The Colorado Mesa men's wrestling team has just one dual this week after coming off the busy Western Colorado Open and Tracy Borah Duals weekend. They are set for an important Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference matchup with the Adams State Grizzlies on Friday at 6:00pm in Alamosa.
 
STAY SOLID
Colorado Mesa is 5-0 in duals and in search of their third straight Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Championship. After the 5-0 start, they have won eight straight duals dating back to the NWCA National Duals loss to No. 14 Fort Hays State 20-19.
 
Nine of the ten projected starters currently have winning records on the season, the Mavericks have strength up and down the lineup with freshman Dayson Torgerson leading off each night and closing with sophomore Tyler Doyle. Both younger wrestlers who have proven their worth.
 
GAINING RECOGNITION
In the most recent NWCA national rankings, the Mavericks had their lone wrestler, Tyler Doyle, surprisingly drop out of the rankings but had two new wrestlers enter.
 
184-pounder Jason Bynarowicz moved up to No. 6 in the national rankings after placing third at the Midwest Classic. The redshirt junior is currently on a seven-match winning streak that includes a win over previously ranked No. 5 Reece Woracheck of Wisconsin Parkside in the third-place match in Indy. He is currently 14-3 on the season and will look to qualify for the NCAA National Championships for the first time in early March.
 
Fellow redshirt junior Gabe Carranza entered the rankings at No. 11 in the 197-pound weight class. Carranza spent his first two seasons in the 285-pound weight class but since moving down to 197 pounds he has flourished. He placed sixth at the Midwest Classic and is 18-5 on the season while getting his hand raised in nine of his last 12 bouts.
 
Doyle fell out of the rankings after not placing at the Midwest Classic but has gone 6-2 since those rankings and is one of the top 285-pound wrestlers in the region currently.
 
SCOUTING ADAMS STATE
The Adams State Grizzlies are still one of the top teams in the RMAC when it comes to both duals and tournament settings. They are 2-0 in duals with a pair of non-conference wins this past weekend at the Tracy Borah Duals and had a placer at the Midwest Classic in fifth-place, 197-pound wrestler Ben Tonnessen.
 
Tonnessen along with Aaden Valdez are the Grizzlies top wrestlers. Tonnessen comes in with an 9-6 record and has already beaten Maverick Gabe Carranza 4-2 in the fifth-place match at the Midwest Classic in Indianapolis.
 
174-pounder Aaden Valdez is 12-2 and is a returning NCAA National Qualifier.
 
COACHING STAFF
Head coach Mike Mendoza enters his fifth season with the program and second year as the head of the program. Mendoza was named the RMAC Coach of the Year and the Super Region VI Coach of the Year in his first year as the head coach of the program as he led the Mavericks to their third straight RMAC Championship by going a perfect 7-0 in conference duals and a 9-4 overall dual record.
 
Mendoza has been with the program since 2019 after making stops at Northeastern Junior College, Boise State, Cal State Bakersfield, and Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference foe Adams State. He spent time as the head coach at Northeastern JC where he elevated the program from an 0-6 dual record when he took over to an 11-3 mark in his final season. He was also the head coach at Boise State the year prior to the school dropping the program.
 
Bo Pipher is back as the top assistant for his second season and third overall with the program. Pipher, a three-time Colorado State Champion, wrestled for Cael Sanderson at Penn State for four seasons before graduating.
 
Donnie Negus, Joe Ritzen, Tim Romero, and Collin Metzgar are also helping the program in the wrestling room.
 
WHAT'S NEXT
The Mavericks will be off next week but will return home for a pair of important home duals as they will host Colorado School of Mines on Saturday January 27 at 4:00pm followed by an afternoon dual with Chadron State on Sunday January 28 at 2:00pm.
 
COLORADO MESA PROJECTED LINEUP
125: Dayson Torgerson, Fr., Aurora, Utah (13-5 overall)
133: Oran Huff, RSo., Lyons, Colo. (12-7 overall)
141: Denim Torgerson, RSo., Aurora, Colo. (8-6 overall)
149: Juan Garcia, So., Johnstown, Colo. (10-7 overall)
157: Estevan Maldonado, RJr., Arvada, Colo. (6-4 overall)
165: Tanner Baumgartner, RSo., Keenesburg, Colo. (6-9 overall)
174: Gus Dalton, RSo., Emery, Utah (9-6 overall)
184: #6 Jason Bynarowicz, RJr., Broomfield, Colo. (14-3 overall)
197: #11 Gabe Carranza, RJr., Victorville, Calif. (18-5 overall)
285: Tyler Doyle, So., Littleton, Colo. (17-4 overall)