The Colorado Mesa women's wrestling team will officially kick-off their season this weekend with five duals against stout competition. They will begin the weekend in Gaffney, S.C. with two duals against nationally ranked Limestone and Ferrum College. A day later they will take on a bevy of nationally ranked teams in McKendree, Emmanuel and King in Bristol, Tenn.
 
NATIONAL TEAM CAMPS
Freshman Tristan Kelly will make her debut in the lineup this week at 170 pounds. Tristan spent the past few weeks at WCAP (World Class Athlete Program) Camp that is run by the US Army. Kelly won the UWW Junior National Championship at 76kg in November where she defeated the previous year's national runner-up at 170 pounds.
 
Marissa Gallegos and Dalia Garibay each spent time at the US Senior National Team Camp in Litchfield Park, Ariz. over the past few weeks. Both will be featured in the lineup this week with Gallegos wrestling at 123 pounds and Garibay at 136 pounds. Gallegos was the runner-up at the U23 World Team Trials in November.
 
NEWCOMERS IN THE LINEUP
Once again, the Mavericks had a strong recruiting class and some of those athletes will step right into the lineup and contribute immediately.
 
Holly Beaudoin is set to start at 130 pounds. She is a four-time state finalist and one-time champ from Washington who also competed at the Junior and U23 Championships in November with a select group of wrestlers.
 
New York native Zoe Gress will earn the nod at 155 pounds for the weekend. Gress was a 2019 all-American and placed fourth at the Lady Klippan Cadet Division. She will be competing for Colorado Mesa for the first time on Saturday.
 
Isabeau Shalack will also be making her debut in a Maverick singlet. The Evergreen Park, Ill. native is a two-time Fargo Finalist and a two-time Folkstyle Nationals all-American. She will compete at 191 pounds.
 
Those three will join Kelly in the Maverick starting lineup.
 
RETURNING ALL AMERICANS
Colorado Mesa has three other returning as all-Americans this year in Jennesis Martinez, Anja Tschohl, and Kaylee Lacy. All three are scheduled to start once again.
 
Martinez claimed third-place at the WCWC National Championships at 101 pounds and went 20-5 during her freshman year of collegiate wrestling. She enters the year ranked No. 3 and went 4-2 against nationally ranked competitors last season. This weekend she will face both wrestlers ranked ahead of her and the one directly behind her in the rankings.
 
Tschohl will begin the year ranked No. 7 at 116 pounds after finishing last season as an all-American, placing seventh at the WCWC National Championships. The Andover, Kan. native finished the season with a 23-11 record and won both the Maverick and York Opens.
 
Lacy will begin the year ranked No. 7 at 143 pounds after placing eighth at the weight during the WCWC Championships last spring. The Grand Junction native is in her third season with the program.
 
SCOUTING THE COMPETITION
The Mavericks will open their season with five duals in two days out on the East Coast this weekend. Ferrum and Limestone are the first two matchups on Saturday in South Carolina. Limestone currently features a ranked wrestler at the final three weights in Caitlyn Gilmore (No. 8) at 155, Issa Salgado (No. 7) at 170 and Destiny Baltierra (No. 7) at 191.
 
Sunday's duals look a little different as all four teams involved are ranked inside the top seven in the preseason rankings. The Mavericks will start off by wrestling against No. 2 McKendree which features 11 ranked wrestlers with three of those wrestlers occupying the top spot in the rankings, Pauline Granados at 101, Emma Bruntil at 136 pounds and Sydnee Kimber at 191 pounds.
 
Their second bout will be against fourth-ranked King, the former school of head coach Travis Mercado. The Tornado feature nine ranked wrestlers with two of those holding down the No. 2 position in Cheyenne Sisenstein at 123 pounds and Allison Petix at 130 pounds.
 
The final dual of the weekend will come against third-ranked Emmanuel out of Georgia. They have nine ranked wrestlers with two wrestlers beginning the season ranked second in Angie Gomez at 101 pounds and Maria Vidales at 109 pounds. Emmanuel will make the trip west to Grand Junction at the end of the month.
 
THE COACH
Head coach Travis Mercado is entering his third season leading the Mavericks and has them prepared for the season ahead. Mercado has a 9-10 record overall in duals including 7-4 mark a year ago and a fourth-place finish at the NWCA National Duals and the WCWC National Championships.
 
Prior to Colorado Mesa, Mercado was an assistant coach at King University in Tennessee where he oversaw the women's program and assisted with the men's team. At King, Mercado trained ten USA Olympic Trials competitors and nine USA Junior National Team members.
 
Last year, Mercado was named the head coach for Team USA at the Junior Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The team would have included the top finishers at the Junior World Team trials that were postponed due to COVID.
 
FREE YEAR
With uncertainty rampant during the college wrestling season this year, the NCAA granted all winter sports student athletes (Basketball, Wrestling, Indoor Track, Swimming & Diving) an extra year of eligibility similar to what took place during the fall season with football, volleyball, soccer and cross country.
 
So, in terms of eligibility, the year you see on the roster for the Colorado Mesa men's wrestling team this year, will also be their year next year as well.
 
WHAT'S NEXT
The Mavericks will return home for a dual and a round-robin event on January 29 and January 30. They will host nationally ranked Emmanuel College on Friday at 6pm in Brownson Arena in their fourth-ever home dual. They will then host a handful of teams on Saturday in a format yet to be determined.
 
Schedule of Events
Saturday January 16
11am – Limestone dual
12pm – Ferrum College dual
 
Sunday January 17
7am – McKendree dual
8am – King dual
9am – Emmanuel dual
Extra matches will take place during the duals as well
 
Projected Lineup
101: #3 Jennesis Martinez, So., Albuquerque, N.M. / Manzano (0-0 overall)
109: OPEN
116: #7 Anja Tschohl, So., Andover, Kan. / Andover (0-0 overall)
123: #3 Marissa Gallegos, RSo., Denver, Colo. / Jefferson (0-0 overall)
130: Holy Beaudoin, Fr., Poulsbo, Wash. / North Kitsap (0-0 overall)
136: #2 Dalia Garibay, So., Brentwood, Calif. / Freedom (0-0 overall)
143: Kaylee Lacy, Jr., Grand Junction, Colo. / Grand Junction (0-0 overall)
155: Zoe Gress, Fr., Hoosick Falls, N.Y. / Hoosick Falls Central (0-0 overall)
170: Tristan Kelly, Fr., Erie, Colo. / Douglas County (0-0 overall)
191: Isabeau Shalack, Fr., Evergreen Park, Ill. / Evergreen Park (0-0 overall)