Mines vs. New Mexico Highlands [RMAC Network] [Live Results]
Volk Gymnasium - Thursday, Nov. 30 - 6 p.m.

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OREDIGGERS OPEN RMAC SCHEDULE AT HOME
With the season still young, Colorado School of Mines returns home to host New Mexico Highlands on Thursday in the RMAC dual opener for both squads. Mines (1-0) will host Faculty and Staff Appreciation Night at Volk Gym during the 6 p.m. meet. The dual will stream live on the RMAC Network at minesathletics.com/tv and live results will be available at minesathletics.com/wreslive. 

LAST TIME OUT
Mines placed five wrestlers in their last outing at the Younes Hospitality Open on Nov. 18 led by Cody Thompson's Elite 149 win. Grayston DiBlasi placed fifth at Elite 141 and Tristin David was fourth at Elite 165, and in the Amateur brackets, Trebor Moreno placed sixth at 133 pounds, and Wyatt Reisz ended on a win to be third at 174 pounds. Cade Whish went 5-1 and was on his way to placing before hitting his match limit at heavyweight. 

A WINNING START
Mines got its dual season off to a winning start on Nov. 9 as they were nearly perfect in defeating Otero College 56-0. The Orediggers won four times via fall and had bonus points in every match as they dominated every weight class, surrendering only one takedown and one escape in the dual. Trebor Moreno (133), Grayston DiBlasi (141), Cody Thompson (149), and Cade Whish (285) all recorded first-period falls, with both Moreno's and DiBlasi's coming in the first minute. Jakob Smith and Wyatt Reisz worked back points to technical falls at 165 and 174, respectively, as Smith won 18-0 in the second period, and Reisz opened the third period with a takedown to seal an 18-1 win. Daniel Caddy's 157-pound bout was the only one to go the distance, but Caddy did not surrender a point in a 9-0 major decision. It was Mines' most points scored in a dual since the 1985-86 season when they had a "perfect dual" winning 60-0 against Dubuque. 

THOMPSON WINS RMAC HONOR
Cody Thompson was the RMAC Wrestler of the Week on Nov. 21 after he won the Younes Hospitality Open's 149-pound Elite bracket. Thompson is 6-0 this season as he picked up a fall, major, and three decisions at that tournament, including an upset win over #12 John Burger of UNK, 13-6 in sudden victory, in the final.

IN THE POLLS
Mines appeared in fifth place in the RMAC preseason coaches' poll, with favorite Adams State topping the list ahead of Colorado Mesa, Western Colorado, and Chadron State. The NWCA national preseason poll had the Orediggers receiving votes with Grayston DiBlasi ranked #10 at 141 pounds; DiBlasi is also ranked #11 in this week's OpenMat poll, and Christian Lopez is #15 at 125 pounds as well.

THE SERIES
Mines and New Mexico Highlands are wrestling for the 24th time in a series that dates back to 1977. Mines holds a 16-7 series advantage including five consecutive wins.

AT THE HELM
Head Coach Austin DeVoe is in his 11th season in charge of the Mines Wrestling program, having rebuilt the Orediggers into a national contender with a pair of RMAC titles, seven all-Americans, and seven Academic All-Americans in his tenure. With 69 dual wins under his belt, Mines has had six consecutive winning dual seasons including the only three double-digit win seasons in program history, and Mines tied the program record for wins last year at 11-2. On the national stage, Mines has had team success as well including an 11th-place finish in 2022 which was the program's best finish since the 1990s. 

DIBLASI MOVING UP THE RANKS
Speaking of Grayston DiBlasi, the junior has been putting up wins at a historic pace in his two years in Golden, and he is already climbing up the Orediggers' all-time falls list. His 22 career pins already has him tied for seventh all-time at Mines, and at 60-16 in two seasons, DiBlasi is on pace to potentially be the first Oredigger in 30 years to challenge for 100 career wins.

DOUBLE DIGITS
At 11-2 in duals last season, Mines tied the program record for wins (11-3 in 2018-19) and racked up double digit wins for the third time overall under Austin DeVoe. Prior to DeVoe taking over the program, Mines had never won 10 or more duals in a season dating back to 1920. 

NEXT UP
Mines will wrestle at the always-tough Midwest Classic in Indianapolis on Dec. 16-17 to close out 2023. They will not return home until Feb. 3 when they host Adams State.
 

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PROJECTED BOUTS - MINES vs. NEW MEXICO HIGHLANDS
125 - Christian Lopez (1-0) vs. Rhys Sellers
133 - Trebor Moreno (6-1) vs. Julius Kohn 
141 - #10 Grayston DiBlasi (6-2) vs. Joseph Misitano 
149 - Cody Thompson (6-0) vs. Deklyn Miller 
157 - Daniel Caddy (1-2) vs. Evan Killgore 
165 - Jakob Smith (2-2) vs. Ivan Smith Jr. 
174 - Wyatt Reisz (6-1) vs. Thomas Tolbert 
184 - Mason Diel (4-2) vs. Jacob Castillo 
197 - Deandre Rucker (2-2) vs. Zachary Ferris 
285 - Cade Whish (9-3) vs. Jayden Johnson 
165 EXTRA - Tristin David (3-2) vs. Andres Grano
184 EXTRA - Garrett Bakarich (0-2) vs. Zackary Small