GREAT FALLS, Mont. – The University of Providence men's wrestling team will host an intra-squad scrimmage Tuesday night ahead of the team's season officially beginning on Saturday. The scrimmage, which will be open and free for the public, will begin at 6:00 p.m. in the McLaughlin Center.

The team has been practicing for nearly a month now in preparation for the season. The coaching staff hopes that the team's conditioning, which has been hit hard in the weight room and during practices, presents itself throughout the evening. He's also looking to see how the team responds to a match-like environment.

"We're all anxious to get on the mat and wrestle," head coach Steve Komac said. "You can only practice so many times before kids get eager to compete. As soon as you're in the gym, in front of fans and you put a singlet on, it feels like competition. We've worked very hard setting up basic conditioning levels with our running and lifting. There are some body positions and some skills that we've been working on that I want to see translate.  No matter what you do in the practice room, it's not the same as a competition."

The team is also excited to welcome fans back into the McLaughlin Center to see the team compete in person. The last time that the program competed at home in front of fans was Feb. 7, 2020 in a home dual against Embry-Riddle.

"It's going to feel awesome to wrestle in front of fans again," Komac said. "Those empty gyms last year was not the norm for any of us. We're super excited to have fans coming in and getting that competitive environment back for the kids. We're excited about all of it."

The night will also feature a presentation honoring Quinn Whitmus, a member of the program who tragically passed away over the summer. The team will honor Whitmus, who would have been a senior for the team this year, by presenting a scholarship in his name to his family. The presentation will take place before the scrimmage begins.

"Quinn is one of the most honorable young men I've ever met in my life," Komac said. "It came to the point where he would come in on a weekly basis just so we could talk about life. I just came to appreciate his energy and his positiveness that he operated with in life. Everybody has down days, but he rolled with it in a big picture differently than other people. He had a positive energy that would light up the room and he had a pretty contagious smile. He touched all of us here in the program and I'm glad we found a way to honor him and ensure that his positive impact is never forgotten."