A LOOK AT THE WEEK: Minot State University will play host to Northern State University in its final regular season dual of the 2015-16 season on Wednesday, February 17 beginning at 7 p.m.

RECORDS: The Beavers are 4-13 after dropping their two road duals last week at Dickinson State and Minnesota State University Moorhead. The Wolves are 6-13 after splitting duals against Dickinson State and Minnesota State last week.  

COACHES CORNER: Minot State head coach Evan Forde is in his first season at the helm of the wrestling team. He is the eighth coach in MSU history and the second coach since the reinstatement of the team and the move to NCAA Division II. Forde comes to Minot State after spending last season with fellow NSIC member Minnesota State University Moorhead where he competed as a wrestler from 2006-11. Before returning to his alma mater, Forde was an assistant coach at Southwest Minnesota State, also a Northern Sun member, for three seasons. As a college athlete he compiled 63 wins and earned NCAA Division II Academic All-American honors four times. Rocky Burkett is in his first season as head coach of Northern State. Prior to joining the Wolves, Burkett spent the last three seasons as the head coach at Aberdeen Central High School earning two Eastern South Dakota Conference titles (2014 and 2015), two Region 3 titles (2014 and 2015) and the 2014 South Dakota State Wrestling Tournament team title. He was named the 2014 and 2015 South Dakota Region 3 Wrestling Coach of the Year. Burkett is familiar with Northern State as he has had two coaching stints as an assistant at the school. From 2005-07 he served as a graduate assistant for the team and from 2007-11 he was an assistant coach.

RANKINGS: Minot State and Northern State did not appear in either the NCAA Coaches Poll, or d2wrestle.com poll.

ALL-TIME AT A GLANCE: The Beavers and Wolves have split their meetings since Minot State joined the Division II ranks in 2011. With both teams recording two wins it has been an even matchup.  

LAST TIME OUT: Last season Minot State defeated Northern State 27-18 winning two matches by forfeit. Tanner Crissler (141, So., Belcourt, N.D.), Cody Haugen (149, So., Minot, N.D.) and Mitchell Eull (HWT, Jr., Buffalo, Minn.) all won their matches. Crissler pinned his opponent in just under 90 seconds.

NOTING THE BEAVERS: Minot State has just one dual left to earn head coach Evan Forde his first conference victory before the NCAA Division II Super Region Three. The Beavers have not lost to Northern State since the 2012-13 season and have won their last two duals by a total of 58-37. Forde will need to coach his team to a third win in a row against these conference foes to secure an NSIC win in his debut season.

NOTING THE WOLVES: Northern State broke an eight-game losing streak last week when it beat Dickinson State 25-23. Like Minot State the Wolves have yet to win a conference dual. Unlike the Beavers, they have two chances to earn their first win with a match against Mary the day after they compete in the MSU Dome.

TWO FOR TWO: Last week three Beavers won both of their matches against Dickinson State and Minnesota State Moorhead. Tanner Crissler (141, So., Belcourt, N.D.) won by major decision at Dickinson State and won 4-3 against MSUM. Crissler recorded a team-high fifth win by major decision this season, he is the only Beaver to earn more than one. Marcus Polak (157, Sr., Minot, N.D.) and Mitchell Eull (HWT, Jr., Buffalo, Minn.) also won both of their matches.

HOME STAND: The Beavers have competed in five home games so far this season, winning two. They return home after competing in four road duals, including three NSIC matchups. Minot native Cody Haugen (149, So.) has won a team-high three matches this year at home so far and was the only Beaver to defeat a wrestler from Minnesota State. Three other MSU wrestlers have tallied two wins, including Tanner Crissler (141, So., Belcourt, N.D.), Marcus Polak (157, Minot, N.D.), and Mitchell Eull (HWT, Jr., Buffalo, Minn.).

CRISSLER GOING FOR CAREER HIGH: MSU sophomore Tanner Crissler (141, Belcourt, N.D.) needs just one win to match his freshman win total and two to set a new career high. Over the past two seasons, Crissler has put together 31 wina compared to just 25 defeats, trailing only Mitchell Eull (HWT, Jr., Buffalo, Minn.) in wins over the past two seasons.

COURTWRIGHT MOVES UP: MSU freshman Mason Courtwright (197, Mears, Mich.) moved into second on the team with a hard-fought, late-bout pin of Dickinson State's Cody Johnson during MSU's dual against the Blue Hawks last week. The pin moves Courtwright into second on the team with three wins by fall. He has three pins in his seven wins as a freshman

SENIOR FAREWELL: Minot State has just one graduating senior this year in Marcus Polak (157, Minot, N.D.). Polak has had an up and down career as a Beaver competing in two full seasons from 2011-13, then taking a leave from the team after the mid-year break in the 2013-14 season and not competing all last season. With a team-high 29 wins in his freshman season he has since leveled off, but still competes at a high rate. Back on the team this season he leads the Beavers with 26 total takedowns and is tied for second  in wins with 15. Over his three seasons with the Beavers, he has 50 wins to his credit. Polak is projected to compete in his final match at the MSU Dome on Wednesday.

EULL BE THERE: Junior heavyweight Mitchell Eull (Buffalo, Minn.) has had a successful season so far in the 2015-16 season. Already with a career-high in team points earned and close to tying his career-high in pins, Eull has been able to be a reliable standard in the Minot State lineup. Last week he won both of his matches without giving up a single point.  

Eull in his three seasons (2013-2016)        

Year	Wins	Losses	Falls	Team Points
2013-14	11	22	2	13
2014-15	26	15	6	42
2015-16	20	9	5	49
Total	57	46	13	104

BY THE NUMBERS

1: Senior projected to compete for Minot State in its final home game. Marcus Polak (157, Minot, N.D.) has two wins at home this season and will look to earn one more.

4: Beavers who have scored 30 or more team points this season. No other MSU wrestlers have tallied more than 18.

5: Duals in which Minot State has scored more than 20 team points. The Beavers are 3-2 when reaching this mark.