The No. 5 ranked Colorado Mesa women's wrestling team will host Adams State on Saturday January 27 at 6pm for their final home dual of the season and recognize their outgoing seniors that will be graduating, or have graduated, at the end of the year.
 
HONORING THE SENIORS
The Colorado Mesa women's wrestling team will honor five seniors who will be graduating this spring or who have already graduated this fall in their final home dual on Saturday evening.
 
Anja Tschohl competed at 123 pounds this season and finished with a 6-4 record but has amassed 65 wins in her career and was a two-time All-American in career as she placed eighth in 2021 and seventh during the 2020 championships.
 
Samantha Vasquez competed at 170 pounds this year and has gone 1-1 while fighting through injuries. She is 27-18 in her career and placed fifth at last season's NCWWC Region Tournament in Grand Junction.
 
Caylee Collins competed at 155 and 170 pounds in her career where she is 2-4 on the season and 13-18 in her career. She qualified for both the 2021 and 2022 NCWWC National Championships and will look to make her third appearance this season.
 
Holly Beaudoin is a two-time All-American for the Mavericks and has competed at 136 pounds throughout her career. She is currently ranked No. 4 at 136 pounds and has an 11-1 record this season and is 56-18 in her career. She was named the RMAC Wrestler of the Week on January 9 after going 5-0 at the NWCA National Duals.
 
Dalia Garibay is a two-time NCWWC National Finalist at both 136 and 155 pounds. Garibay is 5-3 on the season after splitting 143 and 155 pounds and has won 51 matches in her career. She earned NWCA Scholar All-American honors following the season.
 
SCOUTING THE GRIZZLIES
Adams State is in their first season with a program and have taken their lumps like most have in their first season. They currently have eight wrestlers and were able to secure a dual win over Minot State in December. Like the Mavericks, the Grizzlies haven't shied away from competition as they have taken on the likes of ranked opponents Iowa, Simon Fraser and Wartburg in duals.
 
116-pounder Austria Holland is the Grizzlies top wrestler and secured a win over Adriana Gomez in the dual in Alamosa earlier this year. She won the Hastings Bronco Open from what we can find is unbeaten on the year at roughly 11-0.
 
ELEVATING TO A CONFERENCE
In April, the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference announced it would be sponsoring the sport of women's wrestling marking it as one of only two conferences (Conference of the Carolinas) to do so. The conference will feature Colorado Mesa, Adams State, Chadron State, Texas Woman's, and Simon Fraser as members with each doing a single round robin for duals. They will conclude with the RMAC Tournament on February 3 at a site yet to be determined.
 
Colorado Mesa was the inaugural pick to win the conference in the preseason coach's poll. Simon Fraser won the regular season title after defeating Colorado Mesa in the dual which occurred in Las Vegas.
 
THE STAFF
Head coach Travis Mercado is in sixth season in charge of the program and is the only coach the program has ever had. He is 32-15 in dual matches and scored a program best 108 points at the National Collegiate Women's Wrestling Championship giving the program a fourth-place finish at the National Meet in 2023. He has had 29 All-Americans since starting the program ahead of the 2018-19 season and has had an All-American every season.
 
New this season, the Mavericks added a full-time assistant that most Maverick fans will recognize. Marissa Gallegos enters her first season on the coaching staff and will assist in the day-to-day operation with duties including but not limited to work-out plans, recruiting, and advanced scouting. Gallegos capped her career with an undefeated season and the program's first National Champion.
 
Also, back to help in a volunteer role is Jolynn Harris who spent last season as a diving graduate assistant coach and part-time wrestler at McKendree.
 
WHAT'S NEXT
Colorado Mesa will compete in the inaugural Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Championships next Saturday. The RMAC Championships will be held at Regis University in Denver with wrestling beginning at 9am. The tournament will pair with USA Wrestling's wrestle-offs for the Pan American Team with those matches taking place in between RMAC matches.
 
COLORADO MESA PROJECTED LINEUP
101: #3 Jennesis Martinez, RJr., Albuquerque, N.M. (12-0 overall)
109: Adriana Gomez, Fr., Laveen, Ariz. (18-7 overall)
116: #8 Kiely Tabaldo, Fr., Sunnyvale, Calif. (12-0 overall)
123: Hania Halverson, So., Kalispell, Mont. (16-7 overall)
130: Kaydence Boyd, Fr., Bakersfield, Calif. (12-10 overall)
136: #4 Holly Beaudoin, RJr., Poulsbo, Wash. (11-1 overall)
143: Valerie Glenn, Fr., Gilroy, Calif. (10-8 overall)
155: #5 Dalia Garibay, RJr., Brentwood, Calif. (5-3 overall)
170: Caylee Collins, RJr., Burien, Wash. (2-4 overall)
191: Jayleen Sekona, Jr., Anchorage, Alaska (3-0 overall)