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Teams: Minot State vs. Southwest Minnesota State | Series: SMSU leads 2-0
Date: Friday, Feb. 6, 2015 | Time: 7 p.m. | Site: Minot State Dome
Teams: Minot State vs. No. 17 Augustana College | Series: Augie leads 3-0
Date: Saturday, Feb. 7, 2015 | Time: 7 p.m. | Site: Minot State Dome

A LOOK AT THE WEEKEND: After Minot State was tested this past weekend when they took on No. 2 St. Cloud State and No. 10 Upper Iowa so they'll look to bounce back this weekend when they return home for two duals. The Beavers will host Southwest Minnesota State on Friday at 7 p.m. and will end the weekend Saturday evening with a dual against No. 17 Augustana College. The dual with the Vikings is set for 7 p.m. as well.

RECORDS: After falling in both of their duals this past weekend, Minot State's overall record moved to 5-11 on the season while their conference record went below .500 for the first time this season as they fell to 2-3. Southwest Minnesota State is currently 6-7 and 1-3 in the Northern Sun this season, while Augustana is 15-4 with a perfect 4-0 record in the Northern Sun.

COACHES CORNER: Minot State head coach Robin Ersland is in his fifth season at the front of the Beaver wrestling program. Ersland, a 2010 inductee into the NCAA Division II Wrestling Hall of Fame, has a career record of 220-285-7 in 31 seasons as a head coach. He has coached ninety-nine NCAA Division II National Qualifiers and forty-seven Division II All-Americans. At Minot State, Ersland has compiled an overall record of 13-35. Jesse Nelson is in his eighth season as the head coach of SMSU and had his most successful year in 2013-14 as he was named NSIC Coach of the Year. During his time, Nelson has groomed 16 national qualifiers. Jason Reitmeier is in his 12th season with the Augustana Vikings and he's produced an All-American wrestling in all 11 seasons with the program. He's compiled a 117-58 record with the Vikings

RANKINGS: As of Jan. 28, Augustana College is ranked No. 17 in the country in the latest Coaches Poll released by the NCAA. Neither Minot State nor SMSU received votes to be placed in the top 20.

NOTING THE BEAVERS: Minot State faced a strong test this past weekend when they dualed the No. 2 and 10 ranked teams in NCAA Division II. On Saturday, Jan. 31, Minot State squared-off with No. 2 ranked St. Cloud State but were unable to gain any momentum as the Huskies took the dual, 44-2. Tanner Crissler (Fr., 141, Belcourt, N.D.) served as the bright spot for the Beavers as he won his 13th match of the season in a 4-1 decision. The following day, Minot State traveled to Fayette, Iowa for another NSIC dual with Upper Iowa. Crissler was once again the lone bright spot, this time pinning Jordan Roth, the No. 6 ranked wrestler in Super Region II. Minot State fell to the Peacocks by a final score of 44-6.

NOTING THE MUSTANGS: The month of January was an up and down one for Southwest Minnesota State as the Mustangs went 3-5 in the month while going 1-3 in NSIC duals. Last week the Mustangs began with a road dual against Northern State but the travel didn't stop SMSU from pulling out a win. Jacob Begin led the way for the Mustangs in the win with a win by fall in the 165 weight class. The final score was 31-10. SMSU was unable to keep their momentum going at home last Friday when they hosted No. 10 ranked Upper Iowa and fell 30-9.

NOTING THE VIKINGS: Augustana is in the midst of an 8-dual winning streak as they get ready for their dual in the MSU Dome this Saturday. The Vikings are undefeated in the NSIC (4-0) with all of their conference wins coming in January. In their most recent dual, Augustana squeaked out a 19-18 victory over Minnesota State at home. Augustana jumped out to an early 7-0 lead in the meet but found themselves down 15-10 with just three matches to go. Aero Amo got a pin in the 184 weight class and the Vikings never looked back.

RECAPING LAST YEAR: Minot State had a tough time against SMSU and Augustana last season as they matched-up with both of them on the road in 2013-14. On the weekend of Jan. 11 the Beavers fell to SMSU 40-0 and ended their weekend with a loss at Augustana 36-6. Returner Ricard Avakovs (Jr., 165, Rigas, Latvia) was the only returner to record a win against either team last season.

DOME SWEET DOME: While Minot State has competed in just two home duals so far this season, they're unbeaten in their two duals inside the MSU Dome. For the remainder of the regular season, the Beavers won't have to travel outside of Minot as their final three duals will all be held at home. The Beavers have a 2-4 record on the road and a 1-7 record at neutral sites.

MATURING AS A YOUNGIN': Minot State's Tanner Crissler (Fr., 141, Belcourt, N.D.) is peaking at the right time for Minot State as he's won three straight matches heading into the final stretch of the regular season for the Beavers. Crissler's 14 wins are the third-most on the team, just one win behind Cody Haugen (Fr., 149, Minot, N.D.) for second-most wins on the team.

SIGNATURE WIN POSSIBILITY: Minot State has the opportunity to pick up their first win against a ranked opponent this weekend when Augustana comes to town. The Vikings are currently ranked No. 17 in the country according to the latest poll released by the NCAA. The Beavers are 0-4 this season when facing teams ranked in the top 20.

BY THE NUMBERS
5th: Despite Minot State's difficult tasks this past weekend, the Beavers still sit in 5th place in the NSIC standings with a 2-3 conference record.

7: With Tanner Crissler's (Fr., Belcourt, N.D.) pin against Upper Iowa last Sunday, he moved into sole possession of most pins for the Beavers this season with seven. Mitchell Eull (So., HWT, Buffalo, Minn.) currently has the second-most pins with six.

8: Augustana's eight-dual winning streak is currently tied for the best streak in the NSIC. St. Cloud State has also won their last eight duals. U-Mary has lost the most consecutive duals. They're currently in the middle of an eight dual skid.