MOORHEAD, Minn. -- Minnesota State Moorhead wrestling gears up for its first two duals of the 2026-27 season this Friday. The Dragons will travel to Collegeville, Minn.,  for a triangular dual with Saint John's and Saskatchewan, slated for a 5 p.m. start.

Live video will be available at msumdragons.com. Moorhead is fresh off a strong showing at the Jimmie Open, which yielded five placewinners and a tournament champion in Isaiah Wright. 

Feelin' Al-Wright...Junior heavyweight Isaiah Wright opened his season in strong fashion with the championship at the Jimmie Open. Wright opened his season with a sudden victory decision over Minot State's Carter Johnson. The Otsego, Minn., native advanced to the championship match thanks to a default at 5:44. In the final against Northern State's Grady Fey, Wright fell down early before evening the match at four points. In the sudden victory period, Wright secured the critical takedown to claim a 7-4 decision. 

Keep An Eye On 'Em...Freshman Gabe Cohn had a resilient performance in the 197-pound bracket to claim third-place marks. Cohn dropped his first match of the morning before collecting his first collegiate victory by fall over Bismarck State's Ashton Zimney. The freshman tallied another two pins in his next two matches, both in under one minute. Cohn stuck Bismarck State's Greg Fuher at 0:18 before pinning UMary's Ty Wiedrich at 0:51. The Woodbury, Minn., native would earn third-place with a 25-9 technical fall over Jamestown's Dane Hartman. 

Frosh Start Strong...Moorhead had a pair of strong showings from two of its freshman at the Jimmie Open. Zack Carr nearly claimed a weight class title at 141 pounds for MSUM. The freshman opened the morning with a 19-4 technical fall over Minot State's Kekoa Ogawa. Carr advanced to the championship match via a 21-3 tech fall over Minot State's Dalton Hinebauch. The Cottage Grove, Minn., product fell to Northern State's John Alden by decision (9-7) to earn runner-up status. Cash Botting finished runner-up at 157 pounds for the Dragons, beginning his day with consecutive wins. Botting pinned Minnesota North's Elvis Placencia at 2:52 before advancing to the finals via medial forfeit. 

First Collegiate Wins...Freshmen Ian Phrakonkham and Parker Zutter also earned their first collegiate wins on Sunday. Phrakonkham earned sixth place in the 141 pound bracket behind a 16-1 tech fall over Northern State's Nikolas Petsinger. Zutter earned two wins in the 149-pound division, including a fall at 0:33 against Jerry De Leon of Minnesota North College. In the 133-pound bracket, Carl Andrade collected a pair of wins to begin his collegiate career. Andrade secured his first collegiate win in a 17-1 tech fall over Ayden Floyd of Northland Community & Technical College. The freshman also scored an 18-8 major decision over Jamestown's Harley Hardison.

Preseason Buzz....The Dragons earned the seventh position in the NSIC preseason poll thanks to 42 total points. Parkside was picked to win the league behind 93 points and five first-place votes. Minnesota State (2), St. Cloud State (2) and Augustana (2) earned first-place votes as well. Moorhead went 7-8 in duals in 2025-26, including four NSIC victories. The Dragons sent 141-pounder Pedro Velazquez to the NCAA Championships following a runner-up finish at the Super Region V Tournament. 

Kris Nelson is in his 18th season as MSUM's head wrestling coach.