GRAND JUNCTION, Colo.— The Colorado Mesa University women's wrestling team recorded three pins and two dominant technical fall victories in the first five matches to pull away for a 32-14 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference and season-opening dual victory over visiting Texas Woman's University on Saturday evening here in Brownson Arena.
 
The Mavericks won seven of the ten bouts and recorded four pins throughout the evening, getting out to a 23-0 lead at the half-way point of the dual before getting two more wins at 160 and 180 pounds to seal up the win.
 
CMU is now 6-0 all-time against the Pioneers and have won 18 straight home duals in a streak that dates back more than eight years.
 
The Mavs, ranked eighth as a team in the National Wrestling Coaches Association's NCAA Preseason Rankings, had a pair of returning all-Americans in fourth-ranked Mia Zuniga and Adriana Gomez at the top of the lineup.  Zuniga pinned Alexa Rodriguez at 103 pounds before Gomez rolled Fatima Delgado, 10-0 at 110 to put the Mavs ahead, 9-0.
 
The Mavs then increased the lead to 14-0 as Sophia Cornish pinned Ashlee Marron Rodriguez while leading her 117-pound match, 8-0.
 
After the veterans got things rolling, Maverick freshman Amelia Bacon and Lauren China Zaragoza continued the momentum with 124 and 131 pound victories.
 
Bacon recorded a rare 5-point move and beat Heidi Caprio by an 11-0 technical fall margin in just 19 seconds while Zaragoza pinned RaeAnn Lowe at the 1:18 mark.
 
The Pioneers' Jordyn Parker then scored a 12-2 win at 138 pounds before regionally-ranked Mackenzie Blue pinned CMU's Delarie Juarez in the second period of the 145-pound match-up.
 
Leading 24-9 at that point, the Mavs then clinched the dual as Gretchen Donally needed just 1:03 to pin Londyn Jefferson at 145 pounds.
 
CMU junior Taylor Colangelo then recorded a mild upset at 180 pounds, getting out to an 8-1 lead while posting an 8-3 win over TWU's Samaria Barnett, who finished fourth at the NCAA Super VI Region Championships last year.
 
The Pioneers then finished the dual with a 10-0 Kitana Leofatato win over the Mavs' Alena Bartley.
 
Both teams will return to Brownson Arena on Sunday morning to compete in the Maverick Open.  Approximately 180 wrestlers are expected to compete on three mats throughout the day, beginning at 9 a.m.
 
#8 Colorado Mesa 32 (1-0, 1-0 RMAC), Texas Woman's (0-1, 0-1 RMAC) 14
 
103: #4 Mia Zuniga (CMU) pinned Alexa Rodriguez (TWU), 1:42
110: #4 Adriana Gomez (CMU) def. Fatima Delgado (TWU), T-Fall (10-0, 1:52)
117: Sophia Cornish (CMU) pinned Ashlee Marron Rodriguez (TWU), 1:25
124: Amelia Bacon (CMU) def. Heidi Caprio (TWU), T-Fall (11-0, 0:19)
131: Lauren China Zaragoza (CMU) pinned RaeAnn Lowe (TWU), 1:18
138: Jordyn Parker (TWU) def. Thalia Vogelsang (CMU), T-Fall (12-2, 2:38)
145: Mackenzie Blue (TWU) pinned Delarie Juarez (CMU), 4:29
160: Gretchen Donally (CMU) pinned Londyn Jefferson (TWU), 1:03
180: Taylor Colangelo (CMU) dec. Samaria Barnett (TWU), 8-3
207: Kitana Leofatato (TWU) def. Alena Bartley (CMU), T-Fall (10-0, 1:53)