GREAT FALLS – The University of Providence announced the signings of three student-athletes to its wrestling program this week, including Montanans Wyatt Van Pelt and Carter Beer.
Tucker Naccarato, from Payson High School in Payson, Utah, also signed.
Van Pelt, from Billings West, placed at the Class AA state wrestling championships the past two seasons. He was fourth this past year at 113 pounds and fourth at 103 pounds in 2019.
"Wyatt will be a great addition to the university of Argos' wrestling team," UP head coach Steve Komac said in a release. "Wyatt is a very competitive young man with a solid skill set. I believe the skill set Wyatt brings from (Billings West coach Jeremy) Hernandez's program will transfer well into college wrestling. We are excited to add another Montana wrestler to our program and Wyatt will bring some much needed depth to our lower weights."
Beer, a heavyweight, was a Southern B/C divisional champion for Columbus last season.
"We continue to add strength and numbers in our upper weights with the signing of Carter," Komac said. "I got a chance to watch Carter wrestle a few times this year in person, and a couple things that stood out to me is he is extremely talented and not intimidated by any opponent. I watched him give some of the best kids in the state a run for their money and I see lots of potential for Carter to continue to improve."
In addition to wrestling, Beer will also join the Providence rodeo team.
"Carter is going to be a nice addition to the rodeo team in the sense that his work ethic will be contagious amongst the others," rodeo head coach Sylvan La Cross said. "He's taken an interest in steer wrestling as of late and his size and athletic ability are going to be a dangerous combination when we can get in the practice pen and start fine-tuning his newfound passion."
Naccarato was a four-time state placer, including a second-place finish as a senior.
"Tucker is a very accomplished wrestler that has represented Utah at state and national all-star events," Komac said. "We watched a lot of matches Tucker wrestled in and knew he would be a great addition to our program. Tucker is a good student-athlete that we believe will be successful on and off the mat. Tucker comes from a good family and has many outdoor hobbies that will work well with our location and resources here in Montana so we think this is a great fit."
(Editor's note: Portions of University of Providence media releases were used in this report.)
