GUNNISON – Western State Colorado University men's wrestling team will host the 2016 Youth Dual Night featuring the Gunnison Dusters and the Montrose Little Indians, Saturday at 4:30 p.m. in the Paul Wright Gymnasium. Following the dual at 7 p.m.Western State will dual Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference foe Chadron State College and celebrate the 2016 Mountaineer wrestling senior class.
The doors for the Youth dual will open at 4 p.m. for the public. Following the dual, both teams are invited to join the Western State wrestling program for a team pizza party.
Also during intermission of the college dual, both teams will hit the mat again for a tug-of-war competition. After the Western State dual the Mountaineers will be available to meet and greet the youth wrestlers as well as sign team posters for the youth to take home.
The Mountaineers are returning from the reinstatement of the RMAC Championships tournament two weeks ago. The team finished second to Cal-Baptist University, leaving them with the third-best ranking in the region going into the Super Regionals. Western also finished rivals Adams State last weekend in an easy 30-11 victory.
The Mountaineers are led by three seniors. Corbin Bennetts and Austin Harris both finished as RMAC Champions in the tournament and are the No. 1-ranked wrestling in Super Regions IV. They will be joined by teammate Tyler Adams in celebration as their final duals in Paul Wright Gymnasium.
Other Western wrestlers to watch are Ronnie Wardleigh, Travis Bradford and Brandon Supernaw. Wardleigh is ranked fourth in the region in the 125-lb weight class, while both Bradford and Supernaw are ranked fifth in their weight classes. Wrestlers that finish in the top-four at the Super Regionals, Friday February 26th and Saturday the 26th, will qualify for the NCAA DII National Tournament.
