St. Cloud State tabbed as favorite in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference wrestling
BURNSVILLE, Minn. — Northern State University is picked to finish fifth out of 10 schools in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Preseason Wrestling Coaches' Poll.
The Wolves, who tied for fifth in the NSIC last winter, received 52 points in the poll.
"The thing that excites me the most is the experience on this team. We have an older lineup that has been challenged in different ways over the course of the past few years," said NSU head coach Rocky Burkett, who is beginning his ninth season with the Wolves. "They are excited for this year and ready to start competing."
St. Cloud (Minn.) State topped with poll with 79 points and seven first-place votes (coaches cannot vote for their own team) to rank 14 points ahead of Augustana, which is second with 65 points and one first-place vote. The defending NSIC Champions Parkside (Wisconson-Parkside) is third with 62 points and the other two first-place votes.
Rounding out the field are the University of Mary (N.D.) 58, Northern State 52, Minnesota State Mankato 41, Minot (N.D.) State 35, Southwest Minnesota State University 25, Minnesota State Moorhead 18 and the University of Sioux Falls 15.
St. Cloud State's Nick Novak was voted by the league coaches as the preseason wrestler of the year. Novak was the 2022-23 NCAA DII National Champion at 157 pounds with a perfect 27-0 record and was named the 2022-23 NSIC Wrestler of the Year.
Wyatt Turnquist, a graduate 145-pounder from Winner, is Northern State's Wrestler to Watch. Turnquist went 25-4 overall and 8-1 in the NSIC last winter before earning All-America honors with a third-place finish in the NCAA Division II tournament.
NSIC Basketball: Minnesota Duluth, Minnesota State Mankato teams favored in conference
"I am excited to see the growth in Wyatt since he first came on campus. He has challenged himself in so many ways to become the student-athlete he is today," said Burkett. "Wyatt truly uses every day to better himself in any way that he can. He has been a leader for our program the last few years and has set the standard for his teammates."
NSIC Wrestling's non-conference schedule gets underway on Wednesday with the nine match NSIC dual schedule starting on Dec. 1 and continuing throughout the year.
The NCAA Super Region #5 Championships are scheduled for Saturday, March 2, in Minot (N.D.), while the NCAA Championships will take place on Friday-Saturday, March 15-16, at Hartman Arena in Park City, Kan.
This article originally appeared on Watertown Public Opinion: A look at 2022-23 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference wrestling
