COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.  Western Colorado's Dean Noble has been voted the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference's men's wrestler of the week, as announced by the league office Tuesday afternoon.

Noble, ranked fifth in the country at 149 pounds, roared through his early rounds in the championship bracket of the 45th Annual Midwest Classic on December 14-15 in Indianapolis.

His national ranking earned Noble a bye in the first round and he warmed up in the second round with a 22-4 technical fall at the 6:04 mark of the match.

His third round match lasted just 106 seconds as his first takedown was all it took to win by fall.

In a tight quarterfinal match, he used a reversal late in the third period to break a 9-9 tie, with the move ultimately resulting in a pin with just one second remaining in the match.

That advanced Noble into the semifinal round where his opponent had to bow out due to injury, pushing Noble into the championship match.

A second-period takedown by his opponent was the only one of the match in a 4-1 defeat, putting Noble one step from the top of the podium in the runner-up position in the bracket.

Noble is 8-1 this season with five pins, two tech falls and an injury forfeit.