GREAT FALLS, Mont. – The University of Providence men's wrestling will host a final dual before the Cascade Collegiate Conference Tournament next week when they welcome #8 Montana State-Northern into the McLaughlin Center on Thursday. The dual will begin at 6:00 p.m.

The Argos (6-4, 4-2) are coming off a big weekend, in which they defeated three CCC opponents down in Arizona. Two of the opponents, Embry-Riddle and Vanguard, were ranked ahead of the Argos in the latest NAIA National Poll, and gave the team a lot of confidence heading down the home stretch.

"We got a lot of wins over the weekend," head coach Steve Komac said. "A lot of those were good, quality wins over good opponents. I think that that's always good for confidence. It showed our kids that we're doing the right things and heading in the right direction."

Since the team got back from the road trip, they've hit the practice room hard. The dual against the Lights (8-2, 4-0) will be the last dual of the season before the CCC Tournament, which will begin Feb. 17 in Havre, Mont.

The dual will mark the first time the team has competed in the McLaughlin Center since the Battle of the Rockies Open on Dec. 4, and will be the first conference duals since the Battle of the Rockies Duals on Dec. 3.

"It's always awesome to wrestle at home," Komac said. "It's not easy to get home duals in the CCC. We're fortunate with our two in-state programs that we're able to get a home event that way. We're very, very excited to wrestle here at home. Hopefully we can get a good crowd and people can watch some good wrestling."

The team knows that the competition will be steep. The two teams wrestled earlier in the year in Havre, where the Lights defeated the Argos 25-9.

"They're tough," Komac said. "Their #8 ranking is legit. They're a very good tournament team. In a situation like this, they'll make us better. We've had to bust our tails this year to cover ground. I think we're getting there."

Prior to the dual, the program will honor the two seniors on the team, Boone Giulio and Josh Pepos. The presentation will begin at 5:45 p.m.

"They are both great kids," Komac said. "I attended both of their weddings this summer. They're just high-quality kids. They are just good, mature young men. Josh has been a utility guy in the program since the day he got to the room. He's a great role model and an excellent student-athlete. Boone has been a two-year starter for us. Unfortunately he has been dealing with some health issues and was unable to compete for us this year. They are both the kind of young men that you'll look forward to seeing and shaking their hand and see how they're doing."