No. 5 Huskies Host MSU Moorhead in Dual Home Opener

ST. CLOUD, Minn. – No. 5 St. Cloud State Wrestling returns home to the Granite City to host Minnesota State Moorhead on Saturday, Dec. 9. The dual is scheduled to begin at 2:00 p.m. CT from Halenbeck Hall.

FOLLOW THE HUSKIES

The dual will be streamed live for free on NSIC Network, while live results will be available through TrackWrestling. Links to both coverage options will be available at the St. Cloud State Wrestling schedule page.

YOUTH NIGHT

Saturday's dual will serve as Youth Day, as the Huskies welcome all young wrestling fans to come out to Halenbeck Hall to catch the action. Fans age 13 and under will receive free admission to the dual to cheer on the Huskies.

NEW NWCA RANKINGS

The National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) release its second Division-II Men's Coaches Poll on Monday, Dec. 4, with the Huskies checking in at No. 5. Lander stayed atop the poll with 81 total points behind a poll-high seven ranked wrestlers. West Liberty stayed in the #2 spot with 71 points, with Indianapolis (65 points), Central Oklahoma (59 points), St. Cloud State (52 points) and UMary (52 points) rounding out the Top 5. Below is a look at the Huskies including in the individual rankings (top-12 for each weight class).

No. 1 – Nick Novak (157 pounds)
No. 3 – Anthony Herrera (165 pounds)
No. 3 – Dominic Murphy (197 pounds)
No. 11 – Alyeus Craig (141 pounds)
No. 11 – Colby Njos (149 pounds)
No. 11 – Bryce FitzPatrick (184 pounds)

HUSKIES DISMANTLE MINOT STATE TO OPEN NSIC COMPETITION

Four bonus victories including a fall by Bryce FitzPatrick lifted St. Cloud State its first NSIC victory of the season as they topped host Minot State 29-9 at the MSU Dome on Dec. 1. In addition to FitzPatrick's fall at 184 pounds, No. 12 Alyeus Craig and top-ranked Nick Novak earned technical falls, while fourth-ranked Dominic Murphy picked up a major decision at 197 pounds to pace coach Steve Costanzo's squad.

In the second bout of the dual, FitzPatrick earned a first period fall over Minot State's Cayden White at the 2:14 mark of the period. White came out strong against FitzPatrick, scoring two first period takedowns for a 6-1 lead before FitzPatrick quickly reversed the second takedown to get White to his back for a pin and six-point victory.

Next up on the mat was Murphy with his major decision, using two third-period takedowns to cruise to a 13-1 victory over Cannon Potts and improve to 5-0 on the young season. At 141 pounds, Craig turned up the offense in the second and third period and finished off Ethan Wonser in a seven-minute technical fall. The Kansas native is now 5-0 on the season with three falls and two technical falls.

Returning national champion Nick Novak was steady and calculated in his 15-0 technical fall victory over Kelby Armstrong at 157 pounds. Novak scored takedowns in each period and like Craig, earned the technical fall with a riding time point after the match went the full seven minutes.

NOVAK WRESTLES AT NWCA ALL-STAR CLASSIC

St. Cloud State junior 157-pounder Nick Novak (New Prague, Minn.) was selected to compete in the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) All-Star Classic presented by Cliff Keen on Nov. 21. Novak, the reigning NCAA Division-II National Champion at 157 pounds wrestled returning NCAA Division-III National Champion Nolan Hertel of UW-LaCrosse, where Hertel managed a 3-1 win in TB-2 in the exhibition match.

Novak was the first St. Cloud State wrestler to ever compete in the prestigious event, which began in 1967 and was a staple of the college season until 2017. After a four-year hiatus, the All-Star Classic made its return in 2022 in Austin, Texas due, in large part, to the support of the National Wrestling Coaches Association. This year's meet will take place at Rec Hall on the campus of Penn State.

DOMINANT START TO DUAL SCHEDULE

The Huskies opened its 2023-23 dual season with a pair of dominant wins on Nov. 16 at the Drury Duals in Springfield, Mo., winning 37-11 over (RV) Central Missouri and 46-5 over Drury. The Huskies went a combined 16-4 in the two duals with 15 bonus point victories, including eight falls, four technical falls and three major decisions.

In the first match, the Mules jumped out to an 8-0 lead with major decision wins in the opening two matches before the Huskies rattled off seven consecutive victories to seize the match. No. 12 Alyeus Craig started the run at 141 pounds with a second period fall (3:40) over Derek Torza and the Huskies were rolling from then on-out. Craig's pin was the first of four in the match for the Huskies, as No. 4 Anthony Herrera (165), Bryce Dagel (174) and Bryce FitzPatrick (184) went back-to-back-to-back with pins in the second half of the match. Herrera provided a ranked win in his matchup, as he beat No. 8 John Ridle in the first period (2:44).

In SCSU's second match of the day, the Huskies went 9-1 with eight victories coming way by bonus points. Alyeus Craig picked up his second fall of the day with a first period (2:04) win over Brandon Borlinghaus at 141 pounds. Nolan Throne kept it going with another first period fall over Trevor Christian (2:30) at 149 pounds. James Burks (174) and Elijah Novak (HWT) also scored six points in the match for the Huskies with falls over Ethan Smith (4:42) and Thomas Massengale (4:56), respectively.

FIRST IN PRESEASON POLL

St. Cloud State was selected to finish first in the NSIC Preseason Coaches Poll, while returning NCAA Champion junior 157-pounder Nick Novak was named the NSIC Preseason Wrestler of the Year, as selected by the league's coaches. Novak went a perfect 27-0 while earning both Super Region V and NCAA Championships at 157 pounds. He added a 10-0 dual record to earn First Team All-NSIC honors while recording eight major decisions, three technical falls and two pins in his sophomore season.

For all the latest on St. Cloud State Wrestling, stay tuned to SCSUHuskies.com and follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.