Seven return to RMAC Championships finals, California Baptist boast five finalists

Martin Ramirez (ASU) defeated Paul Garcia (CSU-Pueblo) in the 133-pound semis. Photo: Bill Sabo, RMAC

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Seven wrestlers will return to the finals for the second year in a row at the Rocky Mountains Athletic Conference championships on Sunday afternoon at the United States Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo.


The 133-pound finals will feature both of last year’s finalists, defending champion Martin Ramirez of Adams State and Taylor Summers of Chadron State. Ramirez took the 2016 final, 10-4. The two met just weeks ago, with Summers turning the tables with a 3-0 win.


No. 1-seed Ramirez put together a big come-from-behind win over Paul Garcia of CSU-Pueblo to advance to the finals, while Summers survived a 2-1 sudden victory win over Nathan Cervantez of San Francisco State.


Daniel Salazar of Colorado Mesa returns to the 141-pound finals after earning two pins and a decision. Salazar looks to redeem his 2016 RMAC finals performance, where he lost a 3-2 tiebreaker match to Corbin Bennett of Western State.


In the finals, he’ll face Peter Cunningham of California Baptist for the title. Cunningham is one of five finalists for CBU.


Jacobi Jones of CSU-Pueblo will wrestle for his second RMAC title, this time at 165 pounds. In 2016, Jones dominated his way to a title at 157 pounds.


So far, Jones has put up wins by major decision and fall to earn his spot in the finals.


“I’m feeling good. I’m just letting things fly,” Jones said. “My training has been treating me good so far. I just have to finish the tournament off. I’m feeling a lot stronger that I did last year. I think the weight cut set me back a little bit last year, but this year, I feel a lot stronger and at the right weight class.”


Tonight, he’ll face Tyson Kuahine of SFS, who knocked off second-seeded Jason Buhr of CMU with a 15-7 major decision.


The nation’s seventh-ranked wrestler Chance Helmick of Chadron State will face hometown favorite and eighth-ranked Brandon Supernaw of Western State in the 174-pound finals.


Last year, Helmick advanced to the 165-pound finals but fell to Nolan Kistler of California Baptist.


Earlier today, Kistler dropped his opening bout, 5-3, leaving Supernaw in position to snag a spot in the finals.


Supernaw moved up from 165 to 174 pounds earlier this season and faced Helmick in his first bout at the weight. Helmick claimed a 7-3 win.


“I got in on a lot of shots [in the last meeting with Helmick]. I liked where I was,” Supernaw said. “There were a lot of things to improve. I wasn’t turning the corner and wasn’t beating his angles. He has really good defense so I just have to focus on scoring in those flurries and capitalizing when I’m in on the shots.”


At 197 pounds, Jake Waste of California Baptist will go for a second RMAC title, winning the 2016 championships at 184 pounds.


Waste, ranked No. 1 in the nation and undefeated in DII competition, has blown through the tournament, picking up a tech fall and a major decision.


In the finals, Waste will go head-to-head with Mick Dougharity of Western State. Dougharity won a 9-4 decision in the quarterfinals before being awarded a win by disqualification in the semis.


California Baptist’s Paul Head, who was finalist at 197 pounds in 2016, will make an appearance in the heavyweight finals. Head will face top-seeded Cooper Cogdill of Chadron State.


The RMAC finals are set for 3:30 p.m. ET, with the third-place matches slated for 2:30 p.m. All matches will be streamed live on trackwrestling.com.

ROCKY MOUNTAIN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS

At Colorado Springs, Colo., Feb. 4


Finals Matchups

125: No. 3 Ronald Wardleigh (Western State) vs. Matt Gamble (San Francisco State)

133: No. 6 Taylor Summers (Chadron State) vs. No. 7 Martin Ramirez (Adams State)

141: No. 8 Daniel Salazar (Colorado Mesa) vs. Peter Cunningham (California Baptist)

149: No. 5 Jacob Gerken (Colorado School of Mines) vs. Daxton Gordon (California Baptist)

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

165: No. 4 Jacobi Jones (CSU-Puebo) vs. Tyson Kuhaine (San Francisco State)

174: No. 7 Chance Helmick (Chadron State) vs. No. 8 Brandon Supernaw (Western State)

184: No. 3 Nick Feigner (California Baptist) vs. Austin Gaun (Colorado Mesa)

197: No. 1 Jake Waste (California Baptist) vs. Mick Dougharity (Western State)

285: Cooper Cogdill (Chadron State) vs. Paul Head (California Baptist)