REGIONAL BRIEFS: Feb. 19 Bison-Hawks time change; Lady Argo wrestlers, hoopsters ranked
Bison boys, Bozeman adjust Feb. 19 game times
Great Falls Public Schools athletic director Mike Henneberg said the game times for the next time Great Falls High and Bozeman High meet – February 19 at Bill Swarthout Fieldhouse and the GFH Old Gym – have been changed to a rare 1 p.m. start for the varsity game at the Fieldhouse.
All three of the sub varsity games will be played at the Old Gym, beginning with the JV contest at 11 a.m. The freshmen are next at 1, followed by the sophomores at 2:30.
Henneberg did not give a reason for the time change in Wednesday’s release to the media. The only other game to be rescheduled was the boys’ Crosstown Game on Thursday, Jan. 13 at Swarthout Fieldhouse, which was postponed due to the recent systemwide shutdown because of COVID protocols. That game was moved to Tuesday, Feb. 22, 11 days after the Rustlers and Bison meet at CMR.
Three Lady Argo grapplers earn top five national ranks
The University of Providence women's wrestling program moved up two spots to #12 in the nation as a team in the latest NAIA National Rankings.
A total of seven Argo wrestlers were ranked in the Top 20 in their individual weight class, which helped the team move up the polls. Three Argos are ranked in the Top 5 – Ivy Navarro remains the No. 1 wrestler in the 101 lb. weight class, Paige Respicio is ranked fourth at 136 lbs. and Ashley Gooman is fifth at 116 pounds.
"It's an improvement," head coach Matt Atwood said. "We've continued to climb every ranking. We still have a handful of girls that aren't in the rankings that I think can compete at that level. Some of the girls that are in the rankings I think are better than they're ranked. We have a big opportunity coming up that I hope we take advantage of."
The Argos have one last tournament before the Cascade Collegiate Conference Tournament on Feb. 27 when the team travels to Iowa for the Grand View Open, which will begin Feb. 5.
"There are 42 teams in that tournament," Atwood said. "All these teams that have girls ranked above us in the rankings, we will see next weekend. We'll see where we stand. We'll have the opportunity to make moves where we need to."
Providence women now 16th in national poll
The University of Providence women's basketball team moved up in the NAIA National Rankings this week to #16, the highest ranking the team has reached the entire season.
"I'm pleased and happy for the girls," head coach Bill Himmelberg said. "We try not to pay too much attention to the rankings, but it's always nice when your peers recognize you. We've had a good run here. I definitely felt like we deserved to move up and I'm pleased that we did."
The Argos (20-3, 7-1), who were previously ranked #22, are currently on a 11-game winning streak. Five of those wins have come against ranked opponents.
"We try not to get too high or too low," Himmelberg said. "We make sure to bring our best effort every night. We want to do the little things and stay humble. Those are the little things that allow you to win so that's what we've been focused on."
The Argos know their path won't get any easier, as three teams from the Frontier Conference are ranked in the Top 25, with another team receiving votes. The squad is tied with #18 Rocky Mountain College at the top of the conference standings, while #7 Carroll College is only a game behind the pair.
"On any given night, anybody can win," Himmelberg said. "Top to bottom, all these teams are good. Carroll is #7 in the country and third in our league. That tells you how good our conference is."
The Argos faced Montana Tech Thursday evening at McLaughlin Center.
This article originally appeared on Great Falls Tribune: Regional Sports Briefs: Bison-Hawks time change; Argo women ranked
