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GUNNISON, Colo. --- The Western Colorado wrestling team opens its season Thursday in Grand Junction as the Mountaineers take on Nebraska-Kearney at 3 p.m. and Colorado Mesa at 6 p.m. at Brownson Arena.
 
The Mountaineers will likely sport a young lineup Thursday with only four upperclassmen on the probable list in seniors Michael Seijo (probable at 165) and Sammy deSeriere (heavyweight) along with juniors Jason Hanenberg (149) and Cody Fatzinger (125).
 
Hanenberg and Fatzinger along with 2020 All-American Patrick Allis enter Thursday ranked in FloWrestling's 2020-21 rankings. Allis – who is moving up to 133 pounds his sophomore campaign after going 27-8 with eight pins at 125 last season and taking second at regionals (was seeded fifth for nationals before it was canceled due to COVID-19) – sits at No. 9 at 133 pounds after earning NWCA Super Region 6 Rookie Wrestler of the Year honors last season. Fatzinger is dropping to 125 and ranked 10th by FloWrestling after going 18-14 last season mainly at 133 and taking fourth at the NCAA Division II Super Regionals. Hanenberg, who is projected to wrestling at 149 this week and was an NCAA national qualifier as a freshman, is ranked 12th at 141 after going 14-10 last season with six pins and taking fourth at super regionals.
 
Allis leads a young, but talented, underclassmen group that may wrestle this weekend that includes sophomores Cole Mortensen (157 – went 11-12 last season, including fifth at nationals), Nicholas Braswell (141 – 8-11) and Hayden Johnson (165 – 5-4), redshirt freshmen Tannen Kennedy (157), Ryan Wilson (157), Cole Hernandez (174) and Stanley Suter (197) and true freshmen Isaiah Gamez (125), Dean Noble (141) and Cole Gray (184).