CSU-Pueblo wins RMAC team title, California Baptist and Chadron State each collect three champs

CSU-Pueblo knocks off defending team champs California Baptist. Photo: Bill Sabo, RMAC

RMAC Championship interviews

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Colorado State University-Pueblo ran away with the RMAC Championship team title on Saturday evening by the completion of the third-place matches. CSU-Pueblo’s 116.5 points bested reigning champs California Baptist by 16 points.


CSU-Pueblo celebrated one individual champ, Jacobi Jones at 165 pounds. Jones put up a decisive 9-3 win over San Francisco State’s Tyson Kuahine en route to his second RMAC individual title.


Jones earned the 2016 title at 157 pounds.


“It feels great,” Jones said. “My freshman year, we didn’t have an RMAC tournament so I was named All-RMAC. Getting to actually compete for an RMAC title is really the greatest thing ever, going back-to-back and hopefully next year getting a third one.”


Also doubling up on RMAC championships was California Baptist’s Jake Waste, who won the 197-pound bracket. He was one of three individual champions from California Baptist.


His tournament included a 20-5 tech fall over Khalil Gipson of Adams State and a 14-5 major decision against Cody Johnson of CSU-Pueblo, before notching a solid 13-6 decision in the finals over Western State’s Mick Dougharity.


“It was good. I fired off some stuff I wanted to fire off,” Waste said. “This is all practice for the end of the season, so I was just figuring out where I need to be and where things need to be. I have a lot to work on, which is good. I have to keep building. I can’t stay steady.”


Waste, who remains undefeated against Division II competition, was awarded the tournament’s Outstanding Wrestler honor.


Finals matches at 125 and 174 pounds ended in bonus points.


At 125, third-ranked Ronald Wardleigh of Western State earned a second-period fall over San Francisco State’s Matt Gamble in 4:30.


Wardleigh earned a tech fall, major decision and fall on the day.


No. 7 Chance Helmick of Chadron State took a win by major decision over No. 8 Brandon Supernaw of Western State, thanks to two takedowns and a four-point nearfall in the third period.


Chadron State’s Taylor Summers avenged his 2016 RMAC finals loss with a rematch against Martin Ramirez of Adams State in the 133-pound final. A pair of escapes and a second-period takedown won No. 6 Summers his first RMAC title.


Colorado Mesa’s Daniel Salazar won his first 141-pound title after his second trip to the finals, taking out Peter Cunningham of California Baptist in a 5-4 match, where riding time was the decider.


At 149 pounds, unranked Daxton Gordon of California Baptist knocked off No. 5 Jacob Gerken of Colorado School of Mines in a dominating performance, where he tallied four takedowns.


Freshman standout Payton Tawater from Colorado Mesa wrestled his way to his first RMAC title with two falls and a decision leading up to the finals. In the 157-poud finals, Tawater defeated Kyle Fantin of CSU-Pueblo, 6-2.


“I felt pretty solid, and I felt like I was able to dictate how the match was. I gave up a quick reversal, but I was able to comeback fairly dominantly so I feel pretty good about it,” Tawater said. “I came off the mat, and my coach said ‘hey Payton, did you know there are only two four-timers in the RMAC? I was one of them.’ It was kind of cool to hear that and hopefully I can follow in his footsteps.”


Third-ranked Nick Feigener of California Baptist snagged a comfortable 9-5 win over Colorado Mesa’s Austin Gaun.


Earlier in the day, Feigener collected a first-period fall and a major decision to earn a spot in the finals.


At heavyweight, Cooper Cogdill of Chadron State claimed the title over California Baptist’s Paul Head, 6-2. With no scoring in the first period, Cogdill was able to rack up an escape, takedown and four-point nearfall in the final two periods to win the match.


ROCKY MOUNTAIN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS

At Colorado Springs, Colo., Feb. 4

Finals results
125: No. 3 Ronald Wardleigh (Western State) fall Matt Gamble (San Francisco State), 4:30

133: No. 6 Taylor Summers (Chadron State) dec. No. 7 Martin Ramirez (Adams State), 6-3

141: No. 8 Daniel Salazar (Colorado Mesa) dec. Peter Cunningham (California Baptist), 5-4

149: Daxton Gordon (California Baptist) def. No. 5 Jacob Gerken (Colorado School of Mines), 10-4

157: No. 6 Payton Tawater (Colorado Mesa) dec. Kyle Fantin (CSU-Pueblo), 6-2

165: No. 4 Jacobi Jones (CSU-Pueblo) dec. Tyson Kuahine (San Francisco State), 9-3

174: No. 7 Chance Helmick (Chadron State) maj. dec. No. 8 Brandon Supernaw (Western State), 13-4

184: No. 3 Nick Feigener (California Baptist) dec. Austin Gaun (Colorado Mesa), 9-5

197: No. 1 Jake Waste (California Baptist) dec. Mick Dougharity (Western State), 13-6

285: Cooper Cogdill (Chadron State) dec. Paul Head (California Baptist), 6-2