Scott Swanson
Former Sweet Home wrestler Kris Newport has signed a letter of intent to compete for Montana State University-Northern in Havre.
Newport, who spent the last three years at Southwest Oregon Community College, said he was recruited by MSU-N Head Coach Tyson Thivierge after this year’s junior college national championships, where he missed the awards stand by one match.
“I finished one match away from being a national placer,” said Newport, who is known for his aggressive style on the mat. “I shouldn’t have lost that last one.”
The Lights finished third – by a point – behind archrival Great Falls at the NAIA nationals this year.
“He’s going to wrestle at a university that was nearly second in the nation,” said Sweet Home Coach Steve Thorpe. “What an opportunity for him. I hope he takes advantage of this in the same way he took advantage of his other opportunity.”
Newport acknowledged that a driving force behind his competing and finishing at SWOCC was the naysayers who doubted he would be able to compete in college and survive academically.
“To all the people who said I couldn’t, shouldn’t, wouldn’t – look at me,” he said. “I’m doing it. If you set your mind to it, you can do it.”
His moving on keeps the total of Husky alumni wrestling in college at seven – Tyler Cowger, Brock Crocker, Zach Gill and Scottie Stockman at Southern Oregon University, Colton Schilling at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, and Trever Olson at SWOCC. Cowger, a freshman, finished as an All-American for the Raiders this year, after breaking into the varsity line-up and rolling on into the nationals.
“I’ve got a lot of them wrestling right now and that’s exciting for me,” Thorpe said, noting that he has two more potential college wrestlers in the wings – seniors-to-be Tyler Schilling and Anthony Hardee.
The fact that he has buddies at a league rival – SOU and the Lights are in the same conference – sweetens the deal, Newport said.
He said he decided on MSU-N after some nibbles from others, including Great Falls, because he liked the school and it offers a diesel mechanics program that is a logical progression from the welding emphasis he pursued at SWOCC.
However, he said, he’s considering the possibility of becoming a physical education teacher.
He said Thorpe called MSU-N on his behalf after he got inquiries and told coaches there that if they wanted a technician, Newport might not be the one, but “if they were looking for someone who will fight, I was the guy.”
“I went to Northern and I loved it. The school looks good and I liked the campus.”
Coaches told him he will be “a good fit for the team, attitude-wise,” Newport said.
Thorpe said Newport’s moving on is “quite an accomplishment and quite a journey for Kris to do this.
“He is not an academic person. I think he just didn’t know the word ‘quit.’ Kris is a worker. He was driven by wanting to prove people wrong. He’s just hard-nosed.
“Already, with the degree he’s gotten, he’s ahead of the game. He could go to work tomorrow and make good money.”
The Lights have placed third twice in a row at the NAIA nationals, this year behind four NAIA All-Americans, two of whom made the finals.
Newport said he started his sophomore season at SWOCC at 225 pounds – “I got fat for a little bit” – but cut to 174, then to 165 in time for nationals.
“I know I have the potential to do pretty good,” he said, noting that he plans to wrestle at 157 at Northern, where he will start on Aug. 27. “Their 157 guy just graduated and I want that spot.”