FARGO, N.D. - The North Dakota State wrestling team (3-4, 0-0 WWC) travels to Bozeman, Mont. for a neutral site match with No. 6 Boise State (9-1, 1-0 Pac-10) on Friday, Jan. 15 at 8 p.m. Central.  The Broncos are the fourth ranked opponent for the Bison this season.  NDSU will then head to Greeley, Colo. to kick off Western Wrestling Conference action against Northern Colorado (1-8, 0-0 WWC) on Sunday, Jan. 17 at 4 p.m. Central.

Battle in the Big Sky

Friday’s dual has been billed as the Battle in the Big Sky as six NDSU wrestlers and two Boise State wrestlers hail from Montana.  A portion of the event proceeds will be donated to the family of Belgrade High School wrestler Wyatt Welch.  Welch suffered a neck injury Dec. 21 and is currently being treated at Craig Hospital in Denver, Colo. 50 cents of every ticket sold as well as the proceeds from the 50/50 raffle during the meet will be donated to the Welch family to help defray the expense of Wyatt’s recovery in Denver.  Tickets are available online at http://ticketswest.rdln.com/ or over the phone at 1-800-325-SEAT.

About Boise State

The 9-1 Broncos are coming off a fifth place finish at the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals, where they went 4-1 with the only loss coming to No. 1 Iowa.  Seven wrestlers are ranked by Intermat, including four in the top 10.  184-pounder Kirk Smith is ranked No. 1, while Adam Hall is No. 2 at 157 pounds.  Andrew Hochstrasser is No. 3 at 133 pounds and Jason Chamberlain is ranked No. 6 at 149 pounds.  141-pounder Levi Jones is No. 12, while Alan Bartelli is No. 14 at 125 pounds and Nate Lee is No. 15 at 174 pounds.  The Bison lead the all-time series with the Broncos, 1-0.  NDSU defeated Boise State, 41-3, during the 1976-77 season.

About Northern Colorado

After eight straight losses, the Bears captured their first dual win of the year on Saturday, defeating Menlo College, 35-3.  Senior Kenny Hashimoto is ranked No. 20 at 141 pounds by Intermat.  The Bears open conference action Friday, Jan. 15 against Wyoming.   NDSU leads the all-time series, 28-4-1.  Last year, the teams tied 19-19 at the Northern Quad before UNC won a tight 18-16 battle in WWC action.

Bison go 1-1 in California

NDSU won seven bouts en route to a 23-12 win over Cal State Fullerton on Jan. 8.  Sophomore Tyler Johnson opened action with a technical fall of Calyton Schuelke at 165 pounds, while senior Ryan Adams collected his 20th win of the season with a 2-0 decision over Armando Gonzalez.  Against No. 19 Cal Poly on Jan. 9, Johnson, sophomore Justin Solberg and junior Kenny Moenkedick claimed wins in the 29-9 loss.

Bison struggle against ranked teams

Four Bison opponents are ranked in the NWCA top 25.  NDSU is 0-3 against ranked teams so far this year, dropping a 42-0 decision to No. 25 Oregon State on Dec. 13, a 33-9 decision to No. 14 Nebraska on Jan. 3 and a 29-9 decision to No. 19 Cal Poly on Jan. 9. NDSU wrestles No. 6 Boise State on Jan. 15. Boise State is the first top 10 team the Bison have wrestled since taking on No. 2 Iowa State Dec. 13, 2008.  Over the past two seasons, the Bison are 0-6 against ranked teams.

NDSU defeats N.C. State, falls to No. 14 Nebraska

The Bison notched a 23-16 win over North Carolina State before falling to No. 14 Nebraska, 33-9, on Sunday, Jan. 3.  Juniors Andrey Patselov and Vince Salminen, along with sophomore Tyler Johnson, were all double winners.

Adams leads Bison in wins

Senior Ryan Adams is the first Bison to reach the 20-win mark this season.  He has an overall record of 20-5.  Sophomore Tyler Johnson is on the cusp of 20 wins with a record of 19-4.  Johnson, junior Andrey Patselov and sophomore Justin Solberg lead the team in dual wins with 5-2 records.