Lights to dual NCAA powers in Belgrade

One of the biggest sporting events to hit Havre in the modern era was when the Montana State University-Northern Lights took on the University of Iowa in a dual inside a sold-out Armory Gymnasium.

That night was one of the most electric nights in Northern wrestling history.

This winter, the Lights will get to take on the big boys once again.

Wednesday, it was announced that Northern will be part of a special four-way dual in Belgrade, with three NCAA Division I powerhouses in attendance in the famed Iowa State Cyclones, as well as the Oregon State Beavers and the Duke Blue Devils.

The duals were put together by Belgrade's Terry Degen, whose son Jarrett wrestles for the Cyclones, as well as ISU head coach Kevin Dresser. And the Lights will get to be a part of that, as well.

The weekend will be a big one in the Gallatin Valley as the event will be at the same time as the Tom LeProwse Invitational in Bozeman, and MSU-N head coach Tyson Thivierge, who brought the Hawkeyes to Havre, is pumped to be a part of it.

"It's really exciting," Thivierge said. "When I was contacted about this, coach Dresser asked me which two teams I wanted to dual, and I said, I want all three. I always want us to wrestle as tough as competition as we can get, and taking on three programs like that in the same day, it doesn't get any better for us."

Each team will compete in three duals against the other teams in attendance. The duals start in the morning and run through afternoon. The marquee event will be Iowa State against Duke in the evening.

"It's going to be great for our kids, and for our program," Thivierge said. "We have been holding duals on the east side of the state the last few years, and then with us and Providence moving our February dual to Billings, it's just about exposure for our programs, and this event gives our program even more exposure. We have eight starters coming back in our lineup from Montana, too. Coach Dresser really liked that about us. So it's going to be a great thing for our kids."

And the competition will, of course, be as tough as it gets for the NAIA Lights, who figure to be very strong next season.

Iowa State finished the shortened 2019-2020 season ranked No. 11 in the last NCAA Division I Coaches Poll. Duke is also among the top teams in the ACC, while Oregon State has been a strong program in the Pac 12. The Beavers also feature former Frenchtown star Riley Gurr, while Billings' Charlie Klepps is a teammate of Degen's at ISU.

"I think we're going to have a very tough team next season," Thivierge said. "So to get this team that kind of competition, it's huge. It's really exciting, and we're thankful we were asked to be a part of this thing. I think it's going to be pretty special."