**A majority of this preview was written prior to the postponement with Chadron State**
 
The No. 15 Colorado Mesa men's wrestling team will be at home this week for a pair of Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference duals in Brownson Arena. On Wednesday, they are slated to take on the San Francisco State Gators (0-4, 0-3 RMAC) at 6pm.
 
AT THE NATIONAL DUALS
Colorado Mesa came away with a sixth-place finish at the NWCA National Duals in their first trip to the prestigious event. They finished with a 3-2 record as they recorded wins over No. 18 Mercyhurst (26-19) in the opening round before falling to No. 1 ranked Central Oklahoma (31-6). They bounced back with a win over UNC Pembroke (33-10) to reach day two of the event.
 
The Mavericks picked up a win over regional foe Fort Hays State (34-10) to reach the fifth-place match where they fell to No. 3 McKendree (21-12).
 
Despite missing three starters, they had a successful trip and everyone that competed in the dual lineup recorded at least one win for the team.
 
STILL FILLING IN
Colorado Mesa is still scheduled to be without three of their starters this week due to various reasons whether it is health, injury or academic related. Just like at the National Duals, the Mavericks will be expected to have a wrestler step in and give a great performance.
 
Senior Cian Apple will once again be in line to start at 125 pounds in the absence of nationally ranked Dawson Collins. Apple is 11-7 on the season and has a 2-3 record against ranked opponents. He went 3-2 at the National Duals and has placed twice at open tournaments this season.
 
Freshman phenom Alex Holguin will likely be out this week and could be replaced by a pair of wrestlers that split action. Redshirt sophomore Dylan Ranieri and redshirt junior Braeson Lewis could both see time at the weight this week and each have matching 5-3 records.
 
RMAC WRESTLER OF THE WEEK
Senior Donnie Negus was named the RMAC Wrestler of the Week following his performance at the NWCA National Duals. Negus went 4-1 and helped lead the Mavericks to a sixth-place finish at the event.
 
Negus, ranked No. 10 by the NWCA in the most recent rankings, earned two wins by fall (Mercyhurst, Fort Hays State), a major decision win over McKendree, and a decision victory over UNC Pembroke. His lone loss came in a rematch of last season's national semifinal at 197 pounds with Dalton Abney of Central Oklahoma. Negus fell to top-ranked Abney 2-1.
 
The Elizabeth, Colo. native is 13-3 on the season and 63-39 in his career.
 
SCOUTING THE GATORS
San Francisco State comes into the week with a 0-4 dual meet record and have competed in several open tournaments. They had a pair of RMAC duals canceled but have wrestled against three RMAC schools (Western Colorado, Chadron State and CSU Pueblo).
 
The Gators feature a pair of wrestlers that will pose problems to anyone. Josh Fuentes Norikoyo at 141 pounds has already been named a RMAC Wrestler of the Week and a 15-5 overall record. He placed second at the Mike Clock Open, third at the predominantly Division I Roadrunner Open, and fourth at the Midwest Classic.
 
157-pounder Mason Boutain is a name Division II wrestling enthusiasts will recognize. He has been nationally ranked at time throughout his career. He enters the week with an 8-5 record that includes a sixth-place finish at the Roadrunner Open and a respectable performance at the Midwest Classic where he lost to a pair of nationally ranked opponents.
 
COACHING STAFF
Head coach Chuck Pipher returns to the bench for his 15^th season with Colorado Mesa. Last season, Pipher led the Mavericks to the RMAC Championship as the top placing team at the NCAA Super Region VI Tournament. He had two wrestlers qualify for the NCAA National Championships and was able to come home with two all-Americans in Donnie Negus at 197-pounds and national champion at 165 pounds in Fred Green.
 
Pipher has amassed a 118-112 record in duals since the program was brought back in 2006. He has also had an all-American in 10 straight seasons which is the longest running streak in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference.
 
Also returning to the bench is assistant coach Mike Mendoza who is entering his third season in the program after successful coaching stints at Adams State, Cal State Bakersfield, Boise State and Northeastern Junior College. He brings over 20 years of coaching experience to the staff.

New to the coaching staff this season is another Pipher. Bo Pipher is in his first season on the staff after spending the past five years competing and earning his degree at Penn State. Pipher wrestled for the Nittany Lions under Cael Sanderson and amassed a 27-31 record in his time. 
 
THE RETURN OF THE REGIONAL TOURNAMENT
The Mavericks are once again slated to host the NCAA Super Region VI Tournament and it is looking more and more like it will be a full field. Last season, Simon Fraser and New Mexico Highlands did not compete at the regional tournament due to COVID restrictions in New Mexico and Canada.
 
The tournament is scheduled to be on Saturday February 26 in Brownson Arena.
 
ON THE HORIZON
The Mavericks will host two more home duals next week as they take on CSU Pueblo on Thursday for this season's edition of the Bank of Colorado Battle in Brownson at 6pm. They will close out the home slate on Sunday with a dual against Colorado School of Mines at 1:30pm.
 
Projected Lineup
125 – Cian Apple, RSr., Arvada, Colo., 11-7 overall
133 – #2 Collin Metzgar, RJr., Colorado Springs, Colo., 16-4 overall
141 – Erik Contreras, RSo. Berthoud, Colo., 7-6 overall
149 – Nick Gallegos, RFr., Denver, Colo., 12-5 overall
157 – #12 Ryan Wheeler, RFr., University Place, Wash., 11-4 overall
165 – Daniel Magana, RFr., Santa Ana, Calif., 0-0 overall
174 – Seth Latham, RJr., Grand Junction, Colo., 8-6 overall
184 – Nolan Krone, RJr., Henderson, Colo., 8-4 overall
197 – #10 Donnie Negus, RSr., Elizabeth, Colo., 13-3 overall
285 – Kash Anderson, RFr., Boise, Idaho, 12-5 overall