MOORHEAD, Minn. – The Minnesota State University Moorhead wrestling team will begin the ninth season under head coach Kris Nelson on Wednesday night when they travel to Thief River Falls, Minn. to face Northland Community and Technical College. The dual will begin at 7 p.m. on Wednesday night.
The Dragons will follow that up with a trip across the border to Fargo, N.D. for the Bison Open on Saturday before returning to MSUM to host crosstown rival Concordia College on Tuesday, Nov. 14. The Dragons will then take a road trip to Kearney, Neb., for the University of Nebraska-Kearney Holiday Inn Open.
MSUM will host the annual Dragon Open on Dec. 2 before traveling to Minneapolis to face Division III power Augsburg College on Dec. 7. Their annual winter break trip will take them to Indianapolis, Indiana for the Midwest Classic on Dec. 16.
They will then enter NSIC Conference competition starting with back-to-back road duals at Upper Iowa and Minnesota State Mankato. They will host five of their final six matches at MSUM, with the lone road trip will take them to Aberdeen, S.D. to face Northern State.
The Super Region 3 tournament will be hosted by St. Cloud State this year, while the National Tournament is hosted in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
Experienced Returners
The Dragons will return four starters from last season’s team, starting with junior Jared Goldsmith, who compiled a record of 15-17 at 125 pounds. Junior Adam Blees returns a 17-11 record at 174, while Cody Anderson returns coming off a 5-20 season at 197. Junior Austin May will look to rebound after missing the majority of last season with a shoulder injury but was 8-4 before his season ended. The final returning starter for MSUM is junior Logan Rhode, who last year finished with a record of 7-20.
Filling the hole
While MSUM’s lineup will have many new faces, the big hole in the lineup is at 133 pounds, which in the past was held down by Blake Bosch, who graduated last May and now is back as an assistant coach. Bosch was a four-time All-American, and a four-time national qualifier.
“Losing Blake at 133, he was our captain and a leader for our team for his four years here,” MSUM head coach Kris Nelson said. “When he was a freshman he came into the room and became a leader right away. Of course that’s going to be missed, that’s hard to replace. At the same time, it gives some other guys in the room the opportunity to step up and become leaders themselves.”
Some individuals the Dragons are looking to step into prominent roles include senior Tommy Walton (141), sophomore Weston Dobler (165), redshirt freshman Aaron Sistrunk (133), junior Preston Lehmann (184), redshirt freshman Manuel Garcia (197) and redshirt freshmen Jordan Magnuson (285).
Meet the coaches
Head coach Kris Nelson is in his ninth season at the helm. He will be assisted by Blake Bosch (first season), Bret Maughan (third season), Justin Solberg (third season) and Tyler Lehmann (first season). Nelson has coached five All-Americans during his time at MSUM, as well as several national qualifiers.
About Northland Community and Technical College
The Pioneers compete in the National Junior College Athletic Association, and are members of the Minnesota College Athletic Conference. They compiled a 3-3 record last season. Their lone previous matchup with MSUM came on Nov. 22, 2016 when MSUM won a 54-0 dual in Moorhead. Head Scott DCamp, an MSUM alum, is in his fifth season as head coach of the Pioneers.
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