GRAND JUNCTION, Colo.— A stunning pin at 285 pounds from Western Colorado University's Riley Butt gave his Mountaineer squad a 21-17 non-conference dual win over the Colorado Mesa University Mavericks on Thursday night here in Brownson Arena.
 
The Mountaineers, improved to 3-1, and won six of the dual's ten bouts as the nation's 18^th-ranked Mavericks fell to 1-1 after a back-and-forth dual that saw the lead change hands five times.
 
Freshman AJ Salguero, redshirt freshman Noah O'Dougherty and nationally-ranked senior Gabriel Carranza delivered on-mat victories for the Mavs after redshirt freshman Adonias Cantu picked up his team-leading tenth win of the season by forfeit at 125 pounds as the Mountaineers scratched Roberto Estrada minutes before the dual.
 
The Mountaineers then came back to win four of the next five bouts by decision to take a 12-9 lead.
 
Devin Gomez started that run with an 8-5 win over CMU's Oran Huff at 133 pounds.
 
Salguero, making his dual debut, then held on for a 10-7 win over Isaac Chavarria in the 141-pound match, giving the Mavs a 9-3 lead.
 
The Mountaineers then swept the next three bouts at 149, 157 and 165 pounds without conceding a take-down.
 
They were looking like that trend would continue at 174 pounds as Erik Anderson took a 9-1 lead over Pebley.  However, the Maverick redshirt freshman went on to score 17 unanswered points with a reversal and the first of three 4-point near falls to regain control of what ended up being an 18-9 major decision victory that put the Mavs back in front of the overall dual, 13-12.
 
The Mountaineers regained the lead with a  5-0 decision from Hunter Richardson at 184 pounds before Carranza, ranked ninth in the nation, used a takedown in each of the three periods to post a comfortable 10-0 major decision win over Sage Harrison at 197 pounds to put the Mavs in front 17-15.
 
The Mavs' Ruben Samuelson then scored an early takedown over Butt in the deciding match before Butt back with a reversal and quick pin later in the first period to give the Mountaineers the win.
 
Samuelson had pinned Butt twice in the 2024-25 season.
 
A small group of Mavericks will head to Hays, Kansas for Sunday's Fort Hays State-Bob Smith Open while the CMU starters will be back in action at the 46^th Midwest Classic in Indianapolis on the following weekend (Dec. 13-14).

Bout-By-Bout Results
125: Adonias Cantu (CMU) wins by forfeit
133: Devin Gomez (WCU) dec. Oran Huff (CMU, 8-5
141: AJ Salguero (CMU) dec. Isaac Chavarria (WCU), 10-7
149: Eyan Chavez (WCU) dec. Alex Castaneda (CMU), 7-2
157: Vinny Cabral (WCU) dec. Sammy Mobly (CMU), 4-2
165: Jacob Blandford (WCU) dec. Will Alvarado (CMU), 7-1
174: Christian Pebley (CMU) maj. dec. Erik Anderson (WCU), 18-9
184: Hunter Richardson (WCU) dec. Noah O'Dougherty (CMU), 5-0
197: #9 Gabriel Carranza (CMU) maj. dec. Sage Harrison (WCU), 10-0
285: Riley Butt (WCU) pins Ruben Samuelson (CMU), 2:17

Extra Matches
141: Caiden Beagley (WCU) pins Jorge Torres (CMU), 0:56
149: Miles Harris (WCU) maj. dec. Juan Garcia (CMU), 13-0
184: Jackson Hallett (WCU) pins Logan Noble (CMU), 3:45