Submitted Photo Team photo of MSU men’s wrestling team. Photo by Sean Arbaut courtesy of MSU Athletics

After a strong start to the year that saw one Minot State wrestler win a tournament championship and seven other wrestlers earn a podium finish, the Beavers hit the road for another chance to compete this Saturday.

Minot State heads to the Dakota Wesleyan Open ready to build off its strong start at the Jimmie Open on Sunday with the goal of improving on every student-athlete’s mind.

“We had each of the guys who competed last weekend complete a self-evaluation form,” Minot State head coach Evan Forde said. “We want to see each of them make some adjustments and address some areas where they need to improve. Improving each week is the main focus.”

Leading the way after week No. 1 is sophomore Gavin Turk, who went 4-0 and won the title in the 174-pound weight class at the Jimmie Open.

While he set the tone for the Beavers, true freshman Cole Faircloth added a stellar debut performance, finishing 4th at 125 pounds in his first tournament.

John Armstrong (165) and Shafer Ehmke (197) both finished 5th in their weight class at the Jimmie Open, while Daniels Bendiks (174), Will George (165), Carmine Morton (285), and Andrew Worthington (133) all added 6th-place finishes.

A strong opening effort for the Beavers, but they aren’t settling for one good weekend or what they’ve accomplished so far.

“The expectation is simply to improve,” Forde said. “The tournament last weekend exposed some weak spots for us as a team. We are working hard on those situations this week in practice. I want to see us winning those situations this weekend.”

Helping the Beavers prepare for dual action when they host Bismarck State and Northland Community & Technical College for the 4th annual Beaver Bash Duals on November 21, then preparing Minot State to move into NSIC competition against Mary at the MSU Dome on December 5.