Final Brackets

GOLDEN, Colo. - The 2023-24 wrestling season officially kicked off Sunday as Colorado School of Mines had eight attached wrestlers in action at the Mines Rookie Open.

Cade Whish headed up three placers for the Orediggers, taking fourth at 285 pounds, with Jaron Mahler winning the consolation bracket for fifth at 157 and Carson Dulitz coming in eighth at 149 pounds.

In his official Oredigger debut, Whish battled to fourth place at 285 pounds, going 3-2. Whish dominated his first two matches with pins, then beat unattached Jeisser Sanchez 2-0 in the quarterfinals before suffering a fall against UNC's Andrew Blackburn-Forst in the semis. Whish withdrew from the third-place match to end up fourth. 

Mahler made his Mines debut with a fifth-place finish at 157, bouncing back from an opening-round loss to go 5-1 with five straight wins in the consolation bracket. Mahler's wins included two falls and three high-scoring major decisions, including an 11-3 major over Western Wyoming's Colton Erickson in the fifth-place match to win the left side of the bracket.

Dulitz placed eighth at 149 with a 3-2 day that included two wins to start the day as he made it to the consolation semifinals. 

Niko Mayo went 1-2 at 149 pounds, opening his season with a first-minute pin before running into two losses. Grant Crownhart was also 1-2 at 165 pounds with his win coming by fall over Utah Tech's Victor Boston, and Avery Krippner was 2-2 at 174 with one of his wins, against Sacramento State's Casper Kazinski, coming in a first-minute fall. Jeffery Morosini suffered a pair of losses at 197 to end his day early, as did Charlie Holub at 285.

Mines will make its dual season debut Thursday, hosting Otero College at 6 p.m. in Volk Gym.