JaCobi Jones seeks third RMAC title, three other 2017 champions look to repeat
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by Taylor Miller, USA Wrestling
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Four 2017 RMAC champions return to the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference finals, which are set for Saturday night at 6 p.m. ET at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo.
Those looking to repeat their championship performances from last season are Daxton Gordon at 149, Payton Tawater at 157, JaCobi Jones at 165 and Nick Feigener at 184.
Jone is going for his third-straight RMAC individual title.
Gordon and Feigener are two of six finalists for California Baptist, which leads the pack. CSU-Pueblo and San Francisco State each put four into the finals.
Gordon sailed to the 149-pound finals with a quarterfinal fall and a decisive 6-2 win in the semifinals. He is set to Jacob DeSersa of Chadron State for the crown.
DeSersa picked up two pins to advance to the semifinals. There he was awarded a win after his opponent, Reis Humphrey of New Mexico Highlands, was disqualified for an illegal slam.
At 184, NCAA Div. II runner-up Fiegener spent a total of 1:42 on the mat after two outings that included a 12-second pin and a 16-0 tech fall.
Feigener, ranked No. 3 in the country, will meet up with top-ranked JaVaughn Perkins of CSU-Pueblo in the finals for a top-five matchup. Perkins finished fourth at NCAAs last season.
Also representing the Lancer in the finals are Alex Nunez at 125 pounds, No. 4 Christian Smith at 165 pounds, No. 2 Nolan Kistler at 174 pounds and Garrett Strang at 197 pounds.
Smith and Kistler will also take part in top-five battles.
At 165, Smith will challenge No. 2 Jones of CSU-Pueblo, while Kistler, a 2017 NCAA All-American and 2016 RMAC champion, is slated to face 2017 RMAC runner-up and fifth-ranked Brandon Supernaw of Western State at 184 pounds.
Supernaw is making his second-straight RMAC finals appearance.
Two other first-place bouts feature ranked wrestlers, including No. 4 Tawater at 157 and No. 11 Sam Alnassiri of San Francisco State at 285.
Looking to defend his title at 157 pounds is Tawater, who will face San Francisco State freshman Mason Boutain tonight.
Alnarssiri will do battle with 2013 NJCAA runner-up Cody Johnson of CSU-Pueblo in the heavyweight match.
Other finalists include Josiah Seaton of CSU-Pueblo at 125, Nathan Cervantez of SFS and Luis Gurule of Adams State at 133 and Austin Solari of SFS and Logan Pine of New Mexico Highlands at 141.
The finals will be contested at 6 p.m. ET and will be streamed live on Trackwrestling.com.
2018 RMAC Championships
at Olympic Training Center (Colorado Springs, Colo.)
Finals matchups
125: Alex Nunez (CBU) vs. Josiah Seaton (CSUP)
133: Nathan Cervantez (SFS) vs. Luis Gurule (ASU)
141: Austin Solari (SFS) vs. Logan Pine (NMH)
149: Jacob DeSersa (CSU) vs. Daxton Gordon (CBU)
157: No. 4 Payton Tawater (CMS) vs. Mason Boutain (SFS)
165: No. 2 JaCobi Jones (CSUP) vs. No. 4 Christian Smith (CBU)
174: No. 5 Brandon Supernaw (WSU) vs. No. 2 Nolan Kistler (CBU)
184: No. 3 Nicholas Fiegener (CBU) vs. No. 1 JaVaughn Perkins (CSUP)
197: Joe Bencomo (ASU) vs. Garrett Strang (CBU)
285: No. 11 Sam Alnassiri (SFS) vs. Cody Johnson (CSUP)
NOTE: Rankings from Intermat
