INDIANAPOLIS— The Colorado Mesa University Mavericks advanced six wrestlers to the second day and are solidly in the top half of the team standings after the first of the 46^th Annual Midwest Classic here at the University of Indianapolis' Nicoson Hall.
 
125-pound freshman Adonias Cantu, AJ Hague (141), Alex Castaneda (149), Levi DiCugno (174), Gabriel Carranza (197) and Ruben Samuelson (285) are all still alive and two wins away from a top eight placing after grinding through the first day of the 46-team tournament, heralded as solid pre-holiday preview of the national championships.
 
The Mavs are in 16^th place with 33 team points and won 17 matches throughout the day.
 
Cantu went 3-1 throughout the day with an opening round win and two consolation bracket victories.  His lone loss came to second-ranked Shane Corrigan of Wisconsin-Parkside in the round of 32.  Cantu will face Chadron State's Quade Smith, ranked 13^th nationally, in his first match on Sunday morning at 9:30 a.m. EST (7:30 a.m. Mountain).
 
Hague also went 3-1, receiving a first round bye before dropping his Round of 32 match to 12^th-ranked Krayle Stormer of Northern State.  Hague then rattled off three straight decisions in the consolation half of the bracket and will match-up with Lander's George Maholtz on Sunday.
 
Castaneda went 2-1 on the day and pinned Drury's Mason Knight in his first consolation match before recording a 19-9 major decision win over North Carolina-Pembroke's Avery Buonocore in his second.  Castaneda will take on a Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference rival in Angel Flores of Adams State on Sunday morning.
 
DiCugno went 2-1 and reached the round of 16 of the championship bracket with a first round bye and a 5-4 decision over Chadron State's Logan Berger before he fell to 14^th-ranked Hunter Jump of Central Oklahoma.  The Maverick freshmen then bounced back with a 3-2 win over CSU Pueblo's Solomon Arnds-Volcin in the consolation round and is slated to face Seton Hill's Kane Kettering on Sunday.
 
Carranza, ranked ninth in the nation and seeded seventh in the tournament, also reached the Round of 16 and went 2-1.  He had a 17-0 technical fall win in the opening round and a pin in the consolations.  His lone loss came to Ashland's Peyton Lemon, ranked 15^th nationally.  Carranza will face Pitt-Johnstown's Bradley Morrison on Sunday as he looks to place in the tournament for the third straight year.
 
Samuelson led the Mavs with four wins on Saturday, three of which came via pin and another by injury default just 18 seconds into the match.  Samuelson will face Guilian Bodiu of Findlay on Sunday.  Bodiu is ranked 11^th nationally.