KEARNEY, Neb.  Western Colorado's Roberto Estrada and Devin Gomez each wrestled their way into the quarterfinals of their respective Elite brackets Saturday at the Younes Hospitality Open, hosted by the University of Nebraska Kearney.

The Mountaineer duo went the furthest in the championship brackets of their weight classes.

Estrada had earned a bye in the first round of the 125-pound bracket, then advanced with a first period pin of Ab Stokes from Cowley College. Estrada took just 19 seconds to register a takedown, earned four nearfall points 40 seconds later, then finished the job with 1:35 left in the opening period.

The tables were turned in his next bout, though, as he was pushed into the consolation bracket after a second-period loss by fall. Estrada's day would finish on the left side of the bracket in his next dual, an 8-3 loss by decision.

Gomez started with an 8-4 decision in his first bout in the 133 bracket, then advanced to the quarterfinals with a 10-2 major decision. His run toward the championship match would be halted, however, with a 9-4 loss by decision in his third match.

He would win a wild 19-16 sudden victory match in his first bout on the consolation side of the bracket, but he next faced Cody Phelps from Division I Wyoming, with Phelps earning a 10-5 decision.

Other first-round winners in the Elite bracket for Western were Vincent Cabral (157) and Riley Butt (285).

Both Dante Pallone and Tommy Tatham would wrestle into the 7th/8th-place matches in their respective Intermediate consolation brackets.

Pallone, after winning a 7-6 tiebreaker match to open his run in the 197 bracket, was pushed to the consolation side after his next match. He advanced there with a pin at the 1:38 mark, but lost his next match to push him into the 7/8 bout which he won by forfeit to take seventh place.

Tatham, in the 285 bracket, worked back into the 7/8 match on the left side of the bracket, but dropped a narrow 7-5 decision to take eighth place overall.

NEXT UP
The Mountaineers will take on host Colorado Mesa University in a non-conference dual in Grand Junction, Colo., on Dec. 4.