RMAC Championships to be hosted at Olympic Training Center on Saturday

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - The Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) is set to host the 2018 RMAC Wrestling Championships for the third-consecutive year at the U.S. Olympic Training Center (OTC) in Colorado Springs, Colorado on Saturday, Feb. 3.

The RMAC is proud to partner with USA Wrestling and the Olympic Training Center for another remarkable year of conference championship action.

“We could not be more thankful for the continued partnership with USA Wrestling and the Olympic Training Center,” stated RMAC Commissioner Chris Graham. “This continues to be a premiere NCAA Division II Wrestling event and we are proud to provide this special opportunity to our student-athletes.”

The championship is an all-day event that will feature all nine RMAC wrestling teams. Doors will open at 8 a.m. MST at Sports Complex One. Session One will begin at 9 a.m. MST starting with prelims, then quarterfinals, semifinals, consolation, and consolation semifinals. The second session will consist of the third-place matches, which is slated for 2:30 p.m. MST. The Parade of Champions will begin at 3:45 p.m. followed by the championship bouts at 4 p.m. MST.

The final brackets will be announced on RMACSPORTS.ORG, Friday evening.

Tickets can be purchased in advance, on the RMAC website until 5 p.m. MST on Friday, or at the door on Saturday.

Tickets:
All Session Pass (Adult): $10.00
All Session Pass (Student with a valid ID and Seniors 65+): $8.00
Children ages three and younger: Free
8^th grade and younger - If you wear your wrestling team t-shirt to the championship: Free 

Live Streaming/Live Bracket Results:
Fans can follow the entire event live at the RMAC Championship Homepage on Trackwrestling.com.

National Rankings:
Four RMAC schools are currently ranked in the top 25 by D2Wrestle.com (Jan. 18), with defending RMAC Team Champions CSU-Pueblo leading the conference at No. 5. Reigning NCAA DII West Regional Champions California Baptist slips into the top 10 at No. 9, while Western is ranked No. 15, and Adams State takes No. 21.

A Look At The Competition:

Adams State
Head Coach: Jason Ramstetter (16^th Season)

The No. 21 ranked team will enter the weekend 2-2 in the conference and 2-8 overall. The Grizzlies defeated conference opponents New Mexico Highlands and Chadron State in duals, 25-16 and 33-11, respectively. 

Adams State has two nationally ranked wrestlers, Darek Huff (No. 7 at 125) and Natrelle Demison (No. 5 at 149).

California Baptist
Head Coach: Lennie Zalesky (7^th Season)

The No. 9 Lancers will look to take back the RMAC Championship title from the ThunderWolves. Last year, California Baptist fell 16 points shy of the RMAC title finishing second in the team standings. The Lancers are currently 1-1 in the RMAC and 6-5 overall. 

The team is led by RMAC Preseason Wrestler of the Year and All-American Nick Fiegener, who sits at No. 3 in the nation at 184. He was last year’s RMAC and Regional Champion at 184. He finished the season a runner-up at the NCAA DII National Championships. The Lancers have two other wrestlers ranked top 10 in the nation, Christian Smith (165) at No. 4 and Nolan Kistler (174) at No. 2. Kistler placed third at the RMAC Championships in 2017 and went on to take fourth at the NCAA Championship. He was also named NCAA Division II Elite 90 Award winner, which is an award that recognizes the true essence of the student-athlete by honoring the individual who has reached the pinnacle of competition at the national championship level in his/her sport, while also achieving the highest academic standard among his/her peers.

Chadron State
Head Coach: Brett Hunter (6^th Season)

Last campaign, Chadron State won three brackets, 133, 174, and 285 for a fifth-place team finish. This year they will head into the championships with a 1-4 conference record and a 2-6 overall record. Their only RMAC win this season so far came against Colorado Mesa back in December. The dual ended 20-20, but due to tiebreaker criteria, the Eagles claimed victory over the Mavericks.

Colorado Mesa
Head Coach: Chuck Pipher (12^th Season)

In last year’s team standings, CMU took fourth (88 points), only two points behind third-place. Colorado Mesa has a 1-3 RMAC record and is 3-9 overall. The Mavericks defeated Colorado School of Mines, 20-18, but fell to conference opponents CSU-Pueblo, California Baptist and Chadron State. The Mavs will have one more conference dual on Thursda against Western. 

Leading the Mavericks is the No. 4 ranked Payton Tawater (157). Tawater won the 157-pound RMAC bracket in 2017 and will look to secure the title for a second consecutive year.

Colorado School of Mines
Head Coach: Austin DeVoe (5^th Season)

Colorado School of Mines is currently 4-2 RMAC record and a 9-2 overall record. This season, Colorado School of Mines defeated Chadron State (20-16), San Francisco State (25-13), New Mexico Highlands (22-18) and No. 21 Adams State (20-18). The Orediggers are looking to overcome their eighth-place finish from last campaign. 

CSU-Pueblo
Head Coach: Dax Charles (10^th Season)

Last season, the No. 5 ThunderWolves won their first conference team title since 2001. They will look to defend the title this weekend, entering with a 4-1 RMAC record and 6-6 overall. This season the Pack has defeated four RMAC opponents, California Baptist 25-21, Adams State 22-21, Colorado Mesa 24-18, and Western 31-12. 

Four ThunderWolves are currently ranked top 10 in the nation. At 133 pounds, Paul (PT) Garcia sits at No. 7, while Clay Archer is ranked No. 7 at 141. Two-time RMAC champion (157 in 2016 and 165 in 2017) and three-time All-American JaCobi Jones is ranked No. 2 at 165-pounds. As the reigning RMAC Champion, Jones will enter the championships having won 10 consecutive matches. Teammate JaVaughn Perkins is ranked No. 1 at 184.

New Mexico Highlands
Head Coach: Doug Moses (12^th Season)

The Cowboys went 1-2 against RMAC opponents this season, with their lone dual win against Chadron State. The team is 2-5 overall. 

San Francisco State
Head Coach: Jason Welch (1^st Season)

San Francisco State went 5-4 overall this season, going 2-1 in the RMAC. The Gators defeated then No. 7 CSU-Pueblo 29-9, and No. 9 California Baptist 21-20. 

The 285-pound Sam Alnassiri leads the team, ranked just outside the top 10 at No. 11. Before redshirting last season, the redshirt-senior finished third at NCAA Regionals and the RMAC Championships in 2015-16.

Western
Head Coach: Charlie Pipher (1^st Season)

No. 15 Western Mountaineers are hoping to improve their third-place team finish from last campaign. WSCU currently has a 9-4 overall record and a 2-1 RMAC record, with dual wins over Chadron State and Colorado School of Mines. They will host the Mavericks this Thursday for one last conference dual before the championship. 

The Mountaineers are led by No. 8 Trent Piatt (125) and No. 5 Konnor Schmidt (197).

2017-18 RMAC Wrestlers of the Week

Week 1 (11/7)
Natrelle Demison, Adams State

Week 2 (11/14)
Cody Johnson, CSU-Pueblo

Week 3 (11/21)
Weston Hunt, Colorado School of Mines

Week 4 (11/28)
No Wrestler of the Week

Week 5 (12/5)
Nolan Kistler, California Baptist

Week 6 (12/12)
No Wrestler of the Week

Week 7 (12/19)
Brock Thumm, Chadron State

Week 8 (1/2)
No Wrestler of the Week

Week 9 (1/9)
JaVaughn Perkins, CSU-Pueblo

Week 10 (1/16)
Sam Alnassiri, SF State

Week 11 (1/23)
Brandon Vu, SF State

Week 12 (1/30)
Zach Gracia, Colorado School of Mines 

History of Champions:

The RMAC has produced 13 national team champions since 1963. The sport was introduced to the conference in 1922, with the University of Colorado winning the first conference team title.

Past National Champions

NCAA DII
2012 - Nebraska-Kearney
2008 - Nebraska-Kearney
1964 - Western State
1963 - Western State  

NAIA
1990 - Adams State
1980 - Adams State
1976 - Adams State
1975 - Adams State
1973 - Adams State
1972 - Adams State
1970 - Nebraska-Omaha
1969 - Adams State
1968 - Adams State 

For more information on the 2018 RMAC Wrestling Championship, visit the Championship Homepage.