Aberdeen, S.D. – The No. 25 Northern State University wrestling team had their chances late in the dual, but were not able to pull out the victory, falling to Minot State 25-20 on Friday evening. The loss is the first at home for the Wolves this season, as they drop to 6-4 overall and 3-4 in the NSIC.
 
The dual kicked off at 125-pounds with the Wolves open, giving up six points early. Redshirt sophomore Kenny Jones took the mat in the first wrestled match of the evening versus Oscar Nellis. Jones quickly went to work scoring six points in the opening period. He added another four in the second, and continued to lengthen his lead in the third. A takedown, 2-point nearfall, and penalty point led Jones to his fourth NSIC victory of the season; a 15-0 technical fall over Nellis.
 
The 5-point victory brought the Wolves within one of the Beavers; however, losses at 141 and 149 pounds widen the scoreboard spread to 16-5 in Minot's favor.
 
Walker Carr stepped on the mat for the Wolves at 157-pounds and wrestled Zach Berry scoreless through the first period. Berry chose down to begin the second, and scored the first point of the match via an escape. Down one and with a large team deficit on his back Carr notched a takedown and rolled Berry to his back. The redshirt sophomore dug in, recorded his fourth pin of the season at 4:28. He brought the Wolves within five heading into the intermission break.
 
Minot State took the opening match out of the break, and the Wolves again were battling from behind.
 
Tanner Wiese faced off against senior Anthony Raupp for Minot State, grabbing his first league victory of the season. The freshman tallied a takedown in each of the three periods, adding an escape in the first, a penalty point in the third, and a riding time score, to seal the 9-4 decision win. The Beavers answered back with a decision win of their own at 184 pounds, leading 22-14 with two weights to wrestle.
 
Diego Gallegos came out to score in the 197 bout versus Je-Mario Jones with a takedown early in the first period. He battled hard on top for a turn racking up well over a minute of riding time. Jones chose neutral to begin the second and Gallegos notched his second takedown of the match. The sophomore proved to be dominant on top adding two stalling points in the second and another two in the third. He brought home a 6-point victory for NSU, with the disqualification of Jones due to stalling.
 
Northern trailed by just two following the Gallegos win and had the dual victory within their grasp. Harrison Townsend scored first in the 285-pound match and led 2-1, however Jordan Will gritted out an 8-3 decision, which solidified the win for the Beavers.
 
Northern will conclude the regular season next Sunday at Upper Iowa University. The match is set to begin at 2 p.m. in Fayette.