With contributions from Brian Coppess

INDIANAPOLIS  Western Colorado wrestling on Saturday earned a fourth-place finish at the NCAA Division II Wrestling Championship, equaling the program's highest finish since a fourth at the 2004 national event.

The Mountaineers also claimed four All-Americans with Jason Hanenberg and Hunter Mullin earning national runner-up finishes, Patrick Allis wrestling to third place, and Cole Hernandez earning a sixth-place finish.

JUST THE FACTS
Event: NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships
Top teams: 1 – Oklahoma Christian, 117.0 points; 2 – Lander, 78.0 pts., 3 – St. Cloud State, 64.5 pts. 4 – Western Colorado, 61.0 pts., 5 – Adams State, 58.5 pts.
Location: Alliant Energy PowerHouse, Cedar Rapids, Iowa

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Already assured of an All-American nod, seventh-seeded Patrick Allis was the first Mountaineer to make it official on Saturday. He began his day on the consolation side of the 125-pound bracket with a solid 9-1 decision over Tiffin's Brandon Mendoza, then advanced to the third-place match by a medical forfeit from West Liberty's Cole Leya, the No. 1 seed.
• Third-seeded James Joplin from Lander was the waiting opponent, but Joplin never got into gear as Allis dictated action from the opening period. The two felt things out for most of that period but once Allis scored the match's initial takedown late in the first, the momentum never left his side.
• Joplin's choice of bottom to start the second was the correct choice, but only for a moment as his escape was quickly negated by an Allis takedown and 30 seconds later a four-point nearfall. Leading 8-1 heading into the third, Allis picked up an early penalty point on Joplin's second stall call then managed the remaining time and eventually added in the ride time point to secure third place for his third All-American certificate.
• Sixth-seeded Cole Hernandez also opened his Saturday with a win, powering to a 13-7 decision over Ashland's Nate Barrett in the 174 bracket. The roll forward was halted, though, in Hernandez' next match in which Fort Hays State's Cade Lindsey made it two in a row with a 9-3 decision that follows his first-period pin of Hernandez at the Super Region VI championship two weeks prior.
• The defeat pushed Hernandez into the fifth-place match against No. 2 seed Max Bruss of University of Mary. Bruss earned a takedown near the end of the first minute of the match, but Hernandez managed an escape to halve his deficit. A Bruss takedown with one minute left in the period turned hazardous as it evolved into a 4-point nearfall in the finals seconds that left Hernandez trailing 8-1.
• A second period takedown helped Hernandez as did another in the third, but Bruss escaped each time to evade the dangerous positions Hernandez was working for, and the first-period lead Bruss had opened eventually held up for an 11-5 decision. Bruss earned fifth place while Hernandez finished the tournament in sixth place, but with his first All-American honor.
• On the championship side of the brackets, both Hanenberg at 149 and Mullin at 165 pulled off upsets in earning spots in their respective championship finals.
• Hanenberg, seeded fifth, took down the No. 1 seed, Jacob Ealy of Pitt-Johnstown, behind a strong 7-1 decision. Hanenberg managed one takedown in each period with an added escape point in the second, while allowing Ealy just a single escape in the opening period during the semifinal upset.
• Mullin, the No. 5 seed, had already knocked off the top seed in the quarterfinals, then took down fourth-seeded David Hunsberger of Lander in the semis. Mullin piled up points for a 7-3 lead after the first period, then equaled any points Hunsberger managed over the remaining two periods for the 10-6, mild, upset.
• However, neither Hanenberg nor Mullin could further their climbs up the podium, as each were dealt defeats in their respective championship matches, though both earned All-America recognition – Mullin's second and Hanenberg's first.
• A scoreless first period between Hanenberg and nemesis Josiah Rider of Adams State – of Hanenberg's six losses during a 31-6 season, three had come against the second-seeded Rider – turned fateful in the second. Choosing to start the second on the bottom, Hanenberg was caught 46 seconds into the period by a tight cradle from Rider who earned the fall at the 3:46 mark.
• Two championship bouts later, Mullin squared up against No. 3 seed Chase Luensman of Upper Iowa. The pair entered the second period tied 3-3, with Luensman earning a 5-4 advantage to take into the third.
• Luensman picked bottom to start the period and quickly managed an escape for a two-point lead. He added a takedown nearing the one-minute mark but Mullin erased part of those two points with a quick escape.
• After an escape and now trailing 8-5 with time running out, Mullin had no choice but to play catch and release. He managed a takedown with 14 seconds left (8-7), released Luensman (9-7) but ran out of time to execute another takedown that would have evened the match, allowing Luensman to escape with the two-point championship victory.

MAT NOTES

• Hanenberg's 19 team points tied for sixth most at the championship.
• Allis scored 18 team points, 13th most, with Mullin scoring 15 team points.
• Western finished the championship as the highest placing Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference team at the event.