GUNNISON, Colo.  Western Colorado and its 13th-ranked men's wrestling program will be hosting on Saturday, March 1, the NCAA Division II Super Region VI Championships with advancement to the NCAA DII national tournament on the line.

Eleven other programs will join the Mountaineers in the Mountaineer Field House, including five who sit within the most recent National Wrestling Coaches Association's top-25 rankings.

In addition to Western, the regional will see competitors from No. 2 University of Nebraska Kearney, No. 18 Adams State University, No. 23 Colorado School of Mines, and No. 24 Colorado Mesa University seeking invitations to nationals.

The top three wrestlers in 10 weight classes earn advancement to the national championships on March 14-15 at Farmer Coliseum in Indianapolis.

Western — 8-4 overall and 5-2 against Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference competition this season — has a pair of wrestlers within the NWCA individual rankings. The Mountaineers' Cole Hernandez is No. 2 at 174 pounds, and Dean Noble is ranked No. 3 at 149 pounds.

Each of the 10 weight brackets at the regional include several wrestlers ranked by the NWCA. The 125-pound bracket will see the highest number of ranked competitors as five of the top 10 in the rankings will hit the mats at the Field House.

Both the 141-pound and 197-pound brackets each have four from within the top 15 competing at the Region VI tournament, and the 285-pound bracket includes the top-ranked wrestler, Crew Howard, from Nebraska-Kearney.

Last year at the regional in Pueblo, Colo., Western claimed two champions and pushed five Mountaineers into the national tournament. Hernandez was one of the 2024 regional champions, while returners Noble and Cole Gray (at 184) joined him at nationals in Park City, Kansas.

Along with Hernandez, Noble and Gray, the Mountaineer lineup will include Roberto Estrada (125); Devin Gomez (133); Eyan Chavez (141); Vincent Cabral (157); Walker Heckendorf (165); Sage Harrison (197); and Riley Butt (285).

Saturday's regional begins at 10 a.m. – doors open at 9 a.m. – with early-round action, with bracket finals slated to begin at approximately 5 p.m.

Tickets are $15 for adults, $10 for students and children 10 & under, and $5 for seniors. Children under 5 years of age gain free admission to the event. As this is an NCAA event, MAA corporate sponsors and members, and Western Colorado faculty and staff must also purchase tickets to attend the event.