Bulldogs taking eight wrestlers to Tri-State
COEUR d’ALENE — As technology improves, so has the Tri-State wrestling Invitational, which starts today at North Idaho College.
Results faster.
More exposure to the semifinals and finals than ever before.
And less paper.
“We’ve had some big changes over the last 43 years,” said Tri-State Invitational tournament director and NIC wrestling coach Pat Whitcomb. “I was talking to John (Owen, who coached at NIC from 1977 to 1997) and we started this thing writing everything out on paper. Now, with the addition of TrackWrestling.com and FloWrestling.com, everything is faster. And Flo brings us into the top tournaments in the country.”
Via TrackWrestling, fans that are unable to make it to NIC can follow along to live scoring, results and team scores as the event unfolds. FloWrestling will webcast the semifinals and championship finals on Saturday.
“Flo contacted us about webcasting this,” Whitcomb said. “It gives big time exposure to other colleges and coaches that can’t really be around here. It’s not a secret that coaches are here recruiting the tournament. The kids want a chance to go and earn a scholarship and earn a chance to wrestle at the next level, and this gives them a chance to do that.”
Semifinals are scheduled for 11 a.m., with championship finals at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday.
The Bulldogs are taking a squad of eight to Tri-State, led by Scout Nash (120), Preston Bunty (132), Mahonri Hunsaker (152), Tanner McNelley (145), Tyler Presser (170), Casey Randles (170), Jake Williams (195) and Tyler Brown (220). Randles, who is dropping down a weight, is seeded fifth, and Williams is seeded sixth, the lone Bulldogs to earn seeds.
Some brackets will feature defending Tri-State champions, along with multiple state champions from different states and classes. Wins are tough enough to come by, and claiming a championship means you’re one of the top wrestlers in the Northwest. Many state placers won’t even make the podium at Tri-State.
“When you take a look at the talent coming back, the tournament is getting tougher and tougher,” Whitcomb said. “When I coached at Kellogg (1990-94), you could brings guys in here and they’d get a win. Now, teams are bringing half a team, and it’s still tough. If a kid wants to be a state champion, they can do it. But if you place here, it means a lot. With everything we’ve done in the past, we want to bring in the toughest individuals and teams and make it a big deal to finish in the Top 8.”
Kuna won the team championship by 50 points last year. Lewiston, last year’s runner-up, opted to attend the Reno Tournament of Champions in Nevada.
Havre (Mont.) makes its Tri-State debut, with Lake Stevens, Blaine, North Central, Hermiston (Ore.), Deer Park and Tahoma also among the contenders for the team championship.
“I think it’s going to be another great tournament,” Whitcomb said. “There’s going to be some upsets, and Havre is going to come in and knock some of those kids off. It’s a great tournament for these guys and they get up for this tournament and kids bring their A-game. It’s a different atmosphere down here on Friday, where it’s so loud and we’ll see how those freshmen and sophomores handle it. It’s really two different tournaments with only three mats on Saturday. It just has a different feel to it.”
Tournament prices are $20 for adults and $15 for seniors and students, good for the entire weekend.