#13 Colorado School of Mines vs. Colorado Mesa, Wednesday, 7 p.m. [Live Video] [Live Results]
#13 Colorado School of Mines hosts the Rocky Mountain Collegiate Open, Sunday, 10 a.m. [Live Results]
 

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THIS WEEK
It will be a busy home week for the Orediggers as they close out the regular season with a pair of events, wrestling Colorado Mesa on Wednesday night in their dual finale at Volk Gym before hosting the annual Rocky Mountain Collegiate Open Sunday at Steinhauer Fieldhouse.

CHASING HISTORY
Since 1923, Mines Wrestling has had a decorated history, with seven national champions, five national top-10 team finishes, and 50 all-Americans. But there's one thing that Mines has never won: an RMAC title. They have a chance to win at least a share of one Wednesday night when they take on Colorado Mesa; at 5-1 in RMAC duals, Mines is tied with Adams State atop the standings, with CSU-Pueblo (4-1) and Western Colorado (3-1) also having one loss but having two and three duals left, respectively. With no one-day RMAC Tournament this season, the RMAC championship will be determined by the best regular-season dual winning percentage; a win by Mines would ensure them at least a tie for the best record in the conference, and the RMAC recognizes all tied teams as co-champions. 

SENIOR NIGHT
Before Wednesday night's meet, Mines will honor its five seniors as they wrestle their final home dual: Noah Au-Yeung, Lukas Erickson, Keenan Willits, Ben Krantz, and Brandon Saunders. The five have helped lead a rebirth of Mines wrestling in their careers, including a combined 32-17 dual record and the only senior class in program history with back-to-back 10-win seasons. Combined they own 191 individual wins in their careers.

IN THE RANKINGS
Mines debuted at #13 in this week's NWCA Dual Team rankings. Mines is one of four RMAC teams to appear in the poll along with #7 Adams State, #9 CSU-Pueblo, and #17 Western Colorado, with Colorado Mesa receiving votes.

GOING FOR MORE
At 10-3, Mines has matched its record from a year ago that represents its best dual record of the NCAA era dating back to 1992. The Orediggers have a chance to set a new program record for wins with a victory on Wednesday.

THE RMCO
Sunday's Rocky Mountain Collegiate Open will be a multi-mat, bracketed tournament at Steinhauer Fieldhouse, with 30 teams represented at the one-day event. Mines found success at last year's RMCO with third-place finishes by Jake Feldman and Ryan Carpenter, while Noah Au-Yeung was headed to the final before withdrawing as was Lukas Erickson. The event is commonly used by the Orediggers to prep and wrestle off before NCAA Regionals, as well as get mat experience for the squad's younger wrestlers.

LAST YEAR VS. COLORADO MESA
Mines and Colorado Mesa wrestled a great dual last year as CMU came away on top 20-18. Both teams won five bouts, but the Mavericks picked up bonus points in three of those wins to make the difference. Zach Gracia, Noah Au-Yeung, Keenan Willits, Connor Ventura, and Anthony Spallino picked up wins for Mines, all by decision except for Willits, who earned a first-period pin over Marc Farina.

LEADING THE WAY
Robert Gambrell has been Mines' on-mat leader this season, sporting the team's best overall record (14-2 / 11-1 duals) and most dual points (49) at 174 pounds; Keenan Willits is next with 10 wins at 10-7 (8-5 duals) and 36 dual points, while Skyler Lykins has also been racking up points with 35 thanks to an 8-6 record. Both Lykins and Brandon Saunders have a team-best four falls, while Willits leads the team with three tech falls and Gambrell has five major decisions.

LOOKING AHEAD
Mines will head to NCAA Regional Championships to begin the postseason on Feb. 23 at Kearney, Neb.
 

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PROJECTED MATCHES – #13 MINES vs. COLORADO MESA
125 - Matt Lavengood (8-8) vs. Tim Romero (9-14)
133 - Jake Woods (7-6) vs. Bracken Lovell (12-13)
141 - Lukas Erickson (8-8) vs. #7 Eduardo Penha (15-2)
149 - Noah Ottum (9-7) vs. Daniel Van Hoose (10-11)
157 - Skyler Lykins (8-6) vs. Luke Au Yeung (4-15)
165 - Keenan Willits (10-7) vs. Jason Buhr (15-4)
174 - Robert Gambrell (14-2) vs. Seth Latham (14-10)
184 - Connor Ventura (8-5) vs. Nolan Krone (23-7)
197 - Jake Feldman (8-7) vs. TJ Lodermeier (12-10)
285 - Weston Hunt (8-4) vs. Hunter Mooring (12-14)