The Minot State men’s wrestling team kicked off the 2025-26 season in championship style as Gavin Turk took home the title at 174 pounds in the Jimmie Open at the University of Jamestown on Sunday, Nov. 2.

Turk bested all four of his opponents, defeating the University of Mary’s Wyatt Elam, 5-4, in the championship match. The sophomore earned a three-point takedown in the opening period, but found himself trailing 4-3 heading into the final stanza. He tied the score with an escape with 1:42 left and scored an additional point as time expired to claim the title.

Turk began the tournament with a 5-0 decision over U-Mary’s Mason Butler and advanced to the semifinals with a 19-3 technical fall against Sioux Falls’ Jarrett Roos. He would advance to the title match with a 13-3 major decision over the University of Mary’s Charles Severance, recording four takedowns during the match.

Along with Turk, fellow 174-pounder Daniels Bendiks placed sixth, dropping his fifth-place match by technical fall, 16-1, to NDSU’s Luke Hoag.

Minot State also placed at 133 pounds, 165 pounds, 197 pounds and 285 pounds.

Andrew Worthington advanced to the semifinals before ultimately settling for sixth at 133. Teammates John Armstrong and Will George finished fifth and sixth, respectively, at 165. They were scheduled to match up in the fifth-place match, but George forfeited to give Armstrong fifth. Shafer Ehmke claimed fifth at 197, earning a 9-4 decision over the University of Mary’s Ty Wiedrich. And Carmine Morton capped off the day for the Beavers with a sixth-place showing at 285.

Minot State returns to the mat to participate at the Dakota Wesleyan Open in Mitchell, S.D., on Saturday, Nov. 8, at 9 a.m.