INDIANAPOLIS  The 21st-ranked Western Colorado Mountaineers will make their annual mid-season trip to Indianapolis for the 44th Midwest Classic on Saturday and Sunday, December 16 and 17.

Western will take a cast of nine wrestlers to the two-day event, one that will include over 50 teams, including most of the teams in the NWCA top-25 such as No. 1 Lander (S.C.) University and six other teams within the ranking's top 10.

On the Mountaineers' travel roster is Cole Hernandez, the nation's third-ranked wrestler at 174 pounds who last year placed seventh at the Classic in that weight class. The expected lineup this year is as follows:

• 125: Roberto Estrada (4-4 record)
• 133: OPEN
• 141: Noah Kasprowicz (6-5)
• 149: Dean Noble (9-3)
• 157: Ryan Wilson (7-2)
• 165: Ryan Dirksen (2-1)
• 174: Hernandez (8-1)
• 184: Cole Gray (4-4)
• 197: Sage Harrison (9-7)
• 285: Zachary Schraeder (0-2)

Western finished 23rd at the 2022 Classic, with Hernandez and 2023 graduate Jason Hanenberg (149) earning spots on their respective bracket podiums.

The Mountaineers enter the weekend with a 2-2 overall record and a 1-0 mark in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference action, that league win coming over San Francisco State on Dec. 1. The other victory was by a tiebreak (21-20) over then-No. 18 Nebraska-Kearney.

LOOKING AHEAD

• The Mountaineers will host the Western Colorado Open on Fri., Jan. 5, followed by the Tracy Borah Duals the next day.
• Western jumps back into RMAC action on Jan. 13 with a visit from Colorado School of Mines.