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THIS WEEK: Minot State competes in the National Wrestling Coaches' Association National Duals on January 12th & 13th. The Beavers will take on No. 3 University of Central Oklahoma in the opening round. In the second round, MISU will face either Limestone or No. 6 Grand Canyon University.

RECORDS: MISU is 1-6 overall, 0-2 in the NSIC. UCO is 1-0 overall, Limestone is 4-2 overall and GCU is currently 5-2 overall.

COACHES CORNER: Robin Ersland is in his 3rd season as the Minot State head coach and sports a 10-14 overall record with the Beavers. Ersland, a NCAA Division II Hall of Fame inductee, is 217-264-7 overall in a stellar career. OCU is coached by David James. James is one of the most decorated coaches in NCAA Division II history. He is in his 31st year as head coach of the Bronchos, winning national titles in 12 of those years. Limestone is coached by Trent Goodale who is in his fifth year as head coach. Goodale has sent multiple wrestlers to the national tournament. During his collegiate career, he wrestled for University of Iowa and qualified for the national tournament his senior year. Grand Canyon is coached by R.C. LaHaye who is in his sixth season as head coach. He led the Antelopes to a third place finish in the 2011-12 NCAA Division II National Tournament including two individual champions. Last year he set a new school record for most dual wins in a season with 19.

FOLLOW THE BEAVERS: MISU provides live video and live stats at msubeavers.com/stayconnected. Minot State Athletics also is active on Facebook, Twitter and You Tube with all feeds accessible through the home page.

RANKINGS: Minot State was not ranked in the latest NCAA Division II Wrestling Coaches Top 25 Poll. Central Oklahoma is currently ranked third and Grand Canyon is currently ranked sixth. Limestone is not ranked.

RECENT HISTORY: The Beavers went down south to compete in the Grand Canyon University duals in Phoenix, Ariz.. MISU went 0-4 in the duals losing to three nationally ranked teams.  

OVERALL SERIES: Since reinstating the wrestling program in 2010, Minot State has not faced Central Oklahoma or Limestone. The Beavers wrestled Grand Canyon last weekend, losing to the Antelopes 45-6.

NOTING THE BRONCHOS: The University of Central Oklahoma has historically been one of the best wrestling programs in all of NCAA Division II; last year was no exception. In 2011-12, UCO went 9-5 in duals and placed first in their region. UCO then went on to place tenth at the national tournament. This season they off to another strong start with a 1-0 record in duals and many strong performances at tournaments. The Bronchos are led by senior Tanner Keck at class 184. Keck finished last season with a 27-9 record and a fourth place finish at the national tournament. Keck collected a team-high 75 takedowns a year ago.
 
NOTING THE SAINTS: Limestone had four wrestlers qualify individually for the 2012 NCAA Division II National Tournament. As a team, the Saints placed 14th at the tournament. This season, they are off to a solid 4-2 start, one of the losses coming to nationally ranked University of Findlay. The wrestler to watch for the Saints is senior Mike Magaha. Magaha went 20-9 last year on his way to a sixth place finish at the national tournament.
 
NOTING THE ANTELOPES: In 2011-12, Grand Canyon University was one of the best teams in all of NCAA Division II wrestling. GCU went 19-5 on the season while placing third at the NCAA Division II National Championships. This season the Antelopes are off to a 5-2 start, both losses coming to Division I opponents Cal State Bakersfield and Arizona State. GCU returns many contributors from last season, but maybe none are more important than senior Kyle McCrite. McCrite was a NCAA Division II National Champion last season at 125 and is off to a 6-7 start this season.

MISU STRETCHES ITS LIVE COVERAGE: Minot State University, in conjunction with the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference, has partnered with Stretch Internet to provide live video feeds for all home contest, all away NSIC games and select non-conference away games. Stretch Internet is an industry leader is live streaming video and offers live chat and On Demand replay video for select games. Log on to msubeavers.com/stayconnected for more information and to view live video.

WRESTLING AGAINST THE BEST: Minot State has had arguably the toughest wrestling schedule in all of NCAA Division II. Five of the six losses suffered by the Beavers had come by the hands of teams that are receiving votes in the national polls. Things get even tougher as they face No. 3 Central Oklahoma at 11 a.m. on Saturday morning. It is likely that MISU will face two ranked opponents as over half the teams at the NWCA National Duals are ranked.

THE ROAD TO SPRINGFIELD: It was quite a process to get the Beavers qualified and invited to wrestle in the NWCA National Duals. Head coach Robin Ersland applied to a committee, listing his wrestlers and getting points for national qualifiers, All-Americans and wrestlers with a winning percentage higher than 60 percent. MISU was the 15th
team out of 16 to receive an invite, an honor most schools in their first year in Division II don't get.

INJURY BUG BITES: Injuries and departures have played a key role in the Beaver's wrestling season thus far. At the Grand Canyon duals, MISU was forced to take five forfeits, four at 125 and one at 197. Also, at the GCU duals, Jean Augustin (Jr., 165, Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.) went down with an injury, it is undecided if he will wrestle at the NWCA National Duals.
 
FETTERLEY LOOKS TO DOMINATE DUALS: Junior Matt Fetterley (Jr., 174, Muskegon, Mich.) will look to continue his success, hoping it travels well with him to Springfield. Fetterley has been the top wrestler for the Beavers in 2012-13. He has a record of 10-7 so far this year. Three of his eight wins have come by fall. He has also had one win by major decision. Fetterley currently leads the team in wins (10) and team points (18). He also sits third on the team in takedowns with 13.

MARCUS' GET THREE WINS EACH: Marcus Wilson (Sr., 157, Colorado Springs, Colo.) and Marcus Polak (So., 165, Minot, N.D.) each picked up three wins against some very good competition at the GCU Duals in Phoenix, Ariz. Six of the eight team wins came from Wilson or Polak, accounting for 75 percent of MISU's team points. Polak is now 3-3 overall this season while Wilson is now 4-6.

DOWN, BUT NOT OUT: The start to the 2012-13 wrestling season has been forgettable for Minot State so far. There will be opportunities to come later in the season as only two Northern Sun duals have taken place. The Beavers are still can make some noise in the conference and in the nation with some big upsets.
 
SECOND ROUND REDEMPTION??: No. 6 Grand Canyon University beat Minot State last weekend at their home duals, 45-6. There is a chance the two teams could meet again at the NWCA National Duals. If both teams win or both teams lose their first round matchup, they will meet on the mat for the second time in a week. Marcus Wilson and Marcus Polak were the two Beavers to get wins against the Antelopes in the loss.