MINOT, N.D. – The Minot State University wrestling team lost by just six points (22-16) to Southwest Minnesota State at the MSU Dome on Thursday night.
 
The Beavers and Mustangs were each fighting for their first win in Northern Sun competition. MSU drops to 0-4 in the NSIC, while SMSU improves to 1-3. Although they didn't come out on top, head coach Evan Forde was pleased with how his team performed.
 
"It was a fun dual meet," Forde said. "We wrestled hard tonight and our guys came out with a lot of fight. I think they did a good job of bringing some intensity and using our conditioning to our advantage."
 
Southwest Minnesota State came out on top in the first two matches to take a 7-0 lead. Minot State responded with two wins of their own to close in on the lead, making it 7-6. Jered Sublet, 141, and Cody Haugen, 149, each earned wins for the Beavers; Haugen's coming in an exciting overtime fashion.
 
Down 1-0, Haugen went into the third period starting on the bottom. Just before time ran out, with his opponent, Cortez Arredondo, looking to add another point with riding time, the Minot, N.D. native completed a reversal with just three seconds left to wrestle to finish regulation tied 2-2. In overtime, both wrestlers were on the mat in position for a takedown. Southwest Minnesota State's coaching staff believed they had a win secured, but it was Haugen who completed the takedown first to win the match.
 
"I was just thinking that I have to try and make something happen to score some points at the end," Haugen said. "We've been working on those situations in practice and coach has done a good job simulating how to deal with that."
 
Forde said he wasn't sure which wrestler had the better match, but when it came down to the end, Haugen had something Arredondo didn't.
 
"He found a way to win," Forde said. "Wrestling with heart and refusing to lose is what it's all about."
 
The other Beavers to win their matches were Carlos Toledano (174), in his first match back from injury, and Jake Belland (HWT) who pinned his opponent in the first period.
 
"It's huge to have Carlos back," Forde said. "He's a guy we always count on for a win. With Jake, it's really difficult for a true freshman to wrestle heavyweight in this conference and he is battling. He just keeps getting better."
 
Minot State will wrestle again on Sunday, January 29, against Augustana in the MSU Dome at 2 p.m.
 
About Minot State
Minot State University is a member of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) and NCAA Division II offering 14 men's and women's varsity intercollegiate athletics programs. The NSIC is a premier NCAA DII, 16-member conference featuring teams in North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Nebraska and Iowa. The Beavers are the only public NCAA Division II institution in the state of North Dakota.