GREAT FALLS, Mont. – Before the Montana High School Association Wrestling Tournament kicks off this weekend in Billings, two Montana colleges will square off in a conference dual.

The 9th ranked University of Providence men's wrestling team will conclude their regular season when they take on rival and 20th ranked Montana State – Northern at Billings Senior High School on Thursday Feb. 13 at 7 p.m.

 "It's going to be a great dual," interim head coach Steve Komac said. "I think the state of Montana is going to show up really well. I think they're going to be excited and create a great atmosphere."

The two teams haven't met since Nov. 7 when Providence won 25-22. The day also served as Komac's first collegiate dual as a head coach. Under Komac's leadership, the Argos have been 13-4, including 5-0 in conference play, and are currently ranked 9^th in the nation.

"The experience has been tremendous," Komac said.  I keep giving credit back to the people I work with, both at the University and with the program. Everybody has been good for me. The team has grown a lot in that time. The atmosphere in the room, the work ethic is great. The last few outings we've done very, very well. We're in great shape. There's always ups and downs but we've had so many more ups this year that the downs have been pretty minimal."

Komac is anticipating a large crowd Thursday evening and is eager to showcase his team in front of state wrestling community.

"It's a great opportunity for both programs to showcase our kids in front of the state of Montana," he said. "Well over 50 percent of the kids that compete that night will be from Montana. Both programs understand that we can be successful with a lot of Montana kids in our program. We definitely want the state to know that the kids can do well at the college level with us."

The dual will also serve as the last chance for a tune-up before the Conference Championships, which will take place in Atherton, California on Feb. 21 and 22.

"It's just the last indicator of what we need to work on," Komac said." This last month we've been out several times and the kids have been performing well."