WESTERN COLORADO at NORTHEASTERN JUNIOR COLLEGE
6 p.m., Thu., Jan. 22 | Bank of Colorado Event Center | Sterling, Colo.
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WESTERN COLORADO at No. 2 NEBRASKA-KEARNEY
Younes Hospitality College Duals
10 a.m. MT, Sat., Jan. 24 | Kearney SportsPlex | Kearney, Neb.
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WESTERN COLORADO vs. TBD
Younes Hospitality College Duals
11:30 a.m. MT, Sat., Jan. 24 | Kearney SportsPlex | Kearney, Neb.
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STERLING, Colo., KEARNEY, Neb.  Western Colorado wrestling travels from its home confines this week for a road trip that takes it to Northeastern Junior College (NJC) and on to Kearney, Neb., for the Younes Hospitality College Duals.

The week's opening pits the Mountaineers against the Plainsmen in an exhibition dual on NJC's home mat. Early this season NJC visited Paul Wright Gym where Western delivered a 54-0 knockout blow in an exhibition dual that kicked off the Mountaineers' season in early November.

Two seasons ago Nebraska-Kearney visited Western and left with a tiebreak defeat, 21-20, but last season the then-No. 6 Lopers were able to even the score with a 33-10 victory over Western's 16th-ranked squad.

Originally, Western was also scheduled to compete against Ouachita Baptist University at the Younes Duals, but inclement weather has forced the Tigers to cancel their trip to Kearney. A second opponent for Western has yet to be determined.

Western, ranked No. 25 in the Open Mat Team Duals rankings, heads into the week with a 6-3 overall record and a 0-1 record against Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference competition.

The Mountaineers' record includes a non-conference road win against No. 18 Colorado Mesa University, and victories over Minot State, Cal Poly Humboldt and Menlo College at the Jan. 10 Tracy Borah Duals. Most recently, Western surrendered an RMAC loss to visiting and 21st-ranked Colorado School of Mines.

The Mountaineers have been led by Vincent Cabral, who is ranked 11th in the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) individual rankings at 157 pounds and is 12th in the Open Mat individual rankings at that weight.

Second-ranked Nebraska-Kearney hosts the Younes Duals, coming into the event with a 6-3 overall record. Two of its defeats have been to NWCA No. 1-ranked teams – Division II's Central Oklahoma and NAIA's Grand View (Iowa) – with the third loss coming early in the season against Division I's Iowa State, currently ranked third in the country by the NWCA.

The Lopers have wrestlers ranked in eight of ten DII weight classes, including top-ranked Jackson Kinsella at 197 and Crew Howard at 285. Five others are ranked in the NWCA top 10 of their respective weight classes.

UP NEXT
Western jumps into RMAC action over the remainder of the regular season, beginning with a dual at Colorado State Pueblo on Jan. 29 and a dual at New Mexico Highlands the next evening.