GOLDEN, Colo. - #16 Colorado School of Mines began its wrestling season with a dominating 31-6 win over #12 Fort Hays State on Thursday.

The Orediggers (1-0) won eight bouts including falls by Noah Ottum at 149 pounds and #8 Skyler Lykins at 165. 

The match began at 125 with Jake Stogdill defeating Broderick Green 7-3, and freshman Gabe Martinez impressed as he nearly pulled off the upset at 133 against #2 Mason Turner, taking him to sudden victory in an 8-6 loss.

Mines then reeled off four straight wins beginning with Wes Rayburn's defensive 2-0 decision against Rhett Edmonson at 141, and Ottum pinned Josh Lenker in 1:39 at 149. Carter Noehre's first-period takedown was the only scoring in a 2-0 win against Anthony Scantlin at 157, and Lykins pinned Nick Lucas 38 seconds into the second period after a reversal put Lucas on his back.

KJ Kearns battled a tough #6 Marty Verhaeghe at 174 but fell 3-0, but Mines secured the win thanks to #6 Anderson Salisbury's 6-0 decision over Clint Herrick at 184, and Nolan Funk hanging on for a 12-11 win against Tereus Henry at 197. The heavyweight match featured two competitors ranked in the NWCA top 10 with #5 Weston Hunt beating #10 AJ Cooper 4-2. Hunt used an explosive reversal into a nearfall-two early in the second period to secure his victory, surrendering only two escapes to Cooper. 

The dual also featured 10 exhibition matches with Mines winning eight; Christian Lopez won by major decision 18-7, Tyler Krause, Zach Krause, and Tristan David all picked up first-period falls, Teague Dilbeck and Levi Farris won decisions, and Jack Damenti worked a 17-2 technical fall. The highlight of the night was in a 174-pound exhibition as Ryan Fidel upset Verhaeghe in a 9-8 thriller; Fidel found a nearfall-four in the first period and then did enough in the third to maintain a riding time edge for the victory.

NOTABLES
- Christian Lopez, Tyler Krause, Zach Krause, Tristan David, and Levi Farris all picked up their first official wins as Orediggers.
- Mines won its third in a row over the Tigers.
- The Orediggers' 25-point margin of victory was their largest over Fort Hays State since a 34-6 win in 1978.
- Mines has won six straight season dual openers dating back to 2014-15.

NEXT UP
Sunday's meet against Western Colorado has been postponed; Mines is next scheduled to host Colorado Mesa on Jan. 23. 
 

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#16 Colorado School of Mines 31, #12 Fort Hays State 6 [Full Scoring]
125: Jake Stogdill (MINES) over Broderick Green (FHSU) (Dec 7-3) 
133: #2 Mason Turner (FHSU) over Gabe Martinez (MINES) (SV-1 8-6) 
141: Wes Rayburn (MINES) over Rhett Edmonson (FHSU) (Dec 2-0) 
149: Noah Ottum (MINES) over Josh Lenker (FHSU) (Fall 1:39) 
157: Carter Noehre (MINES) over Anthony Scantlin (FHSU) (Dec 2-0) 
165: #8 Skyler Lykins (MINES) over Nick Lucas (FHSU) (Fall 3:38) 
174: #6 Martin Verhaeghe (FHSU) over KJ Kearns (MINES) (Dec 3-0) 
184: #6 Anderson Salisbury (MINES) over Clint Herrick (FHSU) (Dec 6-0) 
197: Nolan Funk (MINES) over Tereus Henry (FHSU) (Dec 12-11) 
285: #5 Weston Hunt (MINES) over #10 AJ Cooper (FHSU) (Dec 4-2)
(Fort Hays State penalized one team point for unsportsmanlike conduct)

EXTRA MATCHES
125  Extra: Christian Lopez (MINES) over Rhett Koppes (FHSU) (MD 18-7)
125  Extra: Tyler Krause (MINES) over Colin Cole (FHSU) (Fall 0:57)
141  Extra: Teague Dilbeck (MINES) over Rhett Edmonson (FHSU) (Dec 9-5)
149  Extra: Zach Krause (MINES) over Josh Lenker (FHSU) (Fall 1:25)
157  Extra: Jack Damenti (MINES) over Cody Hicks (FHSU) (TF 17-2 4:35)
157  Extra: Tristin David (MINES) over Kadin Heacock (FHSU) (Fall 1:25)
174  Extra: Levi Farris (MINES) over Clint Herrick (FHSU) (Dec 5-2)
174  Extra: Ryan Fidel (MINES) over Martin Verhaeghe (FHSU) (Dec 9-8)
285  Extra: Anthony Caldwell (FHSU) over Mike True (MINES) (Dec 3-2)
285  Extra: Caleb Willis (FHSU) over Anthony Atria (MINES) (Dec 10-6)