GREAT FALLS, Mont. – The University of Providence men's wrestling team won the Battle of the Rockies Tournament on Saturday. The Argos finished with a team score of 167, narrowly edging out MSU-Northern with 163. Southern Oregon took third with 93 points.

"We're getting better," head coach Steve Komac said. "We keep talking about how we need to get better and we are getting better. The kids that competed today did a fantastic job. It's something that we're going to take back and feel good about but there's a lot of work left to do."

Dougie Swanson had the highest finish of the Argos, finishing 2^nd in the 157 lb. weight class. The Argos had five wrestlers finish third, including Alan Badley (184 lbs.), KC Buday (285 lbs.), Gavin Gies (149 lbs.), Payton Hume (174 lbs.) and Liam Swanson (197 lbs.). Devin Altenburg-Lasher (125 lbs.) and Caleb Werner (174 lbs.) both finished 5^th.

"Dougie is a fast improver right now," Komac said. "He is making really good strides. He's starting to believe in himself and starting to figure out what he's capable of doing consistently. KC is incredibly consistent right now. Liam Swanson really jumps out at me too. Gavin Gies is starting to be consistent for us as well."

The feat showcases a steadfast improvement from the beginning of the year. Since the team split their first two duals of the season, the coaching staff has raised the level of intensity in the practice room in an effort to improve as a team. The Battle of the Rockies gave the team a platform to showcase those improvements.

"This was a super important tournament because we need to wrestle," Komac said. "We need to wrestle a bunch. We're making improvements every time we get out there and compete so we need to keep competing. Our young kids are really making strides right now."

The Argos will have two weeks off before competing at the Reno Tournament of Champions on Dec. 19 in Nevada.

"Reno is one of those big-time tournaments," Komac said. "It's really a Division I level tournament. We're going to go challenge ourselves. We want to get in there and get the best results possible."