge said. "He's just so competitive, he hates to lose. He's really driven and focused. Landon was another guy last year, who really came on strong the second half of the season. He's a really tough kid, and he's got a lot of momentum going into this season."

The Lights have plenty of depth at those two spots, too. Junior Rob Pair is a veteran at 125 pounds, while youngsters Caleb Frank and Ryan Stewart have high potential. Kieton Keller, Nathan Weber and Carl Cronin will also provide depth at 133, while Gavin Maslan and Brennan Veis will back up Matt Weber at 141.

Finally, at 149, the Lights have two stalwarts. Dylan Veis has been a two-year starter for the Lights there, while transfer Tony Evans has been impressive thus far, and both provide the Lights with yet another weight class where they're loaded with talent.

"This is Dylan's third year," Thivierge said. "And there's going to be no bouncing around for him, he's going to stay at 149. So I think you'll see him have a lot more confidence this season. Tony was a two-time juco national qualifier. He's a very talented and technical wrestler, and he's a very hard worker."

In fact, the Lights are built on hard work. Up and down the lineup, Northern isn't just talented and decorated, the Lights are tough and hard-nosed, and they are also an experienced, tight-knit group, and that's thanks in large part to the program Thivierge has been building throughout his time at MSU-N.

"This team isn't just talented, we have great kids," Thivierge said. "We have great leadership, they're good students, they push and challenge each other but also support each other and take care of each other. To have a team like that, it takes a lot off the coaches' plate. It's a really fun team to coach."

The Lights will be fun to watch, too. Northern fans will get a chance to see the Lights at home, when they host Eastern Oregon Friday night in their season-opener, North Idaho College Nov. 1, rival Providence Nov. 14 and Northwest College and Dickinson State Jan. 24. The road schedule for Northern's duals include The Cardinal Duals Nov. 17 at North Idaho, The Argo Duals Nov. 30 in Great Falls, Southern Oregon Dec. 18, a special battle with NCAA DII Minot State Jan. 10 in Forsyth and the regular season-finale against Providence Feb. 6 in Great Falls. The Lights will also attend tournaments at the University of Wyoming, Northwest College (Trapper Open), the Spokane Open, the Reno T.O.C., the Tyler Plummer Classic Jan. 12 and the Missouri Valley Invitational Jan. 18-19.

Of course, the season culminates with the Cascade Conference Championships Feb. 15 in Great Falls, and the NAIA National Tournament March 1-2 in Des Moines, Iowa.

And Iowa is where the Lights are looking to make their mark.

Winning a national championship is something Thivierge has been building toward since he took the job at his alma mater, and while unseating Grand View will never be easy, pursuing that goal is something this Lights' squad is certainly not afraid to do. The Lights have gotten close several times in recent years, with a fourth-place finish a year ago and a second in 2016.

"A national title is always the goal in my mind," Thivierge said. "And this team has that goal. They want it, they feel it, they're motivated by it. I think they're motivated by last year, too, but at the end of the day, this is a new season, and I want this team to make their own mark. They have the opportunity to write their own story.

"There's a lot of fire in our room," he continued. "There's a lot of energy. These guys work extremely hard, and the ceiling for this season is very high in my opinion. So if we stay healthy and we as coaches train them properly, there's no reason why this team can't write their own story in the history of this program, and that's what I want for them. That's the goal."