GRAND JUNCTION, Colo.— After a Thanksgiving break, the nation's 18^th-ranked Colorado Mesa University men's wrestling team will return to the competition mat on Thursday evening when the Mavs host arch-rival Western Colorado University in a non-conference home dual inside Brownson Arena.
 
Action is slated to get underway at 6 p.m. and can be seen with a subscription to the RMAC Network (more information below).
 
Live results can be accessed here.
 
A handful of Mavericks are also slated to compete in Sunday's Bob Smith Open, hosted by Fort Hays State University in Hays, Kansas.
 
Last Time Out
 
The Mavs took more than 30 wrestlers to the Younes Hospitality Open on Nov. 22 in Kearney, Nebraska.
 
The large tournament was divided between elite, intermediate and amateur divisions.
 
The Mavs had five placers, led by a pair of 174-pound freshman.
 
Gunnar Neal went 4-1 and took second in amateur division bracket.  Levi DiCugno was 5-1 and placed third in the elite division.
 
Meanwhile, Tanner Stone placed fourth in the intermediate division at 133 pounds while Patrick Preston placed fifth at 149 pounds in that division.
 
Redshirt senior Gabriel Carranza reached the semifinals of 197-pound elite division bracket but settled for sixth place after medically forfeiting out of the tournament.
 
A full recap of the day can be seen here. 
 
All of the results can be seen on FloWrestling at this link.
 
The Probable Lineup
 
Here is a look at the Mavs' probable lineup for Thursday's dual, as announced by Head Coach Mike Mendoza earlier this week.  Each wrestlers' 2025-26 season record is listed in parenthesis.
 
125: Adonias Cantu (9-3) or Riley Valdez (6-6)
133: Oran Huff (1-2)
141: AJ Salguero (4-4) or Jorge Torres (3-2)
149: Alex Castaneda (1-3) or Juan Garcia (2-0)
157: Sammy Mobly (5-3)
165: Will Alvarado (4-5)
174: Christian Pebley (5-4)
184: Noah O'Dougherty (7-3)
197: #9 Gabriel Carranza (2-1) or Logan Noble (4-4)
285: Ruben Samuelson (2-1)
 
Preseason Predictions
 
The Mavericks were picked to win the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference title, according to the conference's preseason coaches poll, announced in October. https://cmumavericks.com/news/2025/10/14/wrestling-mavs-picked-to-win-rmac-three-named-to-preseason-all-rmac.aspx
 
The Mavs claimed three first and three second place votes to top the poll with 33 points ahead of Adams State (28), the Colorado School of Mines (26) and the rest of the 7-team conference.
 
The RMAC also announced the Preseason All-RMAC team in conjunction with the poll.  The Mavericks landed three wrestlers on that 10-man team, made up of the top returning vote-getter from last year's all-conference voting process at each weight class.
 
The Mavericks' picks were Alex Castaneda, Gabriel Carranza and Tyler Doyle at 149, 197 and 285 pounds, respectively.  Carrranza and Doyle were First Team All-RMAC selections last year.
 
The Prequel & Rivalry
 
Since 2017-18, excluding the COVID-abbreviated 2020-21 season, the Mavericks and Mountaineers have scheduled two duals against one another.  They have wrestled in an early-season non-conference affair and then square off in the RMAC "counter" in February at the opposite location, helping both teams get extra duals and their fans additional opportunities to see the rivalry in person.
 
Thursday's dual will be the prequel to the Feb. 13 match-up in Gunnison, which will count in the RMAC standings.
 
The Mountaineers hold a 23-17 lead in the series since the Mavs resumed their program in 2006-07 although the Mavs have won four of the last five and six of the last eight match-ups.

CMU is 7-8 at home.
 
The teams split the series last year with each team winning on the road.
 
CMU had swept the series in 2023-24.
 
The Mountaineers have not swept the season series since 2018-19.
 
National Rankings
 
The Mavericks are still ranked 18^th as a team in the latest National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA)'s NCAA Division II Coaches rankings, released on Nov. 20.
 
The Mavericks have 26 points in the Tournament Power Index rankings with three individually ranked wrestlers.
 
Junior Dayson Torgerson leads the Maverick contingent in the No. 4 spot at 125 pounds and is coming off a 23-8 season in which he earned all-America honors with a seventh-place finish at the national tournament.  The Aurora, Utah native also won the Super Region VI Championship.  He has posted an 8-1 record while competing unattached in two open tournaments so far this season.
 
Redshirt junior Owen Cline, also a returning all-American, is ranked fifth at 157 pounds.  He went 16-5 last year and reached the semifinals of the NCAA Championships before finishing fourth.  He is 1-0 in his one match so far this season.
 
Gabriel Carranza is also a 2-time returning national qualifier and is ranked ninth at 197 pounds after starting out tenth.  He finished third at the super regional last year and went 15-9 overall last season and is 2-1 thus far in limited action in the fall of 2025.
 
About the Mountaineers
 
The Mountaineers are 2-1 in official dual meets this season after taking on Vanguard, San Francisco State and Menlo in San Francisco, California on Nov. 8.  They defeated Vanguard, 23-20 and San Francisco State, 27-13, both lost to Menlo, 25-19.
 
Charlie Pipher's squad has also competed at two of the same tournaments that the Mavs have been at and posted a 54-0 exhibition win over Northeastern Junior College.
 
Roberto Estrada (125) and Devin Gomez (133) both reached the quarterfinals of the Elite Division at the Younes Hospitality Open while Tino Gonzales finished second in the 149-pound amateur division bracket.
 
Estrada and Gomez are expected to take on the Mavs in Thursday's dual.

Small Group in Kansas

The Mavericks have entered eight wrestlers in to Sunday's Fort Hays State University-Bob Smith Open in Hays, Kansas.  Action is slated to begin at 8:30 a.m. CST (7:30 a.m. Mountain).
 
Here's the list of current Maverick entries by weight class.
 
141: AJ Hague, Kyle Holtberg
149: Alex Castaneda, Juan Garcia
157: Sammy Mobly, Tommy Thomas
165: Gavin Ramos
184: Logan Noble
 
RMAC Network News
 
The RMAC Network has moved to a pay-per-view model for the 2025-26 season.  This season, all RMAC athletic events broadcast by its 15 full-member institutions and associate members will only be available for purchase via a single-game pass or a monthly or annual subscription. Revenue generated by the network will be redistributed to the league's membership to enhance their programs.
 
RMAC fans can purchase monthly and annual subscriptions that will provide them with access to all regular-season, championship, and archived broadcasts on the RMAC Network. A monthly subscription costs $25, and an annual subscription costs $130. Single-game passes are available for $10, which grants access to a single game for 24 hours.
 
Additionally, a discounted annual subscription price will be available to students, faculty, and staff of each member institution throughout the year. Purchasing options and pricing for individual RMAC Championships will be announced closer to each event.
 
Colorado Mesa turns 100
 
The CMU Century Celebration stands as the cornerstone of Colorado Mesa University's year-long centennial celebration. This ambitious initiative unites our community in honoring a rich heritage while boldly envisioning the next hundred years of academic excellence.

Led by the Steering Committee and six specialized sub-committees, we're orchestrating a transformative experience that will resonate through generations. Each committee brings unique expertise to create an unforgettable commemoration of our past, present and future.
 
To learn more about Colorado Mesa's 100-year celebration, visit cmucentury.com.
 
Up Next
 
The Mavs will head to Indianapolis for the prestigious Dec. 13-14 Midwest Classic, regarded as a mid-season mini-nationals, hosted annually by the University of Indianapolis.