GUNNISON, Colo.  Western Colorado wrestling entered Wednesday's Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference match against No. 16 Colorado Mesa University riding a five-match win streak, but with the conference title on the line it was the visiting Mavericks pulling out the win to capture the RMAC trophy and halt the Mountaineers' string on Senior Night at Paul Wright Gymnasium.

Seniors Sammy deSeriere, Cody Fatzinger, Seth Lisowski and Espen Weber were presented to the raucous crowd in a pre-match ceremony.

JUST THE FACTS
Final score: Colorado Mesa def. Western Colorado, 26-16
Records: Western Colorado 8-8 (5-2 RMAC), Colorado Mesa 12-2 (7-0)
Location: Paul Wright Gymnasium, Gunnison, Colo.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Mesa staked itself to a 9-0 lead after the opening three matches of the night, winning at 125, 133 and 141 by four-point, four-point and three-point decisions, respectively.
• The gap was more than halved by Jason Hanenberg at 149, who earned an early escape after Mesa's Nick Gallegos scored the first take-down, followed by a crushing takedown by Hanenberg. It did not take long for the Mountaineer to put Gallegos on his back, finishing the bout with a pin at just the 1 minute, 26-second mark of the first period.
• The momentum seemed to have switched benches with Western sending Ryan Wilson to the mat at 157, the Mountaineers trailing now by only a 9-6 score. Momentum can be fickle, however, and it quickly flowed back toward the Mesa bench as the Mavericks' Ryan Wheeler pinned Wilson at the 2:18 mark of the first.
• Hunter Mullin worked to turn the tide at 165, breaking free from a 4-4 tie after two periods to score nine points in the third – including a near fall – ultimately finishing the bout with a 14-6 major decision. The four points he earned for the result brought Western to within five of Mesa, 15-10.
• The Mavericks iced the team victory over the next three matches, though, sandwiching a pair of majors around a 9-4 decision at 184.
• Though the match – and RMAC title – had been decided, deSeriere was still to step onto the mat for what was most likely his final appearance at Paul Wright Gym. The senior led 5-0 before Mesa's Gabe Carranza needed to surrender by medical forfeit.

MAT NOTES

• In addition to Senior Night, the match was also an Operation Red event at which the first 500 fans through the doors received free Operation Red t-shirts.
• Western had reeled off five consecutive wins leading up Wednesday's match. The Mountaineers had defeated RMAC foes New Mexico Highlands University (39-6), Colorado State University Pueblo (28-8), No. 14 Adams State (22-17) and Chadron State College (43-9), with a 32-12 non-conference victory over Simon Fraser University right in the middle of those four league matches.

UP NEXT
The Mountaineers will head to Grand Junction, Colorado, for the NCAA Super Region 6 event on Saturday, February 26. Colorado Mesa will host the regional.