The Red Raider wrestling team held a dual tournament this past Saturday, Jan. 16, and finished 3-0 on the day. The Raiders defeated Concordia 28-12 in the opener, earning their first win over the Bulldogs in 8 seasons. Northwestern followed with a dominant 53-6 victory against Waldorf and then closed with an impressive showing against Dickinson State, defeating the Blue Hawks 38-4.
Coach Dahl spoke highly about the Raider’s standout day.
“I was proud of the way our guys battled today. Every team there was shorthanded, but that is the nature of our sport. In times like that it is important for young men to see the opportunity and rise up. Our guys did that in a big way,” said coach Dahl. “We have been close to beating CUNE several times, but they always seem to do just a little better at the little things. Today was different. It was a blessing for the guys to see what happens when they wrestle with confidence.
In addition, it was the first time we have beaten DSU since I have been here. They are a strong program with a rich wrestling history, so to beat them in the manner that we did was a feat.”
John Seth stood out during this meet. The young man earned his first college wins and won a key matchup against CUNE. Seth and Hendrickson’s match at 174 were keys for NW to pull out the win. Trey Schuck is another participate who really stood out. Trey went 4-0 if you count the exhibition at the end of the day including a fall over the #20 collegiate NAIA wrestler in the country against DSU.
As a team, the Raiders did the little things well, which allowed the team to nail the important ones when the opportunity arose. For the day, they were 23-4 with nine falls, one tech fall and four major decisions (that is a 61% bonus rate). In addition, they outscored the competition 146-77 in match points, 38-18 in takedowns and 12-3 in National Federations.
“We keep telling these guys they have the talent and gifts to wrestle at a high level, Coach Dahl said, “We hope a day like this will help get them to a place where they begin to really push into that truth! Overall, it was a great day to be a Raider.”
