GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – The Colorado Mesa wrestling team won just four of the six bouts and fell 27-12 in the fifth annual Bank of Colorado Battle in Brownson on Wednesday night. The win was the first for the Mountaineers in three meetings in the annual event of the two rivals.
 
Western won the first two bouts of the evening, one by decision at 133 pounds and one by pin at 125 pounds.
 
Eduardo Penha remained perfect in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference duals with a hard fought 10-7 win over Jason Hanenberg at 141 pounds. The bout may have been the most highly contested bout of the evening before three third period takedowns by Penha sealed the match.
 
In the next bout, Daniel Van Hoose put together maybe one of his best performances of the year in an 8-3 win over Diego Calderon. Van Hoose threw a headlock in the first period to go ahead 4-0 and added a four-point nearfall in the final period for the win.
 
After dropping the 157-pound matchup, Jason Buhr earned the win in his final match in Brownson Arena. Buhr defeated Hunter Mullin 16-5 after the Mountaineer scored the first takedown of the bout. After that it was all Buhr as he outscored Mullin 12-2 in the final two periods of action.
 
The Mavericks lost three of the final four duals with the lone win coming at 197 pounds.
 
Colorado Mesa will compete in the NCAA Regional in Kearney, Nebraska on February 23. The top three finishers in each weight will qualify for the NCAA Championships on March 8-9 in Cleveland, Ohio.