GREAT FALLS — Pride is one of the main reasons you can find five exceptional wrestlers on the roster at the University of Providence.
Having had many different options to choose from when making their college decisions, these five chose to stay home and represent the city of Great Falls. Dre Coles, Ethan DeRoche, Jordan Komac and Liam Swanson all attended Great Falls High while fellow teammate KC Buday was across the river at Great Falls CMR. They're all now together with the Argos.
“When I think about Great Falls, I think about pride and that nitty gritty, just getting it done. You weren’t handed anything, you just got to get it down,” said Swanson.
“I will always be proud to be from Great Falls and I will always love this place,” added Komac. “The support here is just incredible. You can’t beat it.”
Choosing to stay home and wrestle for the Argos even helped Buday find his love for the sport again. After finishing his high school career with the Rustlers, Buday had no plans to wrestle in college but during his college journey he found Providence and began to love the sport once again.
Pride and love for wrestling aren’t the only reasons you will find these athletes on the mat for the Argos, though. The program has been trending up year after year, and it has a lot to do with what is going on in their practice room.
“The practice partners here are amazing. When it comes to competition, everything is a step up from high school .You come in here, you get to learn, you get pushed to your max, and everyday is just getting better,” said Coles.
“A lot of the reason I’ve gotten so much better and progressed is the partners,” added Swanson. “Having different partners and partners that can push you and give you different looks is what makes me grow the most.”
The Argos have made leaps in the NAIA rankings every year over the past four years. Currently ranked No. 8, the team believes this is a a special group that can get the job done.
Komac told MTN Sports that he used his fifth year eligibility because he saw something special in this team and had to be apart of it as they chase the trophy.
