MINOT, N.D.- The MSU Beavers men's wrestling team is looking to hit the mats again this weekend. The Beavers will be back in Minot for a non-conference dual against rival the University of Mary Marauders. 
 
The Beavers are coming off a narrow setback against the Northern State Wolves by a score of 13-19, however the Beavers popped some eyes at the Dragon Open last Sunday as 12 different Beavers reserved a spot on the podium. 
 
The Beavers took the early 10-0 lead over NSU thanks to wins by Oscar Nellis, Brandon Meikel, and Lincoln Stormer to open the dual, and Jake Swirple ended the night with a win for the Beavers. However, six straight wins by the Wolves following between Stormer and Swirples' duals' secured victory for the day for Northern State. 
 
The Beavers saw 12 different podium finishers at the Dragon Open hosted by Minnesota State University at Moorhead. Headlining the Beavers was Swirples' 1^st place finish in the red divisions 285-pound bracket and Brendan Barnes's 1^st place finish in the white division 149-pound bracket. 
 
Kelby Armstrong received a 2^nd place finish in the red division 141-pound bracket, while Jordan Will also finished in 2^nd place as he faced Swirple for the red division 285-pound bracket crown. 
 
Cannon Potts finished in 3^rd place in the white division 165-pound bracket, and Kale Farrington also finished 3^rd, in the white division 174-pound bracket. Logen Fischer fished up a 5^th place finish in the red division 125-pound bracket, while Ethan Wonser also nabbed 5^th place in the red division 141-pound bracket while leaving his competition wondering what just happened. In the white division Robert Lowdog showed his competition in the white division 149-pound bracket who let the dog out by fetching his way up to a 5^th place finish in the white division 149-pound bracket. Rourke Martin dominated his way to a 5^th place finish as well, just in the white division 174-pound bracket. 
 
Alex Sandoval slipped onto the podium with a 6^th place finish in the red division 174-pound bracket. Kaleb Smith despite receiving an injury during the day still was able to nab a respectable 6^th place in the white division 174-pound bracket. 
 
Scouting the Marauders: The UMary Marauders already have a win on the season as they defeated Concordia College of Moorhead by a 41-0 score to open their December. They also competed at the Dragon Open this past Sunday, the Younes Hospitality Open in Kearney, Neb., the Bison Open, and the Cobber Open hosted by the very Concordia College they defeated. In individual matchups this season the Marauders have the 11-6 edge in wins over the Beavers.
 
The Marauders are hosting their first NSIC dual of the season against the MSU Moorhead Dragons Thursday night. The Marauders also have two wrestlers ranked in the top 11 of their respective classes; Braydon Huberis ranked 10^th at 157-pounds while Max Bruss is ranked 11^th at 174-pounds. 
 
The Marauders are on a three dual winning streak over the Beavers right now. UMary leads the all-time series 13-5 including a seven dual winning streak. The last matchup back on Jan. 28 earlier this year saw the Beavers travel to Bismarck to watch the Marauders slip by with a 24-20 victory. The last Beaver victory came back on Nov. 24, 2019 when the Beavers snuck by UMary with a 19-16 victory in the MSU Dome. 
 
Following the dual with UMary, the Beavers will head on the road for a month and a half as they start their road warrior status in the new year with a showdown at MSU Moorhead Thursday Jan. 13^th and a matchup at number one ranked St. Cloud State Friday Jan. 14^th with both duals set to start at 7 p.m.