GUNNISON, Colo.   A postponed first match of the season has Western Colorado wrestling now officially opening its 2024-25 slate with a visit from sixth-ranked University of Nebraska Kearney on Thursday night. The original opener, against New Mexico Highlands University will follow on Saturday in Paul Wright Gym.

WESTERN COLORADO HEADING INTO THE MATCH

• The Mountaineers initiated the season schedule by rolling to a 52-0 exhibition win over visiting Northeastern (Colo.) Junior College.
• In that match Western earned bonus-point wins in all 10 matches, including five pins, two technical falls and three major decisions.
• Roberto Estrada started the night off with a fall just 105 seconds into his match at 125 pounds. Devin Gomez then added another pin, at 4:09 of the 133 match, followed by a commanding 15-1 major by Eyan Chavez at 141.
• Dean Noble at 149 and Hunter Richardson at 184 also recorded pins, Richardson's the fastest of the night at just 49 seconds into his bout.
• Richardson, a redshirt freshman, was Western's headliner at the Colorado School of Mines Rookie Open, taking third place in the 184 bracket.
• Last season at Paul Wright Gym, the Mountaineers earned a 21-20 win over Nebraska-Kearney on a tie-breaking point. Late in the season in Las Vegas, N.M., Western defeated the host Cowboys, 36-10.

NEBRASKA-KEARNEY HEADING INTO THE MATCH

• The Lopers opened their schedule in Little Rock, Arkansas, on Nov. 3 with a 42-4 rout of Ouachita Baptist. Later that afternoon they took on Division I host Arkansas-Little Rock, dropping a 38-10 decision to the Trojans.
• Nebraska-Kearney finished last season with an 18-4 record in duals and were 4-1 against Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association opponents. The Lopers took first place at the 2024 NCAA Super Region VI Championship, and were third at the NCAA Division II Championship.
• Returning from that squad that participated at nationals are Zach Ourada, Kaden Hart, Trenton Munoz, Jackson Kinsella and Crew Howard.
• Ourado placed fifth in the 125-pound bracket, Hart earned 2.5 team points at 165 with Munoz scoring 4.0 points at 174. Kinsella finished fourth at 197 and Howard was third at 285.
• Ourado is ranked third at 125 in the NWCA 2024-25 preseason individual rankings, joined in the rankings by No. 10 Hart (174), No. 3 Kinsella (197), and top-ranked Howard (285)

NEW MEXICO HIGHLANDS HEADING INTO THE MATCH

• The Cowboys also participated in the Rookie Open, with Marcus Najera advancing the furthest in his 125-pound bracket.
• Najera pinned his first opponent, then earned a 7-6 decision in the second round. He was pushed into the consolation bracket, though, after a heartbreaking 4-1 sudden victory loss in the semifinals. His day ended with a 6-1 decision in that consolation bracket.
• James Romero-Montoya was bounced from the 133 championship bracket in Round 1, but he won a pair of decisions on the consolation side before dropping a 4-2 decision to end his afternoon.
• Michael Santos had the unfortunate draw of facing Western's Richardson in his opening match of the 184 bracket, suffering a first-period pin to the Mountaineer. Santos pinned his first opponent on the consolation side, but lost a hard-fought 3-2 decision next to close out his stay.
• Highlands finished the 2023-24 campaign with a 3-10 record overall and a 1-7 mark against RMAC opponents. It finished 11th at the NCAA Division II Super Regional IV Championships.

UP NEXT
Western will participate in in the Nebraska-Kearney Younes Hospitality Open on Nov. 23 before returning to Paul Wright Gym for a Dec. 4 non-conference dual against visiting Colorado Mesa University.