MINOT, N.D. – After a mock tournament and their annual intersquad duals, the Beaver men's wrestling team is ready to see some opposing teams as Minot State opens its season at the Jimmie Open this Sunday, hosted by Jamestown.

The first of two tournaments on the road, the Beavers then return to the MSU Dome on Friday, November 21, to host the 4^th annual Beaver Bash duals to wrap up their pre-conference slate before beginning the grueling battle through the NSIC.

"We have a couple of open tournaments the next couple of weeks, and then we've got some home events coming up at the end of November and early December, so, just excited to get going," Minot State's 11^th-year head coach Evan Forde said.

Forde has reason to be excited about a team with both youth and experience, and lots of depth, all of whom are putting in great work in preparation for the season.

"I was really happy with some of the newcomers that looked like they're going to make an impact," Forde said of his team's performance in that mock tournament and the duals in the past few weeks. "At the same point, I think we got a lot of varsity spots that are still up for grabs, so these guys get a chance to go out – we can put as many in the weight class as we want at these opens, and so they kind of work it out for themselves."

Making this weekend's opener at Jamestown, and the Dakota Wesleyan Open next weekend, a great opportunity for the Beaver wrestlers to earn their place in the lineup for the upcoming NSIC duals.

Already, Coach Forde sees plenty of standouts who are leading the way, including a core group of four returns in team captains Ethan Wonser (149), Ryan Hrcka (157), and John Armstrong (165), along with returning starter Gavin Turk (174).

Wonser and Hrcka are both seniors with more than 30 career victories each in their time at Minot State, while Armstrong, a red-shirt sophomore, had 7 wins last season, and Turk, a true sophomore, had 13 wins.

"We're really going to be relying on that core of leaders to show us the way, especially early on in these tournaments," Forde said.

While they will help set the tone for the team, the Beavers also will look to fellow returns in redshirt-sophomore Andrew Worthington at 133 pounds, and sophomore Shafer Ehmke at 197, to have an impact, along with transfers Will George (165), a graduate student who had 8 wins at Lindsey Wilson last season, sophomore Carmine Morton (285), who had 13 wins at Missouri Valley last season, and true freshman Cole Faircloth (125), from Las Vegas, to have an impact on the mats, as well.

"He's just been looking really good," Forde said of Faircloth, a 4-time state finals and 2-time state champion in high school.

But depth is key for the Beavers this season, something they'll showcase over the first few weeks as Minot State has 13 freshmen on the roster spread through the weight classes.

"There's pretty much a guy at each weight that I think has a chance to at least push the starter and make an impact there," Forde said.

Making the first few weeks a true test for the Beaver wrestlers as they prepare to set a lineup for the conference contests to come.

And, Minot State will get to see some of the NSIC competition this weekend, which should help, too.

"I think 4 or 5 conference opponents this weekend, so we might get to start to see some of those matchups," Forde said.

With a mix of experience and youth creating depth for Minot State, it gives the Beavers a chance to focus on the little things that can be the difference in duals.

"One thing we're really emphasizing is trying to get a lot of points," Forde said. "We want to get more points this year, and then we're going to have to fight to not give up those bonus points against some of these really tough opponents."

That will help the Beavers in the NSIC standings and dual competition, but also in preparing Minot State for the ultimate goal – the NCAA Super Region V Tournament on February 28 hosted by Southwest Minnesota State, where berths to the NCAA National Tournament will be at stake.

"It's important during these dual meets that you're setting yourself up for a good seed at the region tournament, and then a good shot at making it through to nationals, because that's obviously the other big aspect of our season," Forde said.