MOORHEAD, Minn. – The Minnesota State University Moorhead wrestling team begins a six-match homestand this week with a pair of Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference duals. The Dragons will face Southwest Minnesota State at 7 p.m. on Thursday and then conclude the week against No. 3 ranked St. Cloud State at 2 p.m. on Saturday.
Both matches will be at Nemzek Fieldhouse.
The Dragons (5-5, 2-1 NSIC) split on the road last week, beating Minnesota State, Mankato, 24-16 last Thursday before falling at No. 10-ranked Upper Iowa, 28-12 on Friday.
Junior Conner Monk went 2-0 with a pin for the week for MSUM. Freshman Shane Novak (133 pounds) and senior Matt Lewellen (184 pounds) also went 2-0 for the week for the Dragons.
Lewellen leads the Dragon lineup with a 22-9 mark. Freshman Blake Bosch is 11-9 at 125 pounds for MSUM while freshman Garret Hoffner is 10-7 at 149 pounds.
Kris Nelson is in his fifth season as MSUM’s head coach.
About SMSU: The Mustangs are 8-3 overall and 2-0 in the NSIC. They went 3-1 at the Midwest Duals last weekend in Kearney, Neb., with a 22-20 win over No. 6 Fort Hays State highlighting the weekend. Senior Justin Reinsma (133 pounds) went 4-0 to lead the Mustangs. Reinsma leads SMSU with a 21-9 record while Kyle Begin is 19-5. Jesse Nelson is in his seventh season as SMSU’s head coach with a record of 46-43-1 at the school.
About St. Cloud State: The Huskies, ranked No. 3 in the latest Division II poll, are 11-1 overall and have not wrestled in an NSIC dual this season. They will face Northern State on Friday prior to facing MSUM. The Huskies feature a lineup with five nationally-ranked wrestlers: Gabe Fogarty (No. 2 at 165), Andy Pokorny (No. 2 at 133 pounds), Clint Poster (No. 4 at 157), Matt Nelson (No. 4 at 141) and Austin Goergen (No. 4 at 285 pounds). Goergen has a 19-4 record while Poster is at 17-5. Steve Constanzo is in his eighth season as St. Cloud’s head coach with a record of 111-24 at the school.