LAS VEGAS, N.M. – Midway through Tuesday night's final dual of the season against New Mexico Highlands University, No. 15 Western State Colorado University wrestling was on the ropes. The Mountaineers trailed, 3-16. However, Western won the final five bouts to pull-off a 23-16 win on the road.
 
No. 8 Trenton Piatt put the Mountaineers into the lead, winning the 125-pound match by 11-3 decision. It would be the only win for Western in the first five matches of the night.
 
NMHU won two decisions at 133 pounds and 157 pounds, while winning the 149-pound contest by major decision and the 141-pound match by fall to take a 16-3 lead with five matches remaining.
 
In order to win, Western needed at minimum a decision win in each of the final five bouts.
 
At 165-pounds Western's Ryan Pellow dominated the bout, not allowing a single takedown, winning by 17-1 technical fall. This put the Mountaineers down 8-16.
 
No. 5 Brandon Supernaw put Western within striking distance, winning his 174-pound match by 17-5 major decision. With three matches remaining in the dual the Mountaineers trailed the Cowboys 12-16.
 
Like Pellow at 165 pounds, teammate Brendan Gonzales held his opponent without a takedown in the 184-pound match. In fact, Gonzales shut his opponent out, winning by 8-0 major decision.
 
With only two matches remaining, the Mountaineers and NMHU were tied 16-16 in Las Vegas.
 
At 197 pounds, No. 5 Konnor Schmidt put the Mountaineers back into the lead with a 15-4 major decision victory. It was the fourth straight bonus-point victory for the Mountaineers.
 
Although the win put Western ahead by four points, 20-16, the Cowboys could still win the dual with a technical fall or pin in the final match of the night.
 
However, Western's 285-pound Sammy deSeriere was up to the task. Sammy deSeriere used a couple late takedowns to solidify the Mountaineer dual victory, winning by 9-6 decision.
 
Western ends the regular season with an overall 12-4 dual record and a 5-1 dual record against Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference teams.
 
Next up for the Mountaineers is the NCAA Region IV Championships on Feb. 23-24 in Las Vegas, New Mexico. The tournament serves as the qualifier for the NCAA Division II Championships on March 9-10 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.