HAVRE, Mont. – (3)
Shonn Roberts took care of business and (9)
Tyler Webley beat previously ranked Steeler French, but some other disappointing performances led to a 27-15 loss for (6) University of Providence men's wrestling to rival (13) Montana State University-Northern. UP beat the Lights 25-15 earlier in the season.
The loss puts a sour note to the end of the regular season for the Argos, who now only have the inaugural Cascade Collegiate Conference Championship and the 2018 NAIA Wrestling Championship left in 2017-18.
"This is all a learning experience. This puts a chip on our shoulder and we have to prove that we're one of the top teams in the conference and in the nation at the conference tournament," Head Coach
Caleb Schaeffer said. "And I truly believe this team is going to do that. I think we're going to rebound from this and not even miss a beat."
Of the dual's 10 matches, UP only won three, and one of those was a forfeit at 285. The first of the two competitive wins was at 149 and was a surprise to no one.
Roberts, a returning All-American and the recently named NAIA Wrestler of the Week, faced unranked Dylan Veis who he beat in an 11-2 major decision in the last dual between the two teams. The redshirt-sophomore looked poised for a similar result if not a technical fall, taking an early 6-2 lead in the first period.
As Roberts went to turn another takedown into a near fall, he caught Veis in an uncomfortable position and the referee suspended for injury time. The MSUN wrestler wouldn't return and gave the match to Roberts on injury forfeit.
While that match was expected to be an extra point win for the Argos, UP's win at 184 was less assured. To be sure, (9)
Tyler Webley would usually be favored over an unranked wrestler, but the junior was wrestling for the first time since coming off of a knee injury sustained a few weeks earlier and his opponent Steeler French had been ranked most of the year.
With Webley not yet at 100 percent, the match was a slow burner. The only 2 points scored in regulation were an escape each. That put the score at 1-1 entering overtime. Webley didn't wait for overtime to get to up or down choices, pulling a slick shuffle move to earn a match-winning takedown right on the edge of the circle to win a 3-1 decision.
"That was amazing to see. You just don't know how healthy a guy is going to be. The practice room is a totally different environment than a competition," Schaeffer said. "We just know it's going to keep getting better for him."
There were also two losses in the dual that required encouraging efforts from Argos. At 165, unranked sophomore
Joshua Beckler cracked the starting lineup for the second time in his career and went up against (6) Andrew Bartel.
On paper, the match should have been a blowout win for Northern, but Beckler put up a good fight, and if not for a mistake in the second period that cost him a takedown and made him wrestler from behind the rest of the match, it could have come down to the wire. As it was, he lost an 8-2 decision that was closer than the final score.
The 197 bout featured two top-10 wrestlers with (8)
John Hensley for UP taking on (6) Isaac Bartel of Northern. When the two wrestled earlier in the year, Hensley lost 9-5. It was a lot closer this time, with the match going into overtime. In the extra period, Hensley got a hold of Bartel's leg, but couldn't score the takedown. Then Bartel took his shot and did convert to win a 3-1 decision.
"I was really happy with how Hensley wrestled. We closed the gap on that kid," Schaeffer said. "Hensley's a smart wrestler and he's going to keep getting that match closer. I think we have a good chance to win that next time."
With the loss, UP ends its season with a dual record of 9-6. The rest of the year will be tournament events, which the Argos have been better in than duals in 2017-18. The CCC Tournament will be the next step and will take place on February 17 in Ashland, Oregon. That will determine which Argos will go to nationals, with conference tournaments replacing the regional tournaments.
