GUNNISON, Colo. --- In the Western Colorado wrestling team's "Operation Red" promotion Wednesday night, the Mountaineers gave away shirts that read "#PinCity" across the front.

WCU lived up to that moniker against Colorado Mesa.

The Mountaineers earned pins in four of the first five matches of the night to build a sizable lead and hung on for a 24-20 victory in front of an energetic crowd at Paul Wright Gym.

The win secures second place in the RMAC for the Mountaineers at 6-1 - only finishing behind 7-0 Colorado School of Mines - while Colorado Mesa finishes in third at 5-2.

Patrick Allis - ranked 10th at 125 pounds - got things rolling for the Mountaineers as he pinned Colorado Mesa's Collin Metzgar in the opening period (2:42). WCU's Cody Fatzinger followed with a fall at 133 pounds, pinning Dylan Keeney in the third period to make it 12-0 Mountaineers.

In the quickest fall of the night, Jason Hanenberg came out aggressive for WCU and pinned Daniel Van Hoose of Colorado Mesa in 1:16 to make it 18-0 Mountaineers. After WCU was pinned at 149 pounds (and the Mavs were deducted a point after that match for unsportsmanlike conduct), Mountaineer freshman Cole Mortensen nearly bested Hanenberg for the quickest fall of the night as he pinned Colorado Mesa's Dylan Ranieri in 1:34 to make it 24-6 Mountaineers at the intermission.

Though WCU dropped the next five matches, it did so by decision in each to keep its lead and win the dual 24-20.

Up next for the Mountaineers is the NCAA Division II Region VI Championships set for Feb. 29 in Kearney, Nebraska.

BOX SCORE
Western Colorado 24, Colorado Mesa 20
125: Patrick Allis (WCU) over Collin Metzgar (CMU) (Fall 2:42) 133: Cody Fatzinger (WCU) over Dylan Keeney (CMU) (Fall 6:27) 141: Jason Hanenberg (WCU) over Daniel Van Hoose (CMU) (Fall 1:16) 149: Dyllan Fuch (CMU) over Giovanni Cassioppi (WCU) (Fall 5:28) 157: Cole Mortensen (WCU) over Dylan Ranieri (CMU) (Fall 1:34) 165: Fred Green (CMU) over Hunter Mullin (WCU) (Dec 6-0) 174: Seth Latham (CMU) over Jimmy LaConte (WCU) (Dec 5-1) 184: Nolan Krone (CMU) over Ruger Wyneken (WCU) (Dec 12-5) 197: Donald Negus (CMU) over Kris Davis (WCU) (Dec 5-2) 285: Hunter Mooring (CMU) over Sammy deSeriere (WCU) (Dec 5-2) (CMU Unsportsmanlike Conduct -1.0)