California Baptist, led by three champions, wins team title at RMAC Championships at Olympic Training Center
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by Gary Abbott, USA Wrestling
VIDEOS: RMAC Championships interviews
Joseph Fagiano of Cal Baptist, shown in his semifinal match, was the RMAC champion at 285 pounds and was named Outstanding Wrestler. Photo courtesy of RMAC.
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo – Led by three champions and eight medal winners, California Baptist, ranked No. 9 in the most recent Div. II rankings, won the team title at the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) Championships, held at the U.S. Olympic Training Center on Sunday. The Lancers were 10 points ahead of runner-up Western State, which came in ranked No. 17 in the nation.
The Lancers, led by coach Lenny Zalesky, featured RMAC champions Nolan Kistler (165), Jacob Waste (184) and Joseph Fagiano (285). It was California Baptist’s first conference title.
“It is our first RMAC title. We had eight guys who were medalists. I am very happy with the team. That is exactly what we have to do, celebrate this win,” said Zalesky
Kistler, who was seeded only No. 6 coming into the meet, got his offense going in all of his matches. In the finals, he defeated Chance Helmick of Chadron State, 10-3. He got a key four-point turn in the first period, and kept it rolling the rest of the bout. Kistler received the conference academic award at the conclusion of the meet.
Waste, ranked No. 5 nationally, had a difficult final, beating Zack Slotten of Colorado Mesa, 2-1 on a tiebreaker. Each wrestler got an escape in regulation. In overtime, Waste earned an escape in his 30 second period, then rode out Slotten to secure the win.
Fagiano, who came in ranked No. 6 in the nation, defeated No. 4 ranked Jacob Mitchell of CSU-Pueblo, 5-2 in the finals, and was named one of two Outstanding Wrestlers in the meet. Fagiano scored the only two takedowns in the match. Mitchell attended Cal Baptist, before transferring to CSU-Pueblo.
Western State led by one point after the morning session, which included all of the bouts except for the gold and bronze medal bouts. However, California Baptist had nine wrestlers in medal matches, while Western State only had six.
Cal Baptist ran off four wins in the bronze-medal round, including a big pin in overtime by Bradford Gerl at 149, to take an eight-point lead going into the gold-medal matches.
The finals featured some exciting matches, including a number of mild upsets based upon the rankings.
In a battle of nationally ranked wrestlers, No. 6 Corbin Bennetts of Western State used an overtime reversal to edge No. 2 Daniel Salazar of Colorado Mesa, 3-2. The regulation ended 1-1, and there was no takedown in the first overtime sequence. Bennetts got a reversal and Salazar got an escape.
Another match where two ranked wrestlers met, and the lower ranked athlete won, No. 6 Drew Schumann of Colorado Mesa shut down Terrance McKinney of Chadron State, 5-0 at 149 pounds. A first –period takedown by Schumann set the tone for the match, which also included two stall calls and a riding time point.
An upset occurred at 174 pounds as Austin Harris of Western State knocked off Tarrence Williams of CSU-Pueblo, 7-5. Harris was named as one of the Outstanding Wrestlers. Harris scored a takedown and a two-point tilt in the third period for the win.
Martin Ramirez of Adams State, ranked No. 3 nationally in the most recent D2Wrestle rankings, used a four-point turn in the first period to lead the way to a 10-4 win over Taylor Summers of Chadron State. A third period takedown iced the win for Ramirez.
No. 4 JaCobi Jones of CSU-Pueblo defeated Jason Buhr of Colorado Mesa in a wild 12-9 finals bout at 157 pound. The match was tied at 8-8 after two periods. A Jones takedown in the third period and riding time proved to be the difference.
Another nationally ranked wrestler, No. 6 Paul Wilson of Colorado Mines, was pressed hard before winning his finals bout at 197 against Paul Head of Cal Baptist), 9-7 in sudden victory overtime. Head opened the scoring with a four-point turn in the second period, and the wrestlers went back and forth before ending regulation with a 7-7 tie. A Wilson takedown during the sudden victory period secured the win.
In the finals at 125, Jonathon Stelling of Colorado Mesa scored two first-period takedowns, added a second period takedown and secured riding time to defeat Ronald Wardleigh of Western State, 7-5.
The last time the RMAC hosted its own wrestling championships was in 1996. Between 1997 and 2014, the RMAC wrestling championship was combined with the NCAA Division II regional tournament. In 2015, the RMAC Dual Meet champion was recognized as conference champion.
The RMAC partnered with USA Wrestling, the Colorado Springs Sports Corporation and the U.S. Olympic Complex for the championships.
ROCKY MOUNTAIN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS
At U.S. Olympic Training Center, Colorado Springs, Colo., January 31
125
1st - Jonathon Stelling (Colorado Mesa) vs. Ronald Wardleigh (Western State), 7-5
3rd – Ian Wingstrom (Adams State) maj. dec. Zachary Gracia (Colorado Mines), 12-3
5th – Jacob Espana (NM Highlands) inj. dft. Adellmo Salazar (CSU Pueblo)
133
1st - Martin Ramirez (Adams State) vs. Taylor Summers (Chadron State), 10-4
3rd –Fernando Giron (San Francisco State) dec. Anthony Racobaldo (Cal Baptist), 4-2, sv
5th – Zane Rich (Western State) pin Tre Humphrey (NM Highlands), 5:44
141
1st - Daniel Salazar (Colorado Mesa) vs. Corbin Bennetts (Western State), 3-2 t.b. 1
3rd – Peter Cunningham (Cal Baptist) dec. Dan Gaylor (NM Highlands), 9-6
5th – Kyle Fantin (CSU Pueblo) dec. Lukas Erickson (Colorado Mines), 7-2
149
1st- Drew Schumann (Colorado Mesa) dec. Terrance McKinney (Chadron State), 5-0
3rd – Bradford Gerl (Cal-Baptist) pin Tim Urenda (CSU-Pueblo), ot, 7:57
5th – Tyler Adams (Western State) inj. dft. Reis Humphrey (NM Highlands)
157
1st - JaCobi Jones (CSU-Pueblo) dec. Jason Buhr (Colorado Mesa), 12-9
3rd – Brady Bersano (Cal Baptist) dec. Ian Steen (Western State), 10-4
5th – Ethan Ruby (Colorado Mines) dec. Tavis Ino (San Francisco State), 6-5
165
1st - Nolan Kistler (Cal Baptist) dec. Chance Helmick (Chadron State), 10-3
3rd – Nick Swanson (Colorado Mesa) dec. Koery Windham (Adams State), 3-2
5th – Tyson Kuahine (San Francisco State) dec. Travis Bradford (Western State), 10-8
174
1st- Austin Harris (Western State) dec. Tarrence Williams (CSU-Pueblo), 7-5
3rd – Christian Smith (Cal Baptist) dec. Caleb Copeland (Chadron State), 8-0
5th – Bruno Nicoletti (Colorado Mesa) maj. dec. Mike Marshall (San Francisco State), 10-8, sv
184
1st - Jacob Waste (Cal Baptist) dec. Zack Slotten (Colorado Mesa), 2-1, tb. 1
3rd –Brandon Supernaw (Western State) dec. Joe Bencomo (Adams State), 8-4
5th – Johnny Costa (San Francisco State) maj. dec. Shane Rodenburg (Chadron State), 14-4
197
1st - Paul Wilson (Colorado Mines) dec. Paul Head (Cal Baptist), 9-7 sv
3rd – Marcus Haughian (Colorado Mesa) dec. Mick Dougharity (Western State), 5-1
5th – Bruno Bencomo (Adams State) dec. Cody Marquez (NM Highlands), 4-3
285
1st - Joseph Fagiano (Cal Baptist) dec. Jacob Mitchell (CSU-Pueblo), 5-2
3rd – Sam Alnassiri (San Francisco State) dec. Tuli Laulu (Adams State), 6-4, sv
5th – Cooper Cogdill (Chadron State) dec. Lewis Arendall (Western State), 5-3
Team Standings
1. California Baptist 133.5
2. Western State 123.5
3. Colorado Mesa 105.5
4. Adams State 70.0
4. CSU Pueblo 70.0
6. Chadron State 68.5
7. San Francisco State 62.0
8. Colorado Mines 41.5
8. New Mexico Highlands 41.5
Joseph Fagiano of Cal Baptist, shown in his semifinal match, was the RMAC champion at 285 pounds and was named Outstanding Wrestler. Photo courtesy of RMAC.
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo – Led by three champions and eight medal winners, California Baptist, ranked No. 9 in the most recent Div. II rankings, won the team title at the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) Championships, held at the U.S. Olympic Training Center on Sunday. The Lancers were 10 points ahead of runner-up Western State, which came in ranked No. 17 in the nation.
The Lancers, led by coach Lenny Zalesky, featured RMAC champions Nolan Kistler (165), Jacob Waste (184) and Joseph Fagiano (285). It was California Baptist’s first conference title.
“It is our first RMAC title. We had eight guys who were medalists. I am very happy with the team. That is exactly what we have to do, celebrate this win,” said Zalesky
Kistler, who was seeded only No. 6 coming into the meet, got his offense going in all of his matches. In the finals, he defeated Chance Helmick of Chadron State, 10-3. He got a key four-point turn in the first period, and kept it rolling the rest of the bout. Kistler received the conference academic award at the conclusion of the meet.
Waste, ranked No. 5 nationally, had a difficult final, beating Zack Slotten of Colorado Mesa, 2-1 on a tiebreaker. Each wrestler got an escape in regulation. In overtime, Waste earned an escape in his 30 second period, then rode out Slotten to secure the win.
Fagiano, who came in ranked No. 6 in the nation, defeated No. 4 ranked Jacob Mitchell of CSU-Pueblo, 5-2 in the finals, and was named one of two Outstanding Wrestlers in the meet. Fagiano scored the only two takedowns in the match. Mitchell attended Cal Baptist, before transferring to CSU-Pueblo.
Western State led by one point after the morning session, which included all of the bouts except for the gold and bronze medal bouts. However, California Baptist had nine wrestlers in medal matches, while Western State only had six.
Cal Baptist ran off four wins in the bronze-medal round, including a big pin in overtime by Bradford Gerl at 149, to take an eight-point lead going into the gold-medal matches.
The finals featured some exciting matches, including a number of mild upsets based upon the rankings.
In a battle of nationally ranked wrestlers, No. 6 Corbin Bennetts of Western State used an overtime reversal to edge No. 2 Daniel Salazar of Colorado Mesa, 3-2. The regulation ended 1-1, and there was no takedown in the first overtime sequence. Bennetts got a reversal and Salazar got an escape.
Another match where two ranked wrestlers met, and the lower ranked athlete won, No. 6 Drew Schumann of Colorado Mesa shut down Terrance McKinney of Chadron State, 5-0 at 149 pounds. A first –period takedown by Schumann set the tone for the match, which also included two stall calls and a riding time point.
An upset occurred at 174 pounds as Austin Harris of Western State knocked off Tarrence Williams of CSU-Pueblo, 7-5. Harris was named as one of the Outstanding Wrestlers. Harris scored a takedown and a two-point tilt in the third period for the win.
Martin Ramirez of Adams State, ranked No. 3 nationally in the most recent D2Wrestle rankings, used a four-point turn in the first period to lead the way to a 10-4 win over Taylor Summers of Chadron State. A third period takedown iced the win for Ramirez.
No. 4 JaCobi Jones of CSU-Pueblo defeated Jason Buhr of Colorado Mesa in a wild 12-9 finals bout at 157 pound. The match was tied at 8-8 after two periods. A Jones takedown in the third period and riding time proved to be the difference.
Another nationally ranked wrestler, No. 6 Paul Wilson of Colorado Mines, was pressed hard before winning his finals bout at 197 against Paul Head of Cal Baptist), 9-7 in sudden victory overtime. Head opened the scoring with a four-point turn in the second period, and the wrestlers went back and forth before ending regulation with a 7-7 tie. A Wilson takedown during the sudden victory period secured the win.
In the finals at 125, Jonathon Stelling of Colorado Mesa scored two first-period takedowns, added a second period takedown and secured riding time to defeat Ronald Wardleigh of Western State, 7-5.
The last time the RMAC hosted its own wrestling championships was in 1996. Between 1997 and 2014, the RMAC wrestling championship was combined with the NCAA Division II regional tournament. In 2015, the RMAC Dual Meet champion was recognized as conference champion.
The RMAC partnered with USA Wrestling, the Colorado Springs Sports Corporation and the U.S. Olympic Complex for the championships.
ROCKY MOUNTAIN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS
At U.S. Olympic Training Center, Colorado Springs, Colo., January 31
125
1st - Jonathon Stelling (Colorado Mesa) vs. Ronald Wardleigh (Western State), 7-5
3rd – Ian Wingstrom (Adams State) maj. dec. Zachary Gracia (Colorado Mines), 12-3
5th – Jacob Espana (NM Highlands) inj. dft. Adellmo Salazar (CSU Pueblo)
133
1st - Martin Ramirez (Adams State) vs. Taylor Summers (Chadron State), 10-4
3rd –Fernando Giron (San Francisco State) dec. Anthony Racobaldo (Cal Baptist), 4-2, sv
5th – Zane Rich (Western State) pin Tre Humphrey (NM Highlands), 5:44
141
1st - Daniel Salazar (Colorado Mesa) vs. Corbin Bennetts (Western State), 3-2 t.b. 1
3rd – Peter Cunningham (Cal Baptist) dec. Dan Gaylor (NM Highlands), 9-6
5th – Kyle Fantin (CSU Pueblo) dec. Lukas Erickson (Colorado Mines), 7-2
149
1st- Drew Schumann (Colorado Mesa) dec. Terrance McKinney (Chadron State), 5-0
3rd – Bradford Gerl (Cal-Baptist) pin Tim Urenda (CSU-Pueblo), ot, 7:57
5th – Tyler Adams (Western State) inj. dft. Reis Humphrey (NM Highlands)
157
1st - JaCobi Jones (CSU-Pueblo) dec. Jason Buhr (Colorado Mesa), 12-9
3rd – Brady Bersano (Cal Baptist) dec. Ian Steen (Western State), 10-4
5th – Ethan Ruby (Colorado Mines) dec. Tavis Ino (San Francisco State), 6-5
165
1st - Nolan Kistler (Cal Baptist) dec. Chance Helmick (Chadron State), 10-3
3rd – Nick Swanson (Colorado Mesa) dec. Koery Windham (Adams State), 3-2
5th – Tyson Kuahine (San Francisco State) dec. Travis Bradford (Western State), 10-8
174
1st- Austin Harris (Western State) dec. Tarrence Williams (CSU-Pueblo), 7-5
3rd – Christian Smith (Cal Baptist) dec. Caleb Copeland (Chadron State), 8-0
5th – Bruno Nicoletti (Colorado Mesa) maj. dec. Mike Marshall (San Francisco State), 10-8, sv
184
1st - Jacob Waste (Cal Baptist) dec. Zack Slotten (Colorado Mesa), 2-1, tb. 1
3rd –Brandon Supernaw (Western State) dec. Joe Bencomo (Adams State), 8-4
5th – Johnny Costa (San Francisco State) maj. dec. Shane Rodenburg (Chadron State), 14-4
197
1st - Paul Wilson (Colorado Mines) dec. Paul Head (Cal Baptist), 9-7 sv
3rd – Marcus Haughian (Colorado Mesa) dec. Mick Dougharity (Western State), 5-1
5th – Bruno Bencomo (Adams State) dec. Cody Marquez (NM Highlands), 4-3
285
1st - Joseph Fagiano (Cal Baptist) dec. Jacob Mitchell (CSU-Pueblo), 5-2
3rd – Sam Alnassiri (San Francisco State) dec. Tuli Laulu (Adams State), 6-4, sv
5th – Cooper Cogdill (Chadron State) dec. Lewis Arendall (Western State), 5-3
Team Standings
1. California Baptist 133.5
2. Western State 123.5
3. Colorado Mesa 105.5
4. Adams State 70.0
4. CSU Pueblo 70.0
6. Chadron State 68.5
7. San Francisco State 62.0
8. Colorado Mines 41.5
8. New Mexico Highlands 41.5
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