Thief River Falls, Minn. - 

Northland Community & Technical College will host the 2023 NJCAA Region XIII Wrestling Tournament Sunday, Feb. 19 with matches beginning at 10 a.m. 

Teams competing in the tournament include the host Pioneers, defending champion Rochester Community & Technical College, defending runner-up Minnesota North College-Itasca, Ridgewater College and Minnesota West Community & Technical College.

The Region XIIII Tournament doubles as the NJCAA Northern Plains District Tournament and Minnesota College Athletic Conference Tournament. In addition to earning MCAC honors, the top wrestlers in each of the 10 weight classes will qualify for the 2023 NJCAA National Wrestling Championship. The NJCAA National Tournament will be held two weeks later, March 3-4 at the Mid America Center in Council Bluffs, Iowa. 

The top-scoring team in the tournament will win the 2023 MCAC Championship.

MCAC Tournament Notes:
• From 2004 through 2016, Region XIII was paired with Region XI to form the North Central District.
• The highest-placing MCAC team was declared the Region XIII champion each year from 2004-2016
• The highest-placing MCAC team was declared the MCAC champion each year from 2004-2014. 
• Itasca won the Region XIII championship in 2015.
• Ridgewater won the Region XIII championship from 2004-12 and again in 2016.
• Rochester won the Region XIII championship in 2013, 2014, 2017-22
• Rochester has won the MCAC Individual Conference Tournament each year since 2013.
• In 2015 and 2016, the MCAC tournament was contested as a stand-alone tournament with each team allowed two entries per weight class

Northland notes:
• Northland added wrestling in 2013-14
• The Pioneers are the only team in the MCAC to have at least one Region XIII champion each year from 2014-22
• Northland wrestlers have combined to win 12 MCAC/Region XIII individual championships from 2014-22
• The Pioneers were MCAC/Region XIII Tournament runners-up in 2017, 2018 and 2020
• Northland finished second to Rochester in the MCAC dual standings in 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2020