Adams State College Alamosa, CO

Adams State- RMAC bestows weekly wrestling award upon Huff

DII's No. 4 125-pounder remains undefeated in dual meet action

1/31/2012

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - After another undefeated week on the mat in which he improved to 13-2 overall and 7-0 in dual meets this season, Grizzly sophomore wrestler Jerry Huff (Broomfield, Colo.) has been named this week's Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) Wrestler of the Week, league officials announced Tuesday.

Huff's efforts helped lead the Grizzlies to a pair of wins on Saturday against a pair of RMAC foes in Phoenix, Ariz., as they topped No. 20 San Francisco State 27-10 and No. 7 Grand Canyon (Ariz.) 25-16. He also posted a win last Wednesday as Adams State was nipped by 4th-ranked Nebraska-Kearney at Plachy Hall.

As Division II's No. 4 125-pounder, Huff won his two matches of the week by major decision, recording an 11-3 win over the Lopers' Jordan White, and a 13-4 win over SFSU's Andy Yu. In his final match of the week, he topped Grand Canyon's Kyle McGrite, 5-4.

Huff, who has not lost a match since Nov. 12 at the Wyoming Cowboy Open, wont the 125-pound bracket at the Fort Hays State Bob Smith Open on Dec. 3, and has now won 12 consecutive bouts. With a 7-0 dual meet record, Huff's 28 team points this season co-lead the team, and he is one of just two Grizzlies' not to have surrendered any dual-meet team points along with junior 8th-ranked 141-pounder Max Ortega (Rio Rancho, N.M.). Huff has won two matches by fall this season, and has earned bonus points in five of his dual meet wins.

With a 6-1 dual meet record and 5-1 RMAC mark as team, the Grizzlies currently sit at second in the RMAC standings, behind only UNK with a 3-0 record against RMAC squads. GCU sits right behind ASC, as the 'Lopes loss to the Grizzlies is their only league defeat of the season.

After wrestling three times last week, the Grizzlies will only take to the mat twice this week, on the road against RMAC foes Western State and Colorado Mesa. Thursday, ASC will face its sixth straight top 20 foe in the 18th-ranked Mountaineers, who are tied for fourth in the league standings at 2-2 in the RMAC this season. WSC has tallied wins against Chadron State and Colorado Mines in league action this year, with their two losses coming at the hands of Colorado Mesa and Grand Canyon.

Friday the Grizzlies will travel on to Grand Junction to face the Mavericks, who are also tied for fourth in the RMAC. CMU has won its last two RMAC duals, topping Western State and New Mexico Highlands.

Adams State- Grizzlies take down two top 20 RMAC teams

No. 20 San Francisco State, No. 7 Grand Canyon fall to ASC Saturday

1/28/2012

PHOENIX - The Grizzlies took to the mat for duals against a pair of ranked Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) foes on Saturday, scoring a 27-10 win over 20th-ranked San Francisco State and a 25-16 victory over they day's host and 7th-ranked Grand Canyon.

Adams State improved to 6-1 overall in duals and 5-1 against RMAC squads this year, rebounding nicely from a narrow, 19-20 loss to 4th-ranked Nebraska-Kearney on Wednesday. San Francisco State fell to 3-7 overall and 0-1 in the RMAC after its loss to ASC, while Grand Canyon now owns records of 11-4 overall and 3-1 in the league.

Saturday's action for ASC began at 3 p.m. against the Gators, where sophomore Daniel Kelly (Parker, Colo.) wasted no time in giving the Grizzlies a 6-0 lead with a win by fall in one minute, 40 seconds. The win was Kelly's fifth by pin of the season, the second highest total for the Grizzlies.

Adams State would also get on the board first thanks to Kelly against GCU, as both duals started at 157 pounds.

ASC won the first three matches in the day's opening dual, and a 5-4 decision from sophomore Justin Samora (Cortez, Colo.) followed by a Jarod Purvis (Colorado Springs, Colo.) put the Grizzlies on top of the Gators, 13-0, in a hurry.

SFSU's first points came at 184 pounds, where Zach Jimenez tallied a slight, 6-3, win over sophomore Darian Roberts (Arvada, Colo.).

But wins in the four of the final six matches kept San Francisco State from cutting into the Grizzlies' advantage.

Second-ranked 197-pounder Luke McPeek (Albuquerque, N.M.) recorded a shutout Thomas Martin, garnering bonus points in his 8-0 win. Sophomore Jerry Huff (Broomfield, Colo.), ranked fourth at 125 pounds, also racked up some bonus points with a 13-4 major decision.

The Grizzlies also got wins from ranked wrestlers at 133 and 141, as 5th-ranked Ryan Fillingame (Victorville, Calif.) and 8th-ranked Max Ortega (Rio Rancho, N.M.) scored decisions to make it a 27-6 match in favor of the Grizzlies with one bout left.

But in the final match-up of the Grizzles' opening dual, No. 4-ranked senior Josh Hensley (Alamosa, Colo.) suffered his first dual meet loss of the season, falling 4-14 against the Gators' Dylan Philipy. It would be the first of two losses on the day for senior Hensley, who fell by fall at 5:17 against Grand Canyon.

Five Grizzlies would record a second victory on Saturday against the 'Lopes, in a dual that started immediately following the conclusion of the dual against SFSU. Kelly started the dual with a 7-6 win, and Samora quickly made it a 6-0 Adams State lead with a 7-1 win.

At 174 pounds, Purvis fell to 5th-ranked Victor Caraza of GCU, 6-10, and a 'Lopes win by major decision at 184 pounds left Adams State on the short side of the team score for the first time all day, 6-7.

However, it wouldn't take long for McPeek to score his team-leading seventh win by fall of the season and 16th win overall, pinning the 'Lopes' Celic Bell with 13 seconds left in the first period to put the Grizzlies back on top, 13-7.

GCU closed the gap with a win from No. 4 Jordan Johnson in the heavyweight bout, but a win by Huff at 125 pounds and a major decision from Fillingame at 133 made a 19-10 Grizzly lead. That's when a win by fall from redshirt-freshman Casey Lynn (Cortez, Colo.), who improved to 2-1 in dual meets with both wins coming by fall, put ASC up 25-10 and sealed the team victory.

The Grizzlies now sit at second in the RMAC standings behind only Nebraska-Kearney, which stands at 3-0 in league action after scoring wins over New Mexico Highlands, ASC and Colorado State-Pueblo on Wednesday and Thursday.

Adams State will conclude a stretch of six straight duals against ranked foes on Thursday when they take on No. 18 Western State in Gunnison, Colo., at 7 p.m. on Feb. 2, before facing Colorado Mesa in Grand Junction on Friday.

Adams State Wrestling Double Dual Central

1/28/2012

The Grizzlies return to action with another pair of nationally-ranked Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) foes on Saturday, where ASC will face both No. 20 San Francisco State and No. 7 Grand Canyon (Ariz.) in Phoenix, beginning at 3 p.m.

On Wednesday, the Grizzlies faced their third ranked opponent in as many duals, hosting No. 4 Nebraska-Kearney at Plachy Hall. Adams State came up just short in a 19-20 loss, but received key wins from all four currently ranked wrestlers, including an 8-4 decision by 4th-ranked Josh Hensley (Alamosa, Colo.) over the Lopers 2nd-rnaked Raufeon Stots at 149 pounds.

Also winners for ASC were 4th-ranked Jerry Huff (Broomfield, Colo.) by major decision at 125 pounds, 5th-ranked Ryan Fillingame (Victorville, Calif.) by decision at 133 pounds, and 2nd-ranked Luke McPeek (Albuquerque, N.M.) by decision at 197 pounds.

ASC will begin its day with a 3 p.m. dual against San Francisco State. The Gators own a 3-6 dual meet record this season, and Saturday's meeting with the Grizzlies will be their first RMAC action of the year. SFSU has lost three straight, against Cal Poly (13-25), Stanford (12-25) and Southern Oregon (15-22). The Gators were picked fifth in the league preseason poll.

Grand Canyon, the host of the day's duals, will face the ASC at 5 p.m. in the 'Lopes first action of the day. GCU enters Saturday at 11-3 overall this season and 3-0 in RMAC duals, with wins over Colorado Mesa (21-11), once-ranked Colorado State-Pueblo (32-6) and Western State (19-18). Picked second, one spot ahead of the Grizzlies' in the preseason league poll, Grand Canyon boasts a pair of ranked individuals in Victor Carazo, No. 5 at 174 pounds, and Jordan Johnson, Division II's No. 4 heavyweight.

The Grizzlies match against host Grand Canyon will be avaiable to watch through subscription-based America One.

Adams State- UNK wins battle of top 10's, 20-19

Hensley win, Lynn fall highlight evenly-split night for now #9 Grizzlies

1/25/2012

ALAMOSA, Colo.- Two seconds in the first match of the night proved to be the difference as the fifth-ranked University of Nebraska-Kearney Lopers squeaked out a 20-19 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference wrestling win over the ninth-ranked and host Adams State College Grizzlies in a very competitive dual, Wednesday night in Plachy Hall.

Two of the RMAC's top teams, who had four individually ranked wrestlers each, battled throughout the evening, which eventually went the Lopers way thanks to a pair of major decision victories, the first of which came in dramatic fashion from heavyweight Kevin Barrett, who scored a takedown and 3-point near fall in the waning seconds of the opening bout of the night against Grizzly junior Taylor Stam (Parker, Colo.). With that move, Barrett was also was able to accumulate just enough riding time -62 seconds to be exact- to score an 11-3 major decision win, which gave the Lopers a 4-0 lead.

That key bonus-point and a later 11-2 major decision win from third-string Caleb Kociemba at 184 pounds proved to be enough for the overall win as the teams evenly split the matches five each.

Both teams also had a win by fall as the dual lead changed hands twice. There were also ties at 4 and 16 before Kociemba's bonus-point win bettered a dual-closing 3-2 decision by Grizzly All-American Luke McPeek (Albuquerque, N.M.) over UNK's Matt Lenagh at 197 pounds that gave the Grizzlies their last three team points.

The Lopers improved to 6-3 overall and to 2-0 in RMAC action with the win after they bested New Mexico Highlands, 41-3, earlier in the afternoon in Las Vegas, N.M. The Grizzlies, who were off to their first 4-0 start since 1993-94, fell to 4-1 overall and to 3-1 in RMAC duals.

The Grizzlies, who did get off to a 3-0-1 start in 2008-09, had moved up two spots in the latest NCAA Division II National Wrestling Coaches Association Poll, released earlier in the day and sent four of their five nationally-ranked individuals to the mat on Wednesday evening, all of whom won.

Senior Josh Hensley (Alamosa, Colo.) provided some individual fireworks of his own as the nation's fourth-ranked 149-pounder edged second-ranked Raufeon Stots by an 8-4 margin thanks to five near fall points in the third period.

Hensley, who was tabbed as the RMAC Wrestler of the Week on Tuesday, improved to 10-6 overall with his fifth straight win. He trailed Stots, now 19-5, by a 4-2 score after two periods, but chose the top position to begin the third stanza. Hensley, regarded as one of the best top-position men in the country, used that to his advantage, scoring back-to-back near falls and an extra riding time point in the final two minutes.

That win, the Grizzlies' fourth straight, put the hosts up 16-4 before the Lopers won four straight matches of their own to take a 20-16 lead and eventual the 1-point win.

Earlier in the night, Grizzly sophomore Jerry Huff (Broomfield, Colo.) claimed an 11-3 major decision win over Jordan White at 125 points to tie the dual at 4. Huff, now 11-2 overall and a perfect 5-0 in duals, moved into the national rankings at the No. 4 spot earlier in the day and dominated White scoring four takedowns and a third-period reversal while racking up more than five minutes of riding time.

Adams State's Ryan Fillingame (Victorville, Calif.), who is now ranked fifth in the country at 133 pounds, then claimed a 3-1 win over UNK's Stephen Weimer, to improve to 16-3 overall and 4-1 in duals. The two wrestlers were tied at 1-1 after exchanging early second and third-period escapes before a Fillingame takedown in the final minute proved to be the difference.

Leading 7-4 at that point, the Grizzlies then went up big (13-4) as Casey Lynn (Cortez, Colo.) pinned the Lopers' Tim Crocker just 43 seconds into the 141-pound match. Lynn, who is splitting time in the Grizzlies' dual-meet line-up with now eighth-ranked Max Ortega, (Rio Rancho, N.M.) improved to 7-5 overall with the win, three of which have come by fall.

After Hensley's mild-upset of Stots at 149 pounds, the Lopers came right back as second-ranked T.J. Hepburn broke up what was a scoreless deadlock with Grizzly sophomore Daniel Kelly (Parker, Colo.) in the 157-pound match, recording a win by fall at the 3:58 mark.

Fellow No. 2 ranked teammate Joey Wilson then held on for a 9-5 win over Grizzly sophomore Justin Samora (Cortez, Colo.) at 165 pounds to slice the Lopers' overall deficit to 16-13 before the Lopers' Mark Fiala, ranked eighth in the nation at 174 pounds, held on for a 6-4 win over Grizzly junior Jarod Purvis (Colorado Springs, Colo.).

Purvis trailed 5-2 early in the third period before closing the gap to 5-4 with a takedown. Fiala was able to get out and wrestled defensively down the stretch to pick up his 15th win of the campaign which tied the dual at 16 setting up Kociemba, not even listed on the probable lineup sheet coming into the week, for the 184-pound win.

The Grizzlies, who hosted three of the nation's top 15 ranked teams in the last seven days, will now head on the road for the next two weeks taking on No. 20 San Francisco State (Calif.) in a neutral-site match-up on Saturday afternoon in Phoenix, Ariz., before facing the host Grand Canyon 'Lopes, now ranked seventh in the nation, later in the evening.

The Grizzlies then wrestle at No. 18 and arch-rival Western State on Feb. 2 and at Colorado Mesa, receiving votes in the national poll on Feb. 3, before returning home to take on Colorado State-Pueblo and New Mexico Highlands on Feb. 9 and 10 in what will be their final duals of the campaign. Colorado State-Pueblo is also receiving votes in the national poll.

Adams State Wrestling Dual Night Central

1/25/2012

The stiffest challenge of the season so far awaits the Grizzlies tonight as they host the 5th-ranked Nebraska-Kearney Lopers in a Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) dual meet. Wednesday's action is set to get underway at 8 p.m., one hour later than the previously scheduled start time.

Led by 4th-ranked 149-pounder Josh Hensley (Alamosa, Colo.) who improved to 4-0 in dual meets this season and 3-0 in the RMAC with wins in both of last week's victories over ranked foes No. 15 Fort Hays State and No. 6 Central Oklahoma, the Grizzlies improved their own record to 4-0 in dual meets, and at 3-0 in RMAC duals sit atop the league stanings. The Grizzlies have climbed to No. 9 in the latest polls, released this afternoon. <>Hensley, who has won each of his RMAC matches this season by technical fall, was named the RMAC Wrestler of the Week for his efforts.

Also staying undefeated in dual meet action last week were 4th-ranked sophomore 125-pounder Jerry Huff (Broomfield, Colo.), who is now 4-0 overall and 3-0 in league action, and junior 8th-ranked 141-pounder Max Ortega (Rio Rancho, N.M.) with a 3-0 overall and 2-0 RMAC mark.

The Grizzlies, however, will have their work cut out for them with the Lopers, who boast five nationally wranked wrestlers. Among them is Raufeon Stots, ranked No. 2 at 149 pounds, who is set face Hensley. Nebraska-Kearney also owns Division II's No. 1 141-pounder Dalton Jensen, No. 2 157-pounder T.J. Hepburn, No. 2 165-pounder Joey Wilson and No. 8 174-pounder Mark Fiala.

UNK enters the match at 5-3 overall and 1-0 in RMAC overall record after defeating New Mexico Highlands 41-3 on Wednesday afternoon in Las Vegas, N.M.

The dual will be the first of three for the Grizzlies against ranked RMAC foes this week. Adams State will travel to Phoenix, Ariz. for a pair of duals Saturday to face No. 19 San Francisco State at 3 p.m. and No. 7 Grand Canyon (Ariz.) at 7 p.m.

Adams State- Grizzlies' Hensley named league performer of the week

Fourth-ranked senior 4-0 in dual meets this season
1/24/2012

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - After his second straight perfect week, with wins in both the Grizzlies' duals against No. 15 Fort Hays State and No. 6 Central Oklahoma, Adams State senior 149-pounder has been named as the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) Wrestler of the Week.

ASC entered last week's dual meets ranked 11th in Division II, and improved to 4-0 in duals this season and 3-0 in the RMAC with the wins.

On Thursday against league foe Fort Hays State, Hensley completed a Grizzly comeback for the second time this season, scoring his third consecutive win by technical fall in the final bout of the night to give ASC a 21-19 win. Friday, he recorded an 11-4 win as Adams State got out to a big lead early against the Bronchos.

Hensley's two wins improved his mark to 9-6 overall this season with 4-0 and 3-0 marks in duals and RMAC duals, respectively. Each of his RMAC wins has come by technical fall, as Hensley has racked up 18 team points through their first four duals of the season.

Adams State continues to face some of the nation's top competition with three RMAC matches this week against a trio of top-20 foes.

On Wednesday, the Grizzlies will host 4th-ranked Nebraska-Kearney at 8 p.m., wrapping up a 3-meet home stand. The Lopers own a mark of 4-3 this season, and will be opening up their RMAC schedule on

Wednesday afternoon as they face New Mexico Highlands in Las Vegas, N.M. before traveling to Alamosa to face Adams State.

UNK's three losses this season have each come against highly ranked squads, including No. 2 Newberry (S.C.), No. 3 Upper Iowa and No. 6 Central Oklahoma. The Lopers also boast a 21-10 victory over No. 5 Augustana (S.D.).

Nebraska-Kearney also lays claim to seven nationally-ranked wrestlers at the 133-184 pounds weight classes. At 133 pounds, the Grizzlies own 4th-ranked junior Ryan Fillingame (Victorville, Calif.) is in line to meet up with 7th-ranked Stephen Weimer. Fillingame leads ASC in wins this season, and owns a 15-3 record overall and is 3-1 in dual action. Weimer is 9-3 this season with three wins by fall.

Another meeting of two ranked foes is slated at 149 pounds on Wednesday, as 4th-ranked Hensley will be taking to the mat against 2nd-ranked Raufeon Stots. Stots is 18-4 this season with one win by fall.

Other UNK ranked wrestlers include top-ranked 141-pounder Dalton Jensen, No. 2 157-pounder T.J. Hepburn at 157 pounds, No. 2 165-pounder Joey Wilson, No. 8 174-pounder Mark Fiala and No. 8 184-pounder Ross Brunkhardt.

Adams State will then return to the road for a pair of Saturday duals against No. 19 San Francisco State and No. 7 Grand Canyon (Ariz.) at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. in Phoenix, Ariz.

Grizzly wrestling fans can catch the action on Wednesday night live from Plachy Hall by watching a video through subscription-based America One, or by following the @ASCGrizzlies on Twitter for updates throughout the match. Video via America One will also be available for the Grizzlies' 7 p.m. dual against Grand Canyon on Saturday evening.

ASC busts 6th-ranked Bronchos

Grizzlies win first five matches, improve to 4-0
1/20/2012

ALAMOSA, Colo. - No late heroics were needed for the Grizzly wrestling team on Friday night as Adams State claimed victory in the first five matches against No. 6 Central Oklahoma at Plachy Hall and earned bonus points in three of their seven wins on the night to claim a 28-10 victory.

Adams State improved to 4-0 in dual meets this season with the win, and are without a loss after four duals for the first time since starting 3-0-1 during the 2008-09 season. The win was also their second in as many nights over a nationally-ranked squad, as the Grizzlies topped No. 15 Fort Hays State Thursday at Plachy.

Sophomore Jerry Huff (Broomfield, Colo.) improved to 4-0 in dual action and got put Adams State up, 4-0, right off the bat with a 12-1 win by major decision over Ryan Brooks at 125 pounds. Huff scored three takedowns in the match, and racked up five points in the second period with 3-point and 2-point near falls.

After three straight decisions at 133, 141 and 149 pounds, sophomore Daniel Kelly (Parker, Colo.) upped the Grizzlies' lead to 19-0 at the midway point, topping Austin Quinton by fall at three minutes and 56 seconds. It was Kelly's fourth win by fall this season, and improved his record to 3-1 during the dual meet season.

The Bronchos got their first team points at 165 pounds, as Chris Watson used a pair of first period takedowns and a near fall in the first to hold off sophomore Justin Samora (Cortez, Colo.), 9-7. Samora scored five points over the final two periods, but ran out of time in his attempt at a comeback.

Central Oklahoma's only bonus points came at 184 pounds, where 2nd-ranked Tanner Keck allowed just five escapes in topping sophomore Darian Roberts (Arvada, Colo.) by major decision. UCO's third and final came by a 2-0 score in the heavyweight bout.

Senior Luke McPeek (Albuquerque, N.M.) scored his team-leading sixth win by fall of the season shortly after looking to be in bad position. The Grizzly 197-pounder, ranked second in Division II, was taken down twice in the opening period, but immediately after the Bronchos' Jarret Edison received two points for a near fall, McPeek reversed his position and own by fall at 1:52 into the match.

Along with Huff, both junior 141-pounder Max Ortega (Rio Rancho, N.M.) and senior 149-pounder Josh Hensley (Alamosa, Colo.) remained undefeated in dual meets this season. Ortega recorded a 7-4 win, while Hensley won 11-4, ending a streak of three straight wins by technical fall.

In addition to Keck, UCO also boasts DII's 4th-ranked 157-pounder Cory Dauphin, and 6th-ranked 133-pounder Trison Graham, neither of whom competed on Friday.

The Grizzlies will wrestle at home for third straight meet next Wednesday, and will once again be facing a top-10 opponent when they return to Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) action against No. 4 Nebraska-Kearney. The Lopers are 4-3 in duals this season, having suffered all three losses to top-10 foes in Central Oklahoma, No. 3 Upper Iowa and No. 2 Newberry (S.C.). They will be facing RMAC competition for the first time on Wednesday. The Lopers will wrestle two duals that day, facing New Mexico Highlands at 1 p.m. in Las Vegas, N.M., and then traveling to Alamosa to face ASC at 8 p.m. at Plachy Hall.

Adams State Wrestling Dual Night Central

1/20/2012

The Grizzly grapplers will look to get off to a 4-0 start on Friday night and score their second win over a nationally-ranked squad as they take to the mat against the 6th-ranked Central Oklahoma Bronchos at 7 p.m. in Plachy Hall.

<>Adams State improved to 3-0 last night with a come-from-behind win over No. 15 Fort Hays State. The Grizzlies trailed by as many as 10 points (6-16), but won three of the final four bouts of the meet, racking up bonus points in each, and claimed a 21-19 victory over the Tigers. Senior 149-pounder Josh Hensley (Alamosa, Colo.), ranked fourth in Division II, entered the final match of the night with the Grizzlies trailing by three points for the second time in the last week, and for the second time scored a win by technical fall to seal an ASC victory. Hensley improved to 3-0 in dual meets with the win, with all three wins coming by technical fall.

Sophomore Jerry Huff (Broomfield, Colo.) improved to 3-0 in dual action this season with a win by fall at 125 pounds, while junior Ryan Fillingame (Victorville, Calif.), ranked fourth at 133 pounds, also gave the Grizzlies bonus points down the stretch with an 11-0 major decision.

The Bronchos enter Friday's match with a record of 6-3 overall after topping No. 20 Colorado State-Pueblo on Thursday. Central Oklahoma has faced a tough dual meet schedule this season, recording wins against 16th-ranked Findlay (Ohio), No. 9 Wisconsin-Parkside and No. 4 Nebraska-Kearney, while each loss has come against ranked foes including Fort Hays, fifth-ranked Augustana (S.D.) and No. 1 St. Cloud State (Minn.).

Three Bronchos are ranked nationally as individuals, including Cory Dauphin, fourth at 157 pounds; Tanner Keck, second at 184 pounds; and Trison Graham, sixth at 133 pounds. Dauphin and Keck are projected wrestle on Friday while Graham is not.

Adams State- Grizzlies fight back to top #15 Tigers

Bonus points in three of final four matches propel ASC to victory
1/19/2012

ALAMOSA, Colo. - Wrestling in front of a home crowd for the first time this season the 11th-ranked Grizzlies secured victory in the final bout for the second time in a week, as Alamosa High School product Josh Hensley (Alamosa, Colo.) recorded his third straight win by technical fall to give ASC a 21-19 victory over No. 15 Fort Hays State at Plachy Hall.

With the win Adams State improves to 3-0 overall and in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) action, while the Tigers slip to 3-2 overall and an even 2-2 in league action.

For Hensley, the match securing victory was his second of the season, as he did the same in ASC's league opener last Thursday against Chadron State. The senior, ranked fourth in the nation at 149 pounds and now 3-0 in dual meets this season, led 11-0 at the end of the first period following a takedown and a trio of near falls. After choosing to start on the bottom in the second, Henlsey needed just 42 seconds to score a reversal and his fourth near fall of the bout to claim a 16-0 win by technical fall.

Adams State trailed by a match-high 10 points, 6-16, when sophomore 125-pounder Jerry Huff (Broomfield, Colo.) stepped to the mat, beginning a string of bonus point wins for ASC.

Huff scored his second fall of the season and, like Hensley, improved to 3-0 in dual meets with a pin over FHSU's Colin Hase in four minutes and 48 seconds.

In the very next match, 133-pound junior Ryan Fillingame (Victorville, Calif.) tied the match at 16-16. Fillingame, the No. 3 ranked wrestler in the weight class in Division II, led a tight match through two periods, 4-0. But a late onslaught of points, started off by a point for stalling on the Tigers' Kyle Johnson, and a takedown, a 2-point near fall and a point for riding time gave Fillingame an 11-0 victory.

Fort Hays State pulled ahead by three with a win at 141 pounds, as CJ Napier sneaked a 4-2 victory over the Grizzlies' Casey Lynn (Cortez, Colo.), but it was a short lived lead before Hensley put the meet away.

In the night's opening match at 157 pounds, Grizzly sophomore Daniel Kelly (Parker, Colo.) put Adams State on the board first in thrilling fashion. Kelly trailed 4-1 entering the third period, but took a 1-point lead, 5-4, after an escape, penalty point for stalling and takedown with just seconds remaining. But FHSU's Derek Koehn was awarded a point for 2:45 of riding time to send the match into overtime.

Kelly didn't need long, scoring a takedown inside the first 30 seconds of the extra period, and ASC led 3-0 after the first match.

But ASC would fall behind 3-13 before 2nd-ranked 197-pounder Luke McPeek (Albuquerque, N.M.) would get the Grizzlies on the board again.

McPeek was down 4-6 against Tanner Kriss entering the third period, where the Adams State senior elected to start off neutral. McPeek scored a takedown to tie the match, and squeaked out a 7-6 victory thanks to 2:22 of riding time.

Adams State will be right back in action tomorrow night as they host another ranked foe, this time in No. 6 Central Oklahoma. The Bronchos improved to 6-3 on the season Thursday night with a 23-9 win over 20th-ranked Colorado State-Pueblo, and also own a recent victory over 4th-ranked Nebraska-Kearney this season.

The Bronchos topped Adams State last year, 31-10, in Edmond, Okla.

Adams State Wrestling Dual Night Central

1/19/2012

After getting off to a 2-0 start in dual action last week on the road, the Grizzlies make their Plachy Hall debut tonight as 11th-ranked Adams State hosts No. 15 Fort Hays State in a Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) dual at 7 p.m.

The Grizzlies powered back from a 14-point deficit in their opener against Chadron State last Thursday to win 20-17, and dismissed Colorado Mines handily on Friday by a score of 27-13. Senior 149-pounder Josh Hensley put togther ASC's most impressive start to the dual meet schedule, as the 4th-ranked wrestler in Division II won both of his matches by technical fall. ASC's other ranked wreslters, No. 2 Luke McPeek (Albuquerque, N.M.) at 197 pounds and No. 4 Ryan Fillingame (Victorville, Calif.) at 133 pounds, each went 1-1 in the duals.

Fort Hays State enters the match with a 3-1 overall record this season and is 2-1 in RMAC action. The Tigers are led by junir 184-pounder Walker Clarke, who is ranked No. 1 in DII in his weight.

Thursday's dual is the first of back-to-back duals at home against nationally-ranked foes for Adams State, as the Grizzlies play host to No. 6 Central Oklahoma on Friday.

Adams State: ASC, AHS set for wrestling double-dip

ASC, AHS set for wrestling double-dip
Alta Fuels/1st Stop to sponsor season-long intermission promotions
1/18/2012

ALAMOSA, Colo.- San Luis Valley wrestling fans can enjoy a double treat Thursday as the Adams State College Grizzlies and Alamosa High School Mean Moose will host back-to-back duals in Plachy Hall.

The Mean Moose and SLV rival will take to the mat, beginning at 5 p.m. while the Grizzlies, ranked 11th in the latest NCAA Division II National Wrestling Coaches Association Poll, take on 15th-ranked Fort Hays State at 7 p.m. in ASC's season opener.

The Grizzlies are off to quick 2-0 overall and RMAC starts in the dual season. The Tigers are 3-1 overall and 2-1 in RMAC dual action thus far.

Fans can gain admission to both duals for one low price of $5 for adults, $3 for students and seniors and $1 for children. Grizzly Club and AS&F passes will be honored as well, per normal procedure. Alamosa High School Activity, CHSAA and CHSCA passes will be honored as well.

Wednesday's college dual is sponsored by the ASC Bookstore.

The Grizzlies will also remain at home to take on No. 6 Central Oklahoma, currently 5-3, on Friday night at 7 p.m. The Bronchos are at No. 20 Colorado State-Pueblo on Thursday night.

Friday's dual is being sponsored by Alta Fuels & 1st Stop, which are also sponsoring a pair of intermission promotions at each of the five Grizzlies' home duals.

The Grizzly Mat Crawl contest is back for yet another season and will allow three lucky fans the chance at claiming various prizes, courtesy of Alta Fuels, 1st Stop and the ASC Grizzly Club. Selected fans will be blindfolded by the ASC cheerleaders and will each have 30 seconds to crawl around the mat picking up as many prizes as they can grab. In order to have a chance of being selected, fans must purchase a dual program.

Alta Fuels & 1st Stop are also sponsoring a new Paper Airplane Toss contest for their chance to win up to $600 in gift certificates to 1st Stop.

At each of the Grizzlies' first four home duals on Thursday, Friday, Jan. 25 and Feb. 9, all fans are invited to participate by picking up their paper airplane template in the main lobby. Then at the intermission, all fans will have the opportunity to create their own paper airplane and try to throw it into the prize bucket. Successful fans will receive up to $100 in gift certificates and will also be invited to return for the contest finals on Feb. 10, which features a grand prize of $500 in additional gift certificates.

In other news, the Grizzlies' Jan. 25 dual against No. 4 ranked Nebraska-Kearney has been pushed back an hour to 8 p.m. to accommodate the Lopers' travel schedule.

Adams State College Wrestling: RMAC Wrestling Week 8 Release

RMAC Wrestling Week 8 Release
At 2-0, 11th-ranked Grizzlies open at Plachy Thursday
1/17/2012

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - Last week saw Adams State take to the mat for its dual meet of the season, opening with RMAC foes Chadron State and Colorado Mines on back-to-back nights on the road. The 11th-ranked Grizzlies faced a scare on Thursday, as the Eagles got out to a 17-3 lead before Adams State won the final five matches to claim a 20-17 victory. Friday, ASC won comfortably by a 27-13 tally.

Now 2-0 to open their RMAC schedule for the first time since the 2008-09 season, the Grizzlies will be making their first appearance of the season at home this Thursday night, as they host league rival Fort Hays State. The late week action will also include a dual with Central Oklahoma at Plachy Hall on Friday night.

Fort Hays, ranked 15th in the latest edition of the NCAA Division II Team Rankings released Jan. 11, is 3-1 overall this season and 2-1 in league action. The Tigers' only loss came at the hands of 20th-ranked Colorado State-Pueblo, 15-18.

However, led by nationally No. 1-ranked 184-pounder Walker Clarke, FHSU opened its season with a 21-18 win over No. 6 Central Oklahoma, and owns convincing wins over New Mexico Highlands and Chadron State, by scores of 40-12 and 24-10, respectively.

Fort Hays also boasts 149-pounder Mitchell Means, ranked third in DII, who would face 4th-ranked ASC senior Josh Hensley (Alamosa, Colo.). However, Means is not expected to wrestle Thursday.

Grizzly fans are likely to be treated to match-up of nationally ranked 133 pounders on Friday when No. 6 Central Oklahoma comes to Plachy Hall, as ASC's 3rd-ranked Ryan Fillingame (Victorville, Calif.) is likely to square-off against the Bronchos 6th-ranked Trison Graham. Fillingame leads ASC in wins this season with a record of 13-3 and pair of tourney titles to his credit. Graham is 9-2 so far this season.

Graham is joined by nationally ranked teammates Cory Dauphin, fourth at 157 pounds, and Tanner Keck, second at 184 pounds. The Bronchos possess a 5-3 overall record, but have faced five teams currently ranked in DII's top 20. They've recorded win against No. 16 Findlay (Ohio), No. 9 Wisconsin-Parkside and No. 4 Nebraska-Kearney, while each of their losses have come against ranked foes including FHSU, No. 5 Augustana (S.D.) and top-ranked St. Cloud State (Minn.).

The Grizzlies topped Fort Hays State on the road last season, 32-16, but fell to Central Oklahoma by a 10-31 tally.

Adams State's duals will begin at 7 p.m. both nights, while Thursday's collegiate action will be preceded by a high school dual between San Luis Valley rivals Alamosa High School and Monte Vista High School.

Adams State- Johnson takes title at Rocky Mountain Collegiate Open

Two place for ASC at Colorado Mines' tournament

1/14/2012

GOLDEN, Colo. - Sophomore 133-pounder Corey Johnson (Newcastle, Calif.) recorded a 3-0 at Saturday's Rocky Mountain Collegiate Open at Lockridge Arena in Golden, Colo., taking the title at 133 pounds and leading a group of four wrestlers that competed at the Colorado Mines hosted tournament.

The tournament concluded a 3-day streak of Adams State wrestling action that started with dual-meet wins by the Grizzlies over Chadron State on Thursday and Colorado Mines on Friday.

Johnson began the day with his first win by fall of the season, pinning unattached Western State wrestler Chris Walker in a time of four minutes, 23 seconds. That set up a match against Wyoming's Jake Etizen, who fell for the second time this season to Adams State wrestlers this season after Johnson scored a 4-2 victory.

Johnson's final match of the day came in non-dramatic fashion, as he claimed his first tournament title by medical forfeit when Colby Community College's Josh Martinez was unable to wrestle in the championship match.

Redshirt freshman Jacob Deaguero (Commerce City, Colo.) was the only other Grizzly to win more than one match Saturday, winning his first two before ending the day with a 2-3 mark.

After opening with a tight, 3-2, win over unattached Air Force wrestler Ryan Fountain, Deaguero beat CSM's Zachary Young by major decision, 12-4. But he would then drop three in a row, and ended the day with an 8-10 loss against Colby's Drake Lovvorn in the fifth place match at 157 pounds.

At 141 pounds, redshirt freshman Hampton Roese (Coppell, Texas) would win his fifth place bout over unattached Colorado State wrestler Ryan Kirby. Roese pinned Kirby at the 5:22 mark after losing his first two matches of the day, and finished with a 1-2 record.

Sophomore Daniel Kelly (Parker, Colo.) was also in action at 157 pounds Saturday, but after winning by fall in 1:22 over Colorado Mines' Gabriel Martinez, bowed out due to injury in his second match before forfeiting for medical reasons to end the day.

Adams State returns to action next Thursday as the Grizzlies wrestle at Plachy Hall for the first time this season, facing Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) foe and 15th-ranked Fort Hays State on Thursday, and Central Oklahoma on Friday. Action on both nights will begin at 7 p.m., and Thursday's dual will preceded by a prep match-up between Alamosa High School and Monte Vista High School.

Adams State- Pins from #2 McPeek, Ortega lead Grizzlies to dual win over Colorado Mines

Two pins, one technical fall, one major for Grizzlies in second dual of season

1/13/2012

GOLDEN, Colo. - After coming back in dramatic fashion in their first dual of the season, the Grizzlies had a bit more breathing room at the end on Friday in a 27-13 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) dual meet victory over Colorado Mines at Lockridge Arena.

Adams State improved to 2-0 on the season and in the RMAC by winning their second dual in as many nights, having escaped Nebraska on Thursday with a 20-17 win over Chadron State. For the Orediggers, Friday's dual was their first of the season, and they now stand at 0-1 in duals and in league action.

After being stunned in overtime in his first dual match of the season, senior Luke McPeek (Albuqueruqe, N.M.) gave the Grizzlies their first points of the night with a pin in a time of four minutes, 27 seconds over Bradley Price. The pin was McPeek's fifth of the season, and put ASC ahead 6-4, after two bouts.

CSM regained the lead with a 2-1 decision in the heavyweight match, but sophomore Jerry Huff (Broomfield, Colo.) improved to 2-0 in dual meets this season with a 12-0 major over Elias Arias, after having topped Arias 9-0 a year ago when the two teams met.

But the Grizzlies' lead was shortlived, as a ranked ASC wrestler suffered a loss for the second straight night. Junior Ryan Fillingame (Victorville, Calif.) who appeared in the rankings for the first time this week at No. 3 in the 133 pound weight class, lost for just the third time this season, falling 6-9 to Chad Lousberg.

Adams State got right back into control of the match scoring 11 points in the next two bouts as junior Max Ortega (Rio Rancho, N.M.) and senior Josh Hensley (Alamosa, Colo.) each improved to 2-0 in dual action with wins at 141 and 149 pounds, respectively.

Ortega scored his second win by fall of the season, pinning the Orediggers' Robert Earl in 4:47.

Hensley, currently ranked fourth in Division II, was a winner by technical fall for the second consecutive night. He followed up his 17-2 win on Thursday with a 16-0 win Friday, and improved to 7-6 overall this season.

At 157 and 174 pounds, sophomore Daniel Kelly (Parker, Colo.) and junior Jarrod Purvis (Colorado Springs, Colo.) both earned their 10th overall win of the season. Kelly was a 4-1 winner at 157 pounds over Travis Wokasch, while Purvis won 8-2 over Brandon Sheldon at 174.

Adams State, now 2-0 in the RMAC for the first time since the 2008-09 season, will see a selection of wrestlers in action again in Golden on Saturday at the Colorado Mines-hosted Rocky Mountain Collegiate Open. The Grizzlies will then return to dual meet action next Thursday and Friday, Jan. 12 and 13, making their first home appearance of the year. Adams State will host RMAC foe Fort Hays State Thursday and Central Oklahoma Friday. Matches both nights will begin at 7 p.m., and Thursday's college match-up will be preceded by a high school dual between Alamosa High School and Monte Vista High School at 5 p.m.

Adams State Wrestling Dual Night Central

1/13/2012

The Adams State wrestling team will take to the mat for its second dual in as many nights, and second of the season, Friday night as the Grizzlies face-off with RMAC foe Colorado Mines in Golden, Colo., at 7 p.m.

In last night's season-opener, ASC needed to win the final five bouts to come back from a 14-point hole and defeat league foe Chadron State, 20-17. The Grizzlies, ranked 11th in Division II in the latest rankings, received a win by technical fall, 17-2, from 4th-ranked Senior Josh Hensley (Alamosa, Colo.) in the final bout to secure the win. Now 1-0 on the season in duals, the Grizzlies will be the Orediggers first dual meet opponent of the season.

Adams State- Grizzlies 11th, Fillingame enters rankings at 4th in latest NCAA DII wrestling rankings

Fillingame, Hensley, McPeek all ranked individually
1/11/2012

EDMOND, Okla. - The Adams State wrestling team has dropped two spots in the latest NCAA Division II wrestling poll, released by the NCAA DII Wrestling Coaches' Association, but once again have three individuals ranked nationally, including junior Ryan Fillingame (Victorville, Calif.) at 133 pounds, and seniors Josh Hensley (Alamosa, Colo.) and Luke McPeek (Albuquerque, N.M.) at 149 and 197 pounds, respectively.

After beginning the season at 13th in the poll, the Grizzlies rose to ninth in the team rankings in the Dec. 7 edition. However, after a month of limited action Adams State has slipped back two places to 11th.

ASC is the third Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) team in the rankings, behind fourth-ranked Nebraska-Kearney and No. 7 Grand Canyon (Ariz.). The three teams were picked in the same order in the league's preseason poll.

St. Cloud State (Minn.) leads DII, followed by Newberry (S.C.), Upper Iowa, the Lopers and Augustana (S.D.) to complete the top 5.

A total of six RMAC teams appear in the top 20. Fort Hays State (Kan.) comes in at 15, while Nos. 19 and 20 belong to San Francisco State and Colorado State-Pueblo. Meanwhile, three more league teams are receiving votes - Chadron State, Colorado Mesa and Western State - putting nine of 11 RMAC squads in the poll.

Fillingame leads all Grizzlies in wins this season, owning a mark of 12-2 after completing the 2011 portion of the schedule, and is ranked third in DII. Most recently, he posted ASC's best day at the Midlands Championships hosted by Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill., going 3-2 and suffering losses only to the Nos. 2 and 12 ranked 133-pounders in Division I.

To open the season, Fillingame wrestled his way to first place finishes while competing unattached in the Wyoming Cowboy Open Elite and Fort Hays State Bob Smith Open. Among his victories this season is a 5-2 decision over CSU-Pueblo's Jesse Hillhouse, currently ranked No. 5 in DII.

After beginning the season ranked third in DII at 149, Hensley has dropped to fourth. With three tournament appearances under his belt, he owns a mark of 5-6. After winning his first three matches to start the season, he suffered his first loss against Fort Hays' Mitchell Means, ranked No. 3 in the nation, at the Bob Smith Open.

Hensley wrestled at Midlands for the second straight year on Dec. 29, posting a 2-2 mark. A 2010 All-American at 141 pounds, Hensley has one win by fall and is 2-0 in matches decided by technical fall this season.

McPeek has moved up to No. 2 in the DII poll at 197 pounds. A 2-time All-American in the weight class, including a sixth-place finish last season, he is the only other Grizzly with double digit wins at 10-2 this season.

After making quick work of the rest of the field in the Wyoming Cowboy Open Elite and Bob Smith Open, winning all seven of his matches, including three by fall, McPeek posted a 3-2 mark at the Reno Tournament of Champions on Dec. 18. Among his two losses this season is a loss to ranked DI foe Tyler Dickensen of Michigan State. He leads the Grizzlies with four wins by fall.

The Grizzlies will open their dual meet season and RMAC schedule tomorrow night, Jan. 12, with Chadron State on the road. From there, ASC will continue on to face Colorado Mines in Golden on Friday, before a selection of Grizzlies will compete at the CSM-hosted Rocky Mountain Collegiate Open on Saturday.

Adams State College Wrestling: RMAC Wrestling Week 7 Release

RMAC Wrestling Week 7 Release
Grizzlies kick-off dual meet action Thursday, Friday
1/10/2012

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - The Grizzlies were in action in two tournaments during the final weeks of the 2011 portion of the season's schedule, wrestling at the Reno Tournament of Champions on Dec. 18 and the Northwestern University hosted Midlands Championships in Evanston, Ill., on Dec. 29.

In Reno, senior Luke McPeek (Albuquerque, N.M.), ranked third in Division II at 197 pounds, led the Grizzlies with a 3-2 record on the day. McPeek won by fall in his opening match, and after losing to 3rd seed Tyler Dickensen of Michigan State, won a decision over Stanford's Alan Yen and a major decision over Air Force's Joshua Mohr.

McPeek owns a record of 10-2 this season, having won a team-best four matches by fall.

The Grizzlies then had two wrestlers in action at the Midlands Championships, where many of the top Division I teams in the nation were present. Senior Josh Hensley (Alamosa, Colo.), DII's No. 3-ranked wrestler at 149 pounds, competed at the tourney for the second year in a row. Hensley posted a 2-2 mark at the tournament, one win shy of equaling his record from the 2010 edition of Midlands.

At 133 pounds, junior Ryan Fillingame (Victorville, Calif.) wrestled to a 3-2 record at Midlands, falling only to the Nos. 2 and 12 ranked wrestlers in Division I. With that effort, Fillingame upped his record to 12-2 on the season, and leads all ASC wrestlers in wins.

Adams State will be in action in their first dual and RMAC action of the season this week, with back-to-back duals on Thursday and Friday against league foes Chadron State and Colorado Mines.

The Eagles wrestled their first dual of the season on Sunday, Jan. 8, falling 10-24 against 12th-ranked Fort Hays State. Chadron State was tabbed for ninth in the RMAC Preseason Poll, and was topped by the Grizzlies, 24-20, the last time the two met head-to-head.

Like ASC, the Orediggers have yet to wrestle a dual this season. CSM is led by Jordan Larsen, ranked No. 7 at 164 pounds. Larsen owns a mark of 5-3 this season and has two wins by fall. The Orediggers were picked 10th in the league preseason poll, but topped Adams State 24-22 last season.

Action on the mat will get underway at 7 p.m. both nights. A selection of Grizzly wrestlers will then conclude the weekend at the Colorado Mines-hosted Rocky Mountain Collegiate Open on Saturday.

Adams State- Midlands action ends in second session for Fillingame, Hensley

Grizzlies combine for 5-4 record at prestigious wresting tourney

12/30/2011

EVANSTON, Ill. - Adams State was represented by senior Josh Hensley (Alamosa, Colo.) and junior Ryan Fillingame (Victorville, Calif.) at the prestigious Northwestern (Ill.) Univeristy-hosted Midlands Wrestling Tournament, where the duo saw their tournament's come to an end on Thursday evening after advancing out of the opening session in the morning.

Following Thursday's action, the Grizzlies sit in a tie for 34th in the 43 team field, alongside Harvard and South Dakota State, each with 6.0 points. Nationally No. 1-ranked Iowa leads the field with 79.5 points, followed closely by host and 21st-ranked in Division I Northwestern with 71.0 points. The field also includes top 25 ranked DI squads Oklahoma, Edinbora (Pa.), Illinois, Lehigh, Iowa State, Rutgers, Central Michigan, Purdue and the University of Pennsylania.

Fillingame posted the best record of the two, compiling a 3-2 at 133 pounds and suffering his only losses against DI's No. 2 and No. 12 wrestlers at the weight.

Entering the tournament with a 9-0 record on the season, Fillingame stayed perfect with opening wins over Central Michigan's Tyler Keslering and Ben Cash of Iowa State. He scored a 10-6 decision over Keselring and held on to take a 5-3 decision over Cash. That left him in line for a bout with the DI's second-ranked and Midlands top-seeded Tony Ramos of Iowa, who entered the tourney with an 11-0 record this season. Fillingame fell to Ramos by technical fall, 6-21 at 6:58 into the match, but with a 2-1 mark had earned the right to compete in Thursday's second session.

Fillingame rebounded from his loss to Ramos with a 9-7 victory over Rider's Jimmy Morris to open the evening competition, leaving him with another match-up against a ranked DI foe, this time in Oklahoma's Jordan Keller, ranked 12th and the owner of the No. 8 seed at Midlands. Filingame stayed close throughout, but Kller hung on to claim a 4-0 victory over the ASC sophomore.

Fillingame now owns a 12-2 mark on the season, the most wins of any Grizzly.

Hensley, the only Grizzly to have wrestled at Midlands a year ago, during which he posted a 3-2 mark, was back for his second trip to Northwestern's Welsh-Ryan Arena.

In his opening match of the day at 149, Hensley fell to Lehigh's Anthony Salupo, 6-9, and was left needing to win his next two matches in order for a return trip to the evening session. He managed to do so, topping Oklahoma's Justin DeAngelis in an 8-3 decision in his next match, and then closed out the first session with a win by fall in 3:40 over Cameron Moran of Clarion. His pin of Moran was his first win by fall of the season.

But Hensley would open up the evening session with a match-up against fifth-seeded Cole Schmitt of Wisconsin, ranked ninth in DI at 149 pounds. Schmitt, who placed second at Midlands last season, won by fall at 1:56 into the match to end Hensley's day with a 2-2 mark.

Hensley, ranked third in Divison II at 149 in the Dec. 7 National Wrestling Coaches' Association (NWCA) poll, now stands at 5-4 this season after having competed at the prestigious Fort Hays State Bob Smith and Midlands tournaments.

With the conclusion of the Midlands tournament as well as the 2011 portion of the schedule, the Grizzlies will jump into dual meet action to start the New Year. Adams State will next be in action in its dual meet and Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) opener at Chadron State on Jan. 12, before taking on Colorado Mines on Jan. 13.

The Grizzlies are slated to make their Plachy Hall debut on Jan. 19 when they play host to league rival Fort Hays State at 7 p.m., a match that will be preceded by a high school dual between Alamosa and Monte Vista.

Adams State Grizzlies face top competition at Reno Tournament of Champions

McPeek records team best three wins, ASC placed 20th

12/19/2011

RENO, Nev. - The ASC wrestling team was led by senior 197-pounder Luke McPeek (Albuquerque, N.M.) and sophomore 165-pounder Justin Samora (Cortez, Colo.) as the Grizzlies took to the mat against primarily NCAA Division I competition this past weekend at the Reno Tournament of Champions.

Adams State, ranked ninth in the latest NCAA Division II Wrestling Coaches Association rankings, finished 20th in the 20-team field with 9.5 points. Oklahoma State, ranked No. 2 in DI, won the tournament. In addition to the NCAA DI competition present in Reno, the field also included defending NJCAA Champion Clackamas Community College, currently ranked No. 1, as well as the NJCAA's 11th-ranked Southwestern Oregon.

Ranked third in DII at 197 pounds, McPeek won by fall in his opening bout on Sunday, pinning Clackamas' Rudi Burtschi in three minutes, 37 seconds. But in his second match of the day McPeek met up with DI's 15th-ranked and Reno's No. 3 seed Tyler Dickenson of Michigan State, suffering a 4-12 loss.

But McPeek would bounce back to win his next two, a 13-6 decision over Alan Yen of Stanford and a 13-3 major over Air Force's Joshua Mohr. However, he would fall, 8-15, against Cody Reed of Binghamton (N.Y.) University in his fifth match of the day to finish with a 3-2 mark.

Samora was the only other ASC wrestler to win more than one match Sunday, posting a 2-2 mark in the 165-pound bracket.

Samora's day began with an 8-2 decision over CSU-Bakersfield's Adam Fierro. That set up a match with the NAIA's 4th ranked 165-pounder, Brian Lemmon, of the NAIA's top-ranked Southern Oregon. Samora dropped his match against Lemmon, 9-15, falling into the consolation bracket. He would win his next match, 3-2, over Kyler Hasson of Stanford, before suffering a technical fall at 3:25 against Oregon State's Seth Thomas.

Sophomore Corey Johnson (Newcastle, Calif.), junior Jarrod Purvis (Colorado Springs, Colo.) and junior Taylor Stam (Parker, Colo.) each won one match Sunday in Reno.

Johnson fell, 0-6, in his opening match at 133 pounds, but claimed a 8-0 major decision over Southwestern Oregon's Johnny Campbell in his second match of the day.

At 174 pounds, Purvis won his opening bout, 6-1, over Jesus Ambriz of CSU-Bakersfield, but would run into a pair of DI ranked opponents in his next two matches. Against tournament top-seed and 4th-ranked Ryan DesRoaches of Cal Poly, Purvis lost a 6-14 major decision. In his final bout against fifth seed and DI's 19th-ranked Ty Vinson from Oregon State, he was edged out, 2-3.

Stam suffered an opening round loss to fourth seeded and nationally 11th-ranked Levi Cooper of Arizona State, falling at the 5:26 mark, but topped Steven Wood of CSU-Bakersfield in round two, recording a 7-0 shutout win.

Adams State will wrestle in its final preseason tournament on Dec. 29-30, heading to Evanston, Ill., for the Northwestern hosted Midlands Wrestling Championships. Last season, ASC senior Josh Hensley (Alamosa, Colo.) was the lone Grizzly to wrestle at Midlands, where he posted a 3-2 record at 149 pounds.

The Midlands tournament will be the last tournament action before the Grizzlies begin their dual-meet schedule on the road against Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) rivals Chadron State and Colorado Mines on Jan. 12 and 13, 2012.

Adams State- Deaguero leads group of Grizzlies at Colorado Mesa Open

Two ASC wrestlers place in Grand Junction
12/11/2011

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. - A small contingent of Adams State wrestlers took part in the Colorado Mesa Open on Saturday at Brownson Arena, where redshirt-freshman Jacob Deaguero (Commerce City, Colo.) recorded a Grizzly best fourth place finish at 157 pounds, and freshman Clint Myers (Salida, Colo.) finished sixth at 197.

Four total Grizzlies were in action were in action in the squad's fourth tournament of the season and second in as many weeks.

Deaguero recorded three wins Saturday, and opened his day with back-to-back wins, by 8-5 decision over Andrew Orr of Utah Valley, and by pin at the four minute mark against unattached Mitchell Polkowski to advance to the championship semifinal. There, Deaguero suffered his loss of the day by fall against Utah Valley's Jake Falk.

But Deaguero bounced back with a pin over Western State's Brandon Montoya to advance to the third place match, but lost by pin to Colorado Mesa's Justin Schumacher in 32 seconds.

Myers and sophomore Mark Mabry, Jr. (Benson, Ariz.) each recorded one win Saturday.

Myers went 1-3, with all four his matches came down to decision. A 5-2 loss against Utah Valley's Trevor Rupp was followed by a 10-5 win over the Korey Kennedy of Colorado Mesa. However, his day would end with a 7-3 loss and 3-1 loss to Northern Colorado's Mark Morrill in the fifth place match.

Mabry wrestled his way to a pin over Northern Colorado's Jarrod Bechtold in his opening match at 174 pounds, but dropped decisions against Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) foes Elliot Copeland of Western State and Zak Slotten of Colorado Mesa.

Sophomore Dominic Madril (Westminster, Colo.) was the only other Grizzly in action Saturday. Madril received a first-round bye before wrestling in the 125-pound quarterfinals against Western State's Dustin Stiegemeyer, where he suffered a 14-4 loss. He was the victim of another major decision, 13-3, against unattached Blake Mangum in his final match of the day.

The Grizzlies are now down to just two weekend of action before they begin the dual-meet and RMAC portions of their schedule. Next weekend, the Grizzlies will make their way to Reno, Nev., for the Tournament of Champions on Dec. 18, and will end the 2011 portion of the schedule on Dec. 29-30 in Evanston, Ill., for the Northwestern-hosted Midlands Championships.

Adams State- Grizzlies up to No. 9 in DII wrestling rankings

EDMOND, Okla. - After beginning the 2011-12 season ranked 13th in the National Wrestling Coaches' Association (NWCA) NCAA Division II Wrestling Poll, the Grizzlies have climbed up four spots to ninth after taking part in their first three tournaments of the year, it was announced Wednesday.

Adams State is led individually by seniors Luke McPeek (Albuquerque, N.M.) and Josh Hensley (Alamosa, Colo.), currently the only Grizzlies to be ranked among the top eight in their weight classes.

McPeek, who has claimed the 197-pound championship in both the Wyoming Cowboy Open Elite and Fort Hays State Bob Smith Open tournaments, began the season ranked third in his weight class and holds that spot during the first in-season rankings.

A 2-time all-American, McPeek placed sixth at the NCAA Division II National Championships last season, and finished is the same position in 2009 while wrestling for New Mexico Highlands University. McPeek was also the only Grizzly wrestler to be named as a Preseason All-Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) pick.

With two tournament titles to his name, McPeek owns a mark of 7-0 in the early going of the 2011-12 season and has won three matches by fall.

Hensley is also a returning all-American for the Grizzlies, having placed seventh at the NCAA DII Championships, and is currently ranked third at 149 pounds, up a spot from the preseason rankings.

Hensley wrestled for the first time this winter at Saturday's Fort Hays State Bob Smith Open. Hensley entered as the third seed and won his first three matches, recording two technical falls, before falling to DII's No. 2-ranked Mitchell Means of Fort Hays State. He is now 3-2 this season.

Sophomore Jerry Huff (Broomfield, Colo.) was also ranked at 125 pounds to start the season, but has fallen out of the rankings after not yet having wrestled for the team this season. Huff has wrestled unattached twice this season, and was the 125-pound at Fort Hays on Saturday.

The Grizzlies also saw championship efforts at the Bob Smith Open from junior Jarrod Purvis (Colorado Springs, Colo.) and junior Ryan Fillingame (Victorville, Calif.), as well as a fourth place showing from sophomore Justin Samora (Cortez, Colo.).

Purvis upped his record to 8-2 this season with five wins on Saturday, including a 6-2 decision over the tournament's top-seeded 174-pounder, Konner Witt of Air Force Prep, by a 6-2 tally.

Fillingame, wrestling unattached for the second time this season, improved to 9-0 with his second tournament win. He also claimed the 133-pound title in the Wyoming Cowboy Open Elite division in November.

A 2011 NCAA DII Championships competitor, Samora went 5-2 at the Bob Smith Open, and recorded three wins by major decision. His seven matches were the most for any Grizzly wrestler, and he scored two wins against seeded foes including No. 2 Kyle Conley and No. 8 Sam Thoman.

The Grizzlies will return to action this Saturday as they head to Grand Junction, Colo., for the Colorado Mesa Open, one of their three scheduled tournaments before beginning dual-meet action on Jan. 8, 2012.

Adams State College Wrestling: RMAC Wrestling Week 5 Release

RMAC Wrestling Week 5 Release

Following successful weekend in Kansas, ASC heads to Colorado Mesa Open
12/6/2011

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - Go to http://ascgrizzlies.athleticsite.net/wr-201112RMACWeek5.pdf to view the fifth Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) wrestling release of the 2011-12 season. Included in Tuesday's release are league standings, the RMAC Wrestler of the Week, recent results and upcoming contests, news & notes from around the league and a look at the polls.

The Grizzlies were in action in Kansas over the next weekend, where a successful day at the Fort Hays State Bob Smith Open was highlighted by five placers, four of which were division champion, including 197-pound senior Luke McPeek (Albuquerque, N.M.) and 174-pound junior Jarrod Purvis (Colorado Springs, Colo.).

For McPeek, the title was his second of the season after having previously won the Elite title at the Wyoming Cowboy Open in November. McPeek won his first two matches of the day by major decision and decision, respectively, before wins by fall in both the championships semifinal and final to conclude the day with a mark of 4-0. McPeek is now 7-0 this season with three wins by fall.

Purvis was ASC's lone champion to enter Saturday's action unseeded, but scored five consecutive matches, including taking down top seed Konner Witt of Air Force Prep, 6-2, in the second round. His 5-0 mark on the day improves his season record to 8-2.

Sophomore Justin Samora (Cortez, Colo.) saw more time on the mat than any other Grizzly on Saturday, posting a 5-2 record en route to a fourth place finish at 165 pounds. Of his five wins, one came by fall and three were by major decision.

The Grizzlies also saw unattached wrestlers Jerry Huff (Broomfield, Colo.) and Ryan Fillingame (Victorville, Calif.) win their weight class at the Bob Smith Open. Both were the No. 2 seed at 125 and 133 pounds, respectively, and posted 5-0 record en route to championship performances.

The Grizzlies, ranked 13th in the National Wrestling Coaches' Association (NWCA) Preseason Poll, will continue action this coming weekend as they make their way to Grand Junction for the Colorado Mesa Open.

Visit ascgrizzlies.com for the latest news and info on Adams State College Athletics.

Adams State College Wrestling: Four Grizzlies take titles at Fort Hays State Bob Smith Open

HAYS, Kan. - Four ASC wrestlers won their weight class at Saturday's Fort Hays State Bob Smith Open including top-seeded Luke McPeek (Albuquerque, N.M.) at 197 pounds, No. 2 seeds Jerry Huff (Broomfield, Colo.) at 125 and Ryan Fillingame (Victorville, Calif.) at 133, and unseeded Jarrod Purvis (Colorado Springs, Colo.) at 174 pounds.

In addition to their four champs, the Grizzlies also received a fourth place finish from sophomore 165-pounder Justin Samora (Cortez, Colo.), and saw 16 wrestlers post a combined record of 48-22.

McPeek's title is his second of the season after having taken the Elite title at the Wyoming Cowboy Open in November. A 2-time NCAA Division II All-American and preseason All-Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) pick, McPeek recorded wins over a pair of league foes to start the day, topping New Mexico Highlands' Justin Rockhill by major decision, 13-3, and Fort Hays State's Alex Feldkamp, 10-5. He then concluded his day with a pair of wins by fall, pinning No. 2 seed Jahshua Morris at the 3:42 mark for the title.

After going 4-0 on Saturday, McPeek is now 7-0 this season with three wins by fall.

Huff, who entered as the second seed, won all five of his matches to take the title at 125 pounds and improved to 6-2 this season. The sophomore 2011 NCAA DII National Tournament qualifier opened with a win by fall at 4:31 over Colorado Mines' Cory Carter, before blanking his next two opponents, 16-0 and 10-0. In the championships bracket semifinals, Huff battled to an 8-3 decision over Laramie County College's 3rd-seeded Garrett Jones, and topped Taylor Adams, wrestling unattached for Western State, 10-4 in the final.

At 133 pounds, Fillingame recorded four his five wins on Saturday by regular decision, and added an 18-3 technical fall in his second match of the day. He allowed two points in close wins during his last three bouts of the day, winning 6-2 over Tim Crocker of Nebraska-Kearney, 5-2 over No. 3 seed Jesse Hillhouse of Colorado State-Pueblo, and 4-2 over Sean O'Leary in the championship bout.

Fillingame has now claimed the 133 pound title at both tournaments in which he's competed. He also took first place in the Wyoming Cowoby Open Elite division, going 4-0. At 9-0 overall this season, Fillingame has recorded seven wins by regular decision.

At 174 pounds, Purvis entered Saturday's action unseeded, but scored a win over top-seeded Konner Witt of Air Force Prep, 6-2, in his second match of the day. That win set the stage for a three wins by a combined four points to end the day. Purvis topped fellow RMAC wrestlers Easton Hargrave of NMHU and unattached Mountaineer and No. 7 seed Elliott Copeland 7-5 and 3-2, respectively, to end the day. Purvis now owns a mark of 8-2 this season.

Samora wrestled more than any other Grizzly on Saturday, taking to the mat seven times en route to his fourth place showing. He started his day with a win by fall at 3:36 over unattached CSU-Pueblo wrestler Eric Norton, and recorded three wins by major decision. After falling to 4th-seeded Kyle Detmer in his third bout, Samora won major decisions over No. 2 seed Kyle Conley and No. 8 seed Sam Thoman. A 6-3 win over Chris Watson set up a third place match against 3rd-seeded Ehtan Orr, in which Samora fell 10-12.

Sophomore Corey Johnson (Newcastle, Calif.) posted four wins in the 141 pound bracket, while senior 149-pounder Josh Hensley (Alamosa, Colo.), sophomore 157-pounder Daniel Kelly (Parker, Colo.) and sophomore 165-pounder Mark Mabry, Jr. (Benson, Ariz.) each won three matches.

The Grizzlies will wrestle in three more tournaments this month, heading to Grand Junction, Colo., next Saturday, Dec. 10, for the Colorado Mesa Open. After that, Adams State will take part in the Dec. 18 Reno Tournament of Champions and the Dec. 29-30 Midlands Championships hosted by Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill.

Adams State- Kelly wins 157-pound title at Old Chicago Northern Colorado Open

Seven wrestle unattached, post 8-12 combined record

11/20/2011

GREELEY, Colo. - Seven Adams State wrestlers competed unattached at the Northern Colorado Old Chicago Open, where sophomore Daniel Kelly (Parker, Colo.) led the Grizzly contingent with a first-place finish and 5-0 record at 157 pounds.

The tournament that was the second that Adams State has attended this season, after wrestling at the Cowboy Open in Laramie, Wyo., last weekend. The Grizzlies have four more tournaments scheduled before beginning their dual-meet schedule in January.

Kelly, who posted a 2-2 record at the same tournament last season, won his first tournament in his ASC career while placing for the fifth time. His first two victories came against Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) foes Pat Lehnan of Colorado Mesa by major decision, 11-1, and Brandon Montoya of Western State by pin at four minutes and five seconds into the match.

In the championship quarterfinal, Kelly recorded a 12-7 victory over Chase Cuthbertson, wrestling unattached from Utah Valley, and advanced to the final with a pin at 6:55 against Colorado Mesa' Jon Gappmaier. The final victim of the day was Utah Valley's Nap Aniclete, who suffered a 7-5 loss against the Kelly in the championships.

Kelly's two pins on the day were just one behind Utah Valley's Jade Rauser, who recorded three in the 125-pound bracket to take the award for most pins.

Also in action at 157 pounds, redshirt-freshman Jacob Deaguero (Commerce City, Colo.) posted a record of 1-2. After dropping his opening match against Air Force Prep's Tyler Mergen, Deaguero needed just 32 seconds to pin Colorado Mines' Gabriel Martinez, but was the victim of a pin in his final match of the day.

Two other Grizzlies also posted 1-2 records Saturday, including sophomore Dominic Madril (Westminster, Colo.) at 125 pounds and freshman David Arcangel (Lahaina Maui, Hawai'i) at 149 pounds.

Both recorded their lone win of the day in sudden victory, Madril's coming against Braxton Vandetoolen by a 4-2 tally and Arcangel's by a 9-7 score over Brandon Lloyd of Air Force Prep.

Grizzly grapplers are next slated to be in action on Dec. 3 as they travel to Kansas for the Fort Hays State Bob Smith Open. Last season, the Grizzlies were led by senior Luke McPeek (Albuquerque, N.M.) who took second, as well as a fourth-place showing from Kelly, at the tournament.

Adams State College Wrestling: McPeek wrestles to first place at Cowboy Open

LARAMIE, Wyo. - Adams State action at the season-opening Wyoming Cowboy Open on Saturday was highlighted by a first-place finish from senior Luke McPeek (Albuquerque, N.M.) in the Elite 197-pound bracket, as well as a first-place showing from unattached ASC wrestler junior Ryan Fillingame (Victorville, Calif.) at 133 pounds at War Memorial Fieldhouse.

The Grizzlies' trip to Laramie marked their first of six tournaments this season before opening the dual meet portion of their schedule on Jan. 12.

McPeek, a 2-time NCAA Division II All-American at 197 pounds with sixth place finishes in 2009 and 2010, placed third in the Elite 197 bracket at the Cowboy Open last season. This year, McPeek opened his day with a second round win over the University of Wyoming's Alfonso Hernandez by a 6-4 score following a first round bye. He followed that up with a tight 7-6 win over Adam Fager in the championships semifinals before making quick work of Montana State-Northern wrestler Evan Hinebauch with a pin in a minute and 20 seconds for first place and 3-0 record on the day.

Following a first-round forfeit over Scott Schlosser of Great Falls (Mont.), Fillingame reeled off three straight decisions for his Elite 133-pound first place finish. Fillingame topped Nebraska-Kearney's Kazuhiro Fujinawa 5-1, and went on to top Jake Eitzen and Zach Zehner, both of the University of Wyoming. He topped Eitzen 8-6 in the championship semis, and won by a score of 8-7 over Zehner in the first place bout.

Junior Taylor Stam's (Parker, Colo.) fourth place finish in the Elite heavyweight bracket started with a bye and a 5-1 decision over Chadron State's RJ Boylan. He then fell, 5-2, in the championship semis to Connor Medbery, and advanced to the third place match after winning by injury forfeit against Boise Stat's Chris Givens. His day concluded with a 5-3 loss to the Cowboy's Leland Pfeiffer to take fourth place with a 2-2 record.

Junior Max Ortega (Rio Rancho, N.M.) and sophomore Casey Lynn (Cortez, Colo.) each put up four wins on Saturday.

Ortega, wrestling in the Elite 149 bracket, ended the day 4-2 and scored wins over four Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) foes. He opened with a 9-4 decision over Nick Stahler from CSU-Pueblo before coming up just short in a 9-8 loss against Raufeon Stots in his second round match. He followed that up with a pin in 2:05 against Colorado Mines' McLain Cowan and a 12-5 decision over the Orediggers' Mikie Burgess. His final win of the day came against Nebraska-Kearney's Brock Coutu by an 11-8 tally, before falling in a consolation fourth round match against Myles Mazurkiewicz of Great Falls.

Lynn, who placed second after scoring falls in the Amateur 141-pound bracket last year, was in action at 149 pounds this season. He began his day in the second round after a bye, and defeated Spencer Blew by major decision, 10-2, before losing by fall to Western State's Kurtis Ramsay in 2:54 in the third round. Lynn bounced back to win his first three matches in the consolation bracket, topping teammate Jacob Deaguero (Commerce City, Colo.) by technical fall, pinning Western State's John Burns in 1:51 and scoring an 1-4 win over Chadron State's C.J. Clarke. But his day would come to a close with a loss by major decision to David Turnbull, 16-2, in the consolation semis.

Sophomore Jerry Huff (Broomfield, Colo.), ranked sixth at 125 pounds in Division II entering this season, advanced to the consolation semifinals on Saturday. Huff fell in his opening bout against Tyler Cox of the Cowboy Wrestling Club, before a bye, an 8-6 decision over Jade Rauser and a win by forfeit. He then dropped a 4-0 decision against Danny Luttrell.

The Grizzlies will return to action on Saturday at the Nebraska-Kearney Holiday Inn Open.

Adams State- Green team takes victory at annual Green & White Dual

ALAMOSA, Colo. - Bolstered by four wrestlers with NCAA Division II National Tournament experience, the Green squad earned 17-9 victory on Wednesday night as the Grizzly wrestling team kicked off the 2011-12 season at Plachy Hall with the annual Green & White Intrasquad Dual.

Wednesday's dual took place just days before the Grizzlies will begin their pre-season tournament portion of the schedule at the Cowboy Open in Laramie, Wyo., on Saturday.

The Green team held what seemed to be a commanding lead after sophomore Daniel Kelly (Parker, Colo.) recorded a 5-0 win in the 157-pound contest, but back-to-back wins by junior Jarrod Purvis (Colorado Springs, Colo.) and freshman Mario Garcia (Pueblo, Colo.) left the White squad down by just four entering the last bout of the night.

Purvis scored an early takedown against sophomore Justin Samora (Cortez, Colo.), and despite giving up a point for stalling late in the third managed to hang on for a 5-3 win.

Garcia faced off against fellow rookie Clint Myers (Salida, Colo.) in a match-up of the only two freshmen in action, and used a pair of reversals to claim victory, 4-3.

But with the white team trailing by just four points, senior and 2-time NCAA All-American 197-pounder Luke McPeek (Albuquerque, N.M.) wrestled his way to a 10-2 major decision over junior heavyweight Taylor Stam (Parker, Colo.) to secure the Green win.

The Green squad won the first two bouts of the night, as sophomore Jerry Huff (Broomfield, Colo.) opened the night with a 9-2 win and was followed by junior Ryan Fillingame (Victorville, Calif.) who scored three points in the second period of his 133-pound match against sophomore Corey Johnson (Newcastle, Calif.) to win, 3-0.

Sophomore Casey Lynn (Cortez, Colo.) got the White team on the board at 141 pounds, getting a second period escape and a point for riding time in a 2-0 decision.

Senior Josh Hensley (Alamosa, Colo.) a 2-time all-American for Adams State, recorded the biggest win of the night, coming back a 3-point deficit at the end of the first period to win by a 18-5 tally.

Adams State will now travel to Laramie on Saturday for the Cowboy Open, the first of six tournament that the Grizzlies will compete in before beginning their dual meet season in January. The Grizzlies open dual action at Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) foe Chadron State on Jan. 12, and will next compete at Plachy Hall on Jan. 19 as they host league rival Fort Hays State at 7 p.m.

Adams State Wrestling: Grizzly wrestling picked for third in RMAC

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - Led by unanimous preseason all-conference pick Luke McPeek (Albuquerque, N.M.) at 197 pounds, the Adams State wrestling squad has been picked for third in the 2011-12 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) Preseason Poll, league officials announced Wednesday.

The Grizzlies received 35 points in the preseason voting in which league coaches voted for teams based on predicted finishing order without voting for their own team. Defending RMAC champ Nebraska-Kearney was picked to repeat, receiving six of the 11 possible first place votes and 14 points.. Grand Canyon (Ariz.), an associate member of the RMAC in wrestling and third place a year ago, was tabbed for second and took four first place votes and 16 points total.

Adams State received the only other first place vote, and was picked to finish two spots higher than a year ago. Fort Hays State (44 points) and San Francisco State (51 points), also associate members in wrestling, round out the preseason top five.

After a runner-up finish in 2011, Western State was picked for sixth (56 points), followed by Colorado mesa (64 points), Colorado State-Pueblo (69 points), Chadron State (71 points), Colorado Mines (85 points) and New Mexico Highlands (100 points).

McPeek, a senior for the Grizzlies and a 2-time all-American at 197 pounds, heads up a group of four returning wrestlers with national championship experience for ASC. He earned his second career sixth place finish at 197 pounds in 2011 after having taken the same honors in 2009 while wrestling for New Mexico Highlands. McPeek finished the 2010-11 season with an overall record of 27-9.

Senior Josh Hensley (Alamosa, Colo.), missed the latter portion of last season with injury, but earned all-American honors with a seventh place finish at 141 pounds in 2010. He wrestled at 149 pounds last season, posting a 9-4 record.

Also back are sophomores Jerry Huff (Broomfield, Colo.) and Justin Samora (Cortez, Colo.). Huff, a true freshman last season, went 11-14 during the year and qualified for the NCAA Championships by virtue of placing fourth at the NCAA DII Super Regional 4/RMAC Championships final at 125 pounds. Samora, a 157-pounder, also placed fourth in the Super Regional 4/RMAC Championships as a redshirt-freshman last season.

The Grizzlies' 2011-12 season will kick-off with the Green & White Dual at Plachy Hall on Wednesday, Nov. 9 at 7 p.m., before the squad heads to Larmie, Wyo., for the Cowboy Open on Nov. 12. The Grizzlies will host their first of five home duals during the season on Jan. 19, when they'll face Fort Hays State.

Short-handed Adams State Grizzlies Claim Three Straight Pins, 33-15 Road Win

McPeek makes big impact in return to NMHU

LAS VEGAS, N.M.- Dominic DeMarco (Shingle Springs, Calif.), Luke McPeek (Albuquerque, N.M.) and Taylor Stam (Parker, Colo.) all recorded first period pins as the nation's 18th ranked, yet-shorthanded Adams State College Grizzlies pulled away for a decisive 33-15 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference wrestling win over host New Mexico Highlands University Cowboys, Friday night here in the Wilson Complex.

The Grizzlies, who were without two of their three nationally ranked wrestlers, gave up 12 points due to back-to-back forfeits but won seven of the eight wrestled matches while outscoring the Cowboys, 59-15 on the mat. The victory was the Grizzlies' sixth straight over the Cowboys and allowed them to get back over .500.

They are now 5-4 overall and 3-2 in RMAC action.

The Cowboys, who took a 15-12 lead with a 3-2 Travis Saxon win at 165 pounds, then watched the Grizzlies rattle off 21 straight points, while falling to 0-6 overall and to 0-5 in RMAC duals.

Grizzly true freshman Mark Mabry, Jr. (Benson, Ariz.) started the stretch with a key 5-4 win at 174 pounds to tie the score before the Grizzlies' three successive pins put the match away.

McPeek's victory was certainly the sweetest as he returned to his old stomping grounds to pin Justin Wilmes at the 2:40 mark of 197-pound match. McPeek, who was a 2009 NCAA Division II All-American at New Mexico Highlands before transferring to Adams State to pursue a graduate degree, is now 17-5 overall and 7-1 in duals. He is ranked fourth in the national rankings at the weight class this year and now leads the Grizzlies with six falls, five of which have come in dual meet action.

McPeek was leading Wilmes, 8-0 at the time of his fall.

The Grizzlies then put an exclamation point on the victory as Stam recorded his first fall of the season, just 1:42 into his match with RK Rockhill. Stam, who was leading 2-0 at the time, is now 12-11 overall. Earlier, DeMarco also recorded his first fall in five dual-meet matches taking out Andrew Roden at 2:54 of the 184-pound match. DeMarco is now 5-5 overall.

The Grizzlies had jumped out to an early 7-0 lead to start the night as Jerry Huff (Broomfield, Colo.) claimed a decisive 10-2 major decision at 125 pounds over the Cowboys' Josh Christopher. Corey Johnson (Newcastle, Calif.) then bested Donovan Troup by a 12-5 score at 133 pounds. Huff is now 6-8 on the year while Johnson evened his record at 11-11.

The Cowboys then received their forfeit wins at 141 and 149 pounds as Grizzly juniors Kenny Jordan (Frankfort, Ill.) and Josh Hensley (Alamosa, Colo.) were out of the lineup due to sickness and injury, respectively. Jordan, who is riding an 8-match winning streak, is ranked seventh in the nation at 141 pounds and sports an impressive 15-2 record. Hensley, out for the fifth straight dual due to a knee injury, is ranked sixth in his weight class.

Down 12-7 after the forfeits, the Grizzlies then quickly evened things up as redshirt freshman Justin Samora (Cortez, Colo.) dominated Mark Martinez for an 18-1 technical fall win at 157 pounds. Samora, who is now 11-9 overall and 6-3 in dual meets, needed just 3:43 to claim the victory.

Saxon then put the Cowboys back up 15-12 with his tight 3-2 decision over Grizzly redshirt freshman Darian Roberts (Arvada, Colo.).

However, Mabry's answer and the 18 big points at the end were more than enough for the Grizzlies, who started a 4-dual road stretch with the victory.

The Grizzlies will head east next week facing No. 19 Fort Hays State and No. 11 Nebraska-Kearney next Thursday and Friday, respectively. A group of mostly unattached ASC wrestlers will also compete in tomorrow's Rocky Mountain Collegiate Open at Colorado Mines in Golden.
Western State Spoil Adams State Grizzlies' Final Home Dual
Jordan extends winning streak to eight for ASC

ALAMOSA, Colo.- The nation's ninth-ranked Western State College Mountaineers won nine matches, including two by fall and one by forfeit as they posted a 38-4 win over the No. 18 Adams State College Grizzlies in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference wrestling action, Thursday night in Plachy Hall.

The Mountaineers have now won six straight duals, improving to 8-4 overall and to a perfect 4-0 in dual-meet action. They will battle Grand Canyon (Ariz.), an associate RMAC member, for first place in the RMAC dual meet standings on Friday in Gunnison. The 13th-ranked 'Lopes bested Colorado State-Pueblo 24-13 on Thursday and are now 12-4 overall and 5-0 in RMAC action.

Meanwhile, the Grizzlies fell to 4-4 overall and 2-2 in RMAC action although Grizzly 141-pound junior Kenny Jordan (Frankfort, Ill.) extended his winning streak to eight matches with a 13-3 major decision win over Western State's Cody Cole.

Jordan, ranked seventh in the country at the weight class, has now scored four major decisions in his last five matches and has a fall to boot in that stretch that has seen him raise his overall record to 15-2. Jordan, who is also a perfect 8-0 in duals, scored five takedowns in his victory over Cole, controlling the bout from wire-to-wire.

That was about the only highlight of the night for Grizzly fans as the Mountaineers controlled the rest of the night claiming victories in each of the other eight wrestled matches, including a third-period fall by Jesse Cruz at 133 pounds and a stunning neutral-position fall by Zach Frazier at 165 pounds.

The Mountaineers also received victories from each of their four nationally-ranked men, including 197-pounder Donovan McMahill, who claimed a 12-5 win over Grizzly junior Luke McPeek (Albuquerque, N.M.), ranked fourth in the country. McMahill, the defending national champion and top-ranked man in the weight class, is now a perfect 20-0 this season and has won 37 consecutive matches over the last year-plus. Meanwhile, McPeek saw his 7-match winning streak snapped while falling to 16-5 overall. Three of those losses have come to McMahill.

Earlier in the evening, seventh-ranked Kyle O'Brien claimed 5-0 decision over Grizzly true freshman Jerry Huff (Broomfield, Colo.) at 125 pounds before Cruz scored his fall with just 56 seconds left in his match with Corey Johnson (Newcastle, Calif.), that Cruz was leading 5-0 at the time.

Jordan then scored the Grizzlies' first team and individual points as ASC pulled to within 9-4 overall before Justin Keys received the forfeit over the Grizzlies, without returning All-American and sixth-rated Josh Hensley (Alamosa, Colo.), for the fourth straight night due to a knee injury.

Leading 15-4, the Mountaineers then claimed a thrilling 6-4 win at 157 pounds as Kurtis Ramsay broke a 2-2 deadlock with an early third-period reversal of Grizzly redshirt freshman Justin Samora (Cortez, Colo.), who slipped to 10-9 overall and to 5-3 in dual meet action.

Grizzly redshirt freshman Darian Roberts (Arvada, Colo.) then took an early 4-1 lead over Frazier at 165 pounds before the rarely seen neutral-position pin-fall put the Mountaineers on top 24-4.

Jorge Benitez continued Western State's momentum with a 12-5 decision over the Grizzlies' Mark Mabry, Jr. (Benson, Ariz.) at 174 pounds while second-ranked 184-pounder Charlie Pipher, wrestling for the first time in over a month, claimed an 18-3 technical fall win over Grizzly sophomore Dominic DeMarco (Shingle Springs, Calif.).

After McMahill's win that made the score 35-4, the Mountaineers then finished the night off with a 3-2 decision by third-ranked Charlie Alexander over Grizzly sophomore Taylor Stam (Parker, Colo.) in the heavyweight match. Stam, now 11-11, had a 1-0 lead after two periods of the defensive battle thanks to an early second-frame escape. Alexander, now 8-1 on the year, then tied the match early in the third before the bout's lone takedown, which came near the mid-point of the third period, proved to be decisive.

The Grizzlies, who were wrestling at home for the final time this season, will attempt to rebound Friday when they head south to Las Vegas, N.M. to face New Mexico Highlands (0-5, 0-4 RMAC) for another RMAC dual at 7 p.m.
Adams State Get Back on Winning Track with 24-15 Win Over Mesa

Third-period thrillers, major decisions lift ASC to 4-2

ALAMOSA, Colo.-The nation's 18th ranked Adams State College wrestling team picked up three successive wins in thrilling third-period fashion and received three other major decision wins, including victories from nationally-ranked Luke McPeek (Albuquerque, N.M.) and Kenny Jordan (Frankfort, Ill.), as the Grizzlies got back on the winning track with a 24-15 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference victory over Mesa State College, Thursday night here in Plachy Hall.

The Grizzlies, who had dropped their previous two duals after getting out to a 3-0 start this season, won the final five matches of the dual after the intermission while improving to 4-2 overall and 2-1 in RMAC action. Meanwhile, the Mavericks were benefactors of a dual-starting forfeit at 149 pounds and a 165-pound pin by Maverick win leader Dylan Granard, but fell to 4-5 overall and 1-2 in RMAC action.

The Grizzlies won seven matches on the evening and outscored their opponents 69-37 on the mat while using thrilling victories from heavyweight Taylor Stam (Parker, Colo.), 125-pound true freshman Jerry Huff (Broomfield, Colo.) and 133-pound redshirt freshman Corey Johnson (Newcastle, Calif.) to help erase what was a 15-7 Maverick lead at the break.

The Grizzlies had also picked up an early 6-4 buzzer-beating victory from Mark Mabry, Jr. (Benson, Ariz.) at 174 pounds and convincing 13-0 major decision win from redshirt freshman Justin Samora (Cortez, Colo.) at 157 pounds to get on the scoreboard while McPeek, a 11-3 major decision winner over Shane Miller at 197 pounds started the Grizzlies' comeback.

Jordan then closed out the night with a convincing 12-4 win over Bery Tack at 141 pounds.

After spotting the Mavericks a 6-0 lead due to the absence of nationally-ranked Josh Hensley (Alamosa, Colo.), out because of an injury sustained at practice, the Grizzlies got back into things quickly with Samora's destruction of Jon Gappmaier. Samora's victory, aided by five near fall points and nearly four minutes of riding time, was his fifth in six dual-meet efforts this season and allowed him to improve to 10-7 overall. Gappmaier fell to 9-10.

However, the Mavericks tripled their 2-point (6-4) lead to 12-4 with Granard's first period pin of Darian Roberts (Arvada, Colo.). Granard now has 22 wins this season, nine of which have come by fall.

Mabry, Jr., who improved to 9-12 overall, then claimed a key victory for the Grizzlies as he scored a reversal as time expired to break what was a 4-4 tie with the Jake Goddard, who slipped to 7-9 overall with the loss.

However, the Mavericks bounced back extending what was a 12-7 lead to eight (15-7) with Kyle Brightman's 11-8 decision over Grizzly sophomore Dominic DeMarco (Shingle Springs, Calif.) at 184 pounds.

McPeek, tabbed fourth in this week's NCAA Division II National Wrestling Coaches Association Rankings at 197 pounds, then extended his winning streak to six matches with his victory over Miller, who still sports a solid 15-10 record. McPeek is now 15-4 overall and a perfect 6-0 in duals. He has also recorded bonus-point margin wins in all six duals.

McPeek's win sliced the Grizzlies' team deficit in half before Stam made it just a 1-point dual with a thrilling 4-3 decision over Trevor Stapp. Stam trailed 2-1 after the first period but tied the score with an escape around the mid-point of the second period.

With riding time against him and falling behind 3-2 after Stapp got out to begin the third, Stam did not relent and scored a final-minute takedown while erasing Stapp's riding time advantage to claim the victory, his second straight and 11th of the season.

Huff was also locked in an intense battle with Daniel Romero at 125 pounds and trailed 6-3 after giving up a technical violation penalty point and second period reversal. Claiming a reversal of his own later in the period that moved him within 6-5, Huff then tied the bout with an early third-period escape before recording a takedown to claim a 9-6 win, aided by 2:44 in riding time.

Huff, one of two true and five overall freshmen in the Grizzlies' lineup, is now 4-7 overall and a very respectable 3-3 in dual meets.

With a 17-15 lead, their first of the night, the Grizzlies then went for the kill as Johnson broke open what was a 1-1 tie early in the third period with two final stanza takedowns to best Tyler Nelson by a 5-2 score. Johnson is now 10-9 overall and 3-3 in dual meets while Romero slipped to 12-9 and 1-1 in dual meet action.

Jordan, who also extended his winning streak to six while improving to 13-2 overall, then finished off the night with easy win over Tack. Jordan scored five takedowns in the match and gave up just for intentional escape points. Like McPeek, he is now a perfect 6-0 in dual meets. The former NJCAA Champion and NCAA Division I qualifier had moved into the NCAA Division II National Rankings for the first time in his Grizzly career on Wednesday and is tabbed seventh in the 141-pound weight class.

The Grizzlies had 16 total takedowns on the night, double the Mavericks' total of eight. They also scored all four of the duals' near falls.

The Grizzlies will now take a break from RMAC action but will face a daunting challenge on Saturday at 2 p.m. CST (1 p.m. Mountain) when they face the nation's fifth-ranked Central Oklahoma Bronchos in Edmond. The Bronchos are 11-2 overall and have won nine straight duals, including a 23-22 thriller over Division I Arizona State at last weekend's Lone Star Duals in Grand Prairie, Texas. They also took fifth at the NWCA National Duals a week earlier in Iowa.

Coach David James have five nationally-ranked wrestlers in his lineup including fifth-ranked Jarrett Edison, likely to face McPeek at 197 pounds.

The Grizzlies are 2-0-1 against them in the last three years and tied the Bronchos, 20-20, in their last visit to the Hamilton Field House in 2009.
Short-handed Adams State Grizzlies Fall to Colorado School of Mines, 24-22

Orediggers use 21-0 run to defeat ASC for first time in 12 years

ALAMOSA, Colo.- The Colorado School of Mines wrestling team scored 21 straight points, thanks in large part to a forfeit win and back-to-back pins, as the visiting Orediggers held on for a 24-22 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference win over the Adams State College Grizzlies, Friday night here in Plachy Hall.

The Orediggers, who were competing in a dual for the first time with coach Josh Hutchens officially in charge, received a forfeit win by nationally-ranked Jesse Snider at 149 pounds and then consecutive pins by Jamie Sheets and Jordan Larsen to claim a 21-10 lead over the short-handed Grizzlies, who were without 149-pound junior Josh Hensley (Alamosa, Colo.), out with an undisclosed injury.

Hensley has won each of his last 17 dual-meet matches over the last two seasons and is touted sixth in the country according to the latest (Jan. 4) NCAA Division II National Wrestling Coaches Rankings.

The Orediggers also received a 6-2 decision from Chad Lousberg at 133 pounds and a 6-1 win from Brandon Sheldon at 174 pounds as they went up 24-10 before the nation's 17th ranked Grizzlies, now 3-2 overall and 1-1 in RMAC action, won the final three matches to make the final score close.

The Orediggers' win was their first over the Grizzlies since Jan. 20, 1999 and snapped ASC's 11-year winning streak in the rivalry.

The Grizzlies looked good at the start as 125-pound freshman Jerry Huff (Broomfield, Colo.) claimed a 9-0 major decision win over Elias Arias. The victory was just Huff's third of the year while Arias fell to 5-8.

However, the Orediggers got on the board minutes later as Lousberg, now 11-5 on the season, claimed his win over Grizzly redshirt freshman Corey Johnson (Newcastle, Calif.), now 9-9.

The Grizzlies then built a 10-3 lead just two minutes and 10 seconds into the 141-pound match as junior Kenny Jordan (Frankfort, Ill.) pinned the Orediggers' Cooper Newby. The victory was Jordan's first by fall as a Grizzly and raised his record to 12-2. He is also a perfect 5-0 in dual meets.

However, the Orediggers came storming back as Snider, ranked eighth in the country at his weight class, received the forfeit. Sheets then scored his fall at 3:37 of his 157-pound match against ASC redshirt freshman Justin Samora (Cortez, Colo.) giving the Orediggers the lead for good. Sheets is now 9-3 overall on the year while Samora, who lost a dual meet match for the first time in five tries, fell to 9-7 overall.

With a 15-10 team lead at the intermission, Larsen, who now has an Oredigger-best 15 wins, then took out Grizzly redshirt freshman Darian Roberts (Arvada, Colo.) at 3:58 of the 165-pound match.

The Orediggers then continued the roll at 174 pounds as Sheldon scored a 6-1 decision win over Mark Mabry, Jr. (Benson, Ariz.), whose high school coach was part of the large crowd of more than 1,000. Mabry was a 2-time Arizona High School State Champion for coach Casey Woodall, a 2-time All-American for the Grizzlies during his mat career, and the Benson High School Bobcats. Woodall, who was also celebrating his birthday, was in town with his new Payson (Ariz.) High School squad, in town for Saturday's Alamosa High School Invitational.

Down 24-10 at that point, the Grizzlies then started their comeback as sophomore Dominic DeMarco (Shingle Springs, Calif.) claimed a 7-3 decision over Bradley Price. DeMarco had been redshirting but picked up the victory in his first career dual-meet appearance.

The Grizzlies then received a dominating win by fourth-ranked Luke McPeek (Albuquerque, N.M.) at 197 pounds. McPeek, who is now a team-best 14-4 overall, has now recorded four falls and a forfeit win in his five dual meet appearances for the Grizzlies.

He held an 8-0 lead over Joshua Brown, moved up from his listed 174-pound weight class, after two periods and then scored four takedowns over Brown, the last of which resulted in the big pin that gave the Grizzlies hope.

Down 24-19 and needing another pin to claim the team victory, the Grizzlies would have to settle for a 4-2 decision from sophomore heavyweight Taylor Stam (Parker, Colo.) in his match against the Orediggers' Robert Tucker.

Stam is now 10-9 on the season.

The Grizzlies will attempt to bounce back next Thursday at 7 p.m. when they host Mesa State in another RMAC match-up. The Mavericks are 1-3 overall heading into Saturday's Tracy Borah Duals in Gunnison and will also take on Colorado State-Pueblo next Wednesday before heading over La Veta pass to face the Grizzlies
.Adams State Grizzlies Go 2-1 to Take Second at Mid-Atlantic Duals
Four ASC wrestlers go 3-0

ASHLAND, Ohio- Kenny Jordan (Frankfort, Ill.), Josh Hensley (Alamosa, Colo.), Justin Samora (Cortez, Colo.) and Luke McPeek (Albuquerque, N.M.) all went 3-0 as they lead the nation's 17th-ranked Adams State College Grizzly wrestling team to a pair of wins and a strong second place finish at the Mid-Atlantic Duals hosted by Ashland (Ohio) University, Saturday here in Kates Gymnasium.

The Grizzlies, who raised their record to 3-1 overall, won eight straight matches in their 30-7 quarterfinal win over Seton Hill (Pa.) before getting a 197-pound pin from McPeek and a 4-2 heavyweight decision from sophomore Taylor Stam (Parker, Colo.) to come from 16-13 down to defeat Gannon (Pa.), 22-16 in the semifinals.

McPeek, who had two pins and a forfeit win on the day, then got another win by fall in the championship match-up against the host and 18th-ranked Eagles, helping bring the Grizzlies within two (18-16). However, Stam was stuck with 57 seconds left in his match as the Grizzlies fell 24-16.

<http://ascgrizzlies.com/stats/wr1011/SetonHillDual.pdf>ADAMS STATE 36, SETON HILL (PA.) 7

The Grizzlies started the day by claiming six bonus-point wins, including two forfeits, in the convincing win over the Griffins, who hail from Greensburg, Pa. After returning NCAA Division II All-American Ken Trumbetta put the Griffins up 4-0 with a 9-0 major decision win over Grizzly freshman Jerry Huff (Broomfield, Colo.), one of six rookies in Grizzly coach Jason Ramstetter's lineup, the Grizzlies stormed back to win the next eight matches while scoring 36 straight points in the first ever dual-meet meeting between the squads.

Jordan put the Grizzlies up for good with his 16-5 major decision win over Dallas Evans, a returning national qualifier, in the 141-pound match. Hensley then claimed a 13-0 major decision win over Nick Nichols at 149 pounds before Samora scored a 20-2 technical fall win over Tyler Mohlenrich at 149 pounds giving the Grizzlies a 19-4 lead.

True freshman Mark Mabry, Jr. (Benson, Ariz.) also scored a technical fall win, besting Josh Voelker, 21-5 at 174 pounds.

The Grizzlies also received forfeit wins from Aaron Heredia (Monte Vista, Colo.) and McPeek at 184 and 197 pounds completing the Grizzlies' big run. The win was the first of Heredia's career. Corey Johnson, a 5-0 winner over Josh Testa at 133 pounds, Darian Roberts (Arvada, Colo.), a 6-1 victory over Randall Wagner at 165 pounds, and Mabry also claimed their first career dual-meet wins.

The Griffins' only other points came from Ron Oswald, who claimed a tight 3-2 win over Stam at heavyweight.

<http://ascgrizzlies.com/stats/wr1011/GannonDual.pdf>ADAMS STATE 22, GANNON (PA.) 16

The lead changed hands three times as the Grizzlies won six of the matches to claim the victory that upped their record to 3-0 on the year and 2-0 on the day.

After Huff dropped a tight 5-4 decision to Jose Matos, the Grizzlies tied the score at 3 thanks to a 3-1 win by Johnson over John Fleming at 131 pounds. Jordan then claimed a 2-1 win over returning All-American A.J. Milanak at 141 pounds before Hensley, ranked sixth in the country, recorded his 16th straight dual meet bonus-point win, by a 12-1 major decision margin over Ethan Swope as the Grizzlies went up 10-3.

Samora then extended the lead to 13-3 with a 6-1 win over Sam Brehm before the Golden Knights stormed back to win the next three matches to claim a 16-13 lead. Tony Petrella, ranked second in the country at 174 pounds, was one of the victors, barely edging Mabry, 5-4.

However, McPeek, ranked fourth in the country, later answered a first-period fall by Chris Boyd over Heredia at 184 pounds with his victory by fall at 2:37 over Richie Russell. McPeek's victory gave the Grizzlies a 19-16 lead before Stam's 4-2 win over Jimmy Martz capped the Grizzlies' team win that dropped the Golden Knights to 2-1 on the young season.

<http://ascgrizzlies.com/stats/wr1011/AshlandDual.pdf>ASHLAND (OHIO) 24, ADAMS STATE 16

The host Eagles won six of the 10 matches and used two falls in the final four bouts to win the tournament and the battle between ranked foes. Ashland, which had defeated unranked Belmont Abbey (N.C.), 35-8 in the quarterfinals, and No. 15 West Liberty State (W.Va.), 26-10, in the semifinals improved to 6-1 on the season.

The Eagles received 4-1 and 5-2 decisions from Dan Mandara and Scott Meyer over Huff, now 2-7, and Johnson, now 9-8 overall, in the first two weight classes before Jordan scored a 14-2 major decision win over Kyle Kanaga to pull the Grizzlies within 6-4.

Hensley then bested Dan Genetin, 7-6 in a re-match of last year's "All-American round" battle in the 141-pound bracket of the NCAA Division II National Championships. Hensley, now 12-6 overall, gave the Grizzlies a 7-6 lead that was extended to 10-6 by Samora's 5-2 win over Marc Hoff at 157 pounds.

Samora is now 9-6.

However, the Eagles came back to win the next three matches, including a fall by Brandon Kelly at 174 pounds, to claim an 18-10 lead.

McPeek, who has a team-high 13 wins and four falls, then closed the gap to just two team points by sticking Corby Running at the 3:15 mark of the 197-pound match before Jacob Southwick, the Eagles' wins leader at 18, half of which have come by fall, bested Stam with a fall at 6:03 to close out the dual.

The Grizzlies now return home for their next two and three of their next four duals. They host Colorado Mines on Friday (Jan. 14) at 7 p.m. in their only dual of the week as the second half of a high school/college doubleheader that will begin with a tilt between Alamosa and Fountain Fort-Carson High Schools.

Varsity action in that dual is slated to begin at 5 p.m.
Newcomer Leads Adams State Grizzly Mat-men at Reno Tournament of Champions

RENO, Nev.- Newcomer Kenny Jordan (Frankfort, Ill.) posted a solid 7-2 record and finished fourth in the 141-pounds weight class leading the Adams State College Grizzly wrestling team to a respectable 18th place finish at Sunday's Reno Tournament of Champions.

Jordan, the 2007 National Junior College Champion while at Lincoln (Ill.) Junior College, was responsible for 14 ∏ of the Grizzlies' 26 ∏ team points as they finished higher than four NCAA Division I squads and second amongst the 20 non-Division I teams in the 30-team field.

Only Clackamas (Ore.) Community College, which took 15th with 43 ∏ team points finished higher in the Division I dominated tournament, won by 21st-ranked Wyoming with 106 points, 1 ∏ more than fifth-ranked Boise State, which had a tournament-high four individual champions.

Cal State-Bakersfield, the alma-mater of 12th year Grizzly head coach Jason Ramstetter finished third with 98 ∏ points while No. 18 Arizona State edged Ohio by a half-point for fourth with 83.

Minnesota State, ranked sixth in the latest NCAA Division II National Wrestling Coaches Association poll, was the only other NCAA Division II squad in the field and took 22nd overall, four spots behind the 16th-ranked Grizzlies, who were competing in their first team-scored event of the season after three open style tournaments.

Jordan, who officially joined the team on Friday, was unseeded but claimed a pair of major decision wins over Liberty's Seth Hicks and North Dakota State's Mark Erickson before running into No. 2 seed and eventual weight class winner Levi Jones of Boise State in the round of 16.

Dropping a tight 3-2 decision to Jones, ranked 15th in NCAA Division I, Jordan then rattled off five straight wins in the consolation bracket including a 4-2 triumph over fifth-seeded Kyle Wirkuty of Southern Oregon, ranked fifth in the NAIA, and a 6-1 win over Josh Strait, a teammate of Jones.

After receiving a medical forfeit win to reach the consolation final, Jordan then fell by a 5-4 margin to Cal State-Bakersfields' Eljiah Nacita to see his day ended with a second 1-point loss.

The Grizzlies, who had nine men in the event including non-team scoring Jerry Huff (Broomfield, Colo.), who competed at 125 pounds alongside Dominic Madril (Westminster, Colo.), won a total of 14 matches throughout the day.

Returning 141-pound all-American Josh Hensley (Alamosa, Colo.), who wrestled at 149 pounds, won two of those matches, both by technical fall, but was drawn into a tough spot in the bracket falling to the No. 2 and No. 4 seeds in ninth-ranked Desi Green of Buffalo and 17th-ranked Justin Gaethje of Northern Colorado. Hensley was representing the Grizzlies for the first time this season as well after attending ASC part-time during the recently concluded fall semester.

Meanwhile, 157-pound redshirt freshman Justin Samora (Cortez, Colo.) also claimed two consolation bracket wins.

The Grizzlies also received one win each from 133-pound redshirt freshman Corey Johnson (Newcastle, Calif.) 174-pound true freshman Mark Mabry, Jr. (Benson, Ariz.) and 197-pound junior Luke McPeek (Albuquerque, N.M.), who was seeded sixth in his weight class.

Madril, Huff and sophomore heavyweight Taylor Stam (Parker, Colo.) each went 0-2.

The Grizzlies will next send a small contingent to the Midlands Championships in Evanston, Ill. on Dec. 29-30 before commencing the dual-meet portion of the season with a home-tilt against Chadron State on Wednesday, Jan. 5.
McPeek Leads Adams State Grapplers with Third Place Finish at Cowboy Open

Four other ASC wrestlers place while competing unattached

LARAMIE, Wyo.- New Mexico Highlands University transfer Luke McPeek (Albuquerque, N.M.), a 2009 NCAA Division II All-American, took third place as he led a group of 11 wrestlers representing the Adams State College Grizzlies to 17 combined wins in Saturday's Cowboy Open hosted by the University of Wyoming in the Pokes' War Memorial Fieldhouse. Four other ASC wrestlers, competing unattached, also placed amongst the top four of their respective brackets, including freshman Casey Lynn (Cortez, Colo.) who recorded four wins by fall before falling 3-0 in the final of the Amateur 141-pound bracket.

McPeek, who took sixth at the 2009 NCAA Division II National Championships while wrestling at NMHU, went 4-1 on the day winning three matches over Division I foes. His only loss came in the semifinals to defending NCAA Division II National Champion and Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Preseason Wrestler of the Year Donovan McMahill of Western State, the top ranked man in the NCAA Division II National Wrestling Coaches Association's Preseason Rankings.

McPeek, ranked fourth, started his day in the Elite 197-pound division with a 9-2 win over Joe O'Farrell of the host Wyoming squad in the first round. He then defeated Mesa State's Shane Miller by a 9-3 margin in the quarterfinals before dropping a tight 6-4 decision to McMahill.

McPeek bounced back in the consolation bracket besting O'Farrell again by a 6-3 score before finishing the day with a 2-1 overtime win over Neil Delaney of Air Force.

McPeek was one of just four wrestlers representing the Grizzlies in the Elite Division. Meanwhile, seven wrestlers wore a Grizzly singlet in the Amateur Division brackets, reserved for wrestlers age 20 and under. Jeremy Robledo (Denver, Colo.) and Corey Johnson (Newcastle, Calif.) led that group.

Robledo went 4-2 in the 125-pound bracket advancing to fifth round of the consolation bracket and just two wins shy of a top four placing. Johnson went 3-2 advancing to the championship quarterfinals and the consolation semifinals.

Lynn, who pinned his way to a 4A Colorado High School State Championship while at Montezuma-Cortez High School last year, recorded pin-falls in each of his first four matches and shared tournament high honors for overall falls with Western Wyoming's Justin Schumacher. However, Lynn, who also had a victory by fall in Wednesday's Green & Black Intrasquad Dual, fell just short of a title in his first collegiate tournament as Wyoming's Michael Hamel claimed a 3-point victory.

Meanwhile, Matt Sandoval (Albuquerque, N.M.), also competing unattached took fourth in the 149-pound Amateur Division bracket after falling to Schumacher in the consolation championship.

Dominic DeMarco (Shingle Springs, Calif.) also took fourth at 184 pounds while Paul Cabbage (Rio Rancho, N.M.) took third in the 184-pound Elite Division bracket with a 4-0 consolation final win over fellow unattached wrestler Brad Darrington.

The Grizzlies will continue open tournament action next week competing in the University of Northern Colorado's Old Chicago Open in Greeley, Colo. That tournament is slated to begin at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 20.
Lynn Pin Helps Propel Green Team to 15-12 Adams State Intrasquad Wrestling Win

Green scores 15 straight points

ALAMOSA, Colo.- A stunning fall by freshman Casey Lynn (Cortez, Colo.) in the 141-pound match highlighted a 15-point, 4-match winning streak for the Green Team, which held on to post a 15-12 victory over the Black squad in Wednesday night's annual Green & White Intrasquad Wrestling Dual here in Plachy Hall.

Lynn, a state champion for the Montezuma-Cortez High School Panthers last season, was trailing Grizzly junior Kevin Schmitt (Arlington, Texas) 4-0 after the first period but got a fall just 37 seconds into the period giving the Green squad a 9-6 lead that they would not relinquish throughout the rest of the 7-match slate, which proved to be competitive with over half of the matches being decided by three or fewer points.

The Green team also claimed a thrilling come-from-behind 10-8 sudden victory win at 149 pounds from sophomore A.J. Knoll (Arbury Hills, Ill.), a transfer from NCAA Division III Dubuque (Iowa), and a 5-1 victory from sophomore Daniel Kelly (Parker, Colo.) over sophomore Max Ortega (Rio Rancho, N.M.) in what was touted as the premier match of the evening to build a 15-6 lead before 4-1 and 5-2 decisions by redshirt freshmen Jessy Amos (Anchorage, Alaska) and Paul Cabbage (Rio Rancho, N.M.) helped the Black team close the final gap.

The Black team had taken the early lead as true freshman Jerry Huff (Broomfield, Colo.) took a 6-2 lead before pinning redshirt freshman Dominic Madril (Westminster, Colo.) with just 17 seconds left in the second period of the 125-pound match.

Redshirt freshman Corey Johnson (Newcastle, Calif.) then started the Green Team's run with a 6-3 decision over fellow redshirt freshman Michael Lee (Albuquerque, N.M.) at 133 pounds.

Lynn, who had given up a takedown and 2-point near fall to Schmitt in the first period of 141 pounds, then continued Green's momentum, before Jesse Long (Albuquerque, N.M.) built a 6-2 lead after the first period in his bout with Knoll. Extending that lead to 8-3 through two periods, Long suddenly watched a Knoll takedown and 3-point near fall just moments before the final buzzer tie the score while barely erasing a potential riding time bonus point.

Knoll then scored the winning takedown 40 seconds into the extra 1-minute period helping Green extend its lead to 15-6.

Kelly, one of just two returning starters on the Grizzlies' new-look 2010-11 roster, then claimed his victory over Ortega, a 5-time high school state champion out of Rio Rancho, New Mexico who wrestled at Division I Indiana last season, as the Green team built up a 15-6 advantage.

Amos, a 2-time state champion while in high school, then was dead-locked with Mark Mabry, Jr. (Benson, Ariz.), also a 2-time state high school champion, through two period before he scored a third period takedown mid-way through the period en-route to his 4-1 win.

Down 15-9 at that point, the Black team then needed a pin from Cabbage, who looked to be in complete control of Grizzly sophomore Dominic DeMarco (Shingle Springs, Calif.) in the opening period. Cabbage was up 4-0 through three minutes but could not score from the neutral position in the second period.

Cabbage then chose the top position to begin third period but gave up a reversal to DeMarco, ending the Black team's hope of coming back for a tie.

The Grizzlies will begin their regular season this Saturday at the Cowboy Open, to be contested in the War Memorial Fieldhouse on the campus of the University of Wyoming in Laramie. Action on 10 mats is slated to begin at 9 a.m. and will include teams throughout the Rocky Mountain region.
Adams State Mat-men to Square Off in Green & Black dual

Kelly-Ortega bout to highlight Wednesday night's action

ALAMOSA, Colo.- San Luis Valley wrestling fans will have a chance to get their first chance to view the new-look Adams State College Grizzlies when the squad will host their annual Green & Black Intrasquad Dual, Wednesday night in Plachy Hall. Action will begin at 7 p.m. and admission is free.

Fans that cannot make it in person, can still view the dual online with a <http://www.b2livetv.com/partner_members.asp?id=66>single-event or all-access subscription pass to AmericaOne (formerly B2 Networks) or by <http://www.twitter.com/ascgrizzlies>following the Grizzlies' on Twitter.

Grizzly head coach Jason Ramstetter, entering his 12th year with the Grizzlies, has more questions than answers heading into the 2010-11 season that will begin for earnest Saturday at the Wyoming Cowboy Open and is expecting that Wednesday's dual will help him answer some of those questions.

With just two starters back from last year's squad that placed 13th at the NCAA Division II National Championships, there are plenty of lineup spots up for grabs once the invitational tournament and dual meet portions of his team's schedule begin in late December and January, respectively. Ramstetter's Grizzlies can help stake their claim to those with wins on Wednesday and in the team's first three open tournaments over the next month.

A tentative slate of eight matches has been set for Wednesday night's competition and features a 149-pound tilt between sophomores Daniel Kelly (Parker, Colo.) and Max Ortega (Rio Rancho, N.M.).

Kelly, one of the two returning starters (Josh Hensley (Alamosa, Colo.)), is touted to wrestle for the Green team which will be guided by Ramstetter and assistant coach Arsenia Barksdale, who completed his 4-team All-American career in 2010. Kelly, who was pulled out of redshirt mid-season in 2009-10, posted a 20-8 record a year ago.

Ortega was a 5-time high school state champion while competing at Rio Rancho High School, winning a title every year since eighth grade. He then took his talents to Division I University of Indiana and competed for the Big Ten Conference's Hoosiers last year, posting a 19-11 mark with eight wins coming by Ortega is slated to wrestle for the Black Team, coached by Kyle and Sand and Joey Deaguero, both multiple-time All-Americans.

Another interesting match-up should come at 133 pounds between the Green team's Corey Johnson (Newcastle, Calif.) and the Black team's Michael Lee (Albuquerque, N.M.), a battle that is for a starting spot according to Ramstetter. Both redshirt freshmen redshirted last year.

A listing of the entire slate of matches, subject to change, is listed below.

125- Jeremy Robledo (Green) vs. Dominic Madril (Black)
133- Corey Johnson (Green) vs. Michael Lee (Black)
141- Casey Lynn (Green) vs. A.J. Knoll (Black)
149-  Kevin Schmitt (Green) vs. Jesse Long (Black)
149-  Daniel Kelly (Green) vs. Max Ortega (Black)
157/165- Justin Samora (Green) vs. Darian Roberts (Black)
165/174- Mark Mabry, Jr. (Green) vs. Jessy Amos (Black)
184- Dominic DeMarco (Green) vs. Paul Cabbage (Black)
Adams State to be Well Represented at Next Week's RMAC Hall of Fame

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.- After a year hiatus to honor the best athletes and coaches in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference's first century, the conference's annual hall of fame ceremony is back and once again Adams State College will be well represented as legendary coach Jack "Doc" Cotton, distance running great Amy Giblin and the 1980 NAIA National Championship Wrestling Team will all be inducted as a good chunk of the class of 2010, which includes four other individuals and another team.

The ceremony will be held here at the Colorado Springs Marriott on Saturday, June 26. A social hour begins at 5 p.m. with dinner to follow at 6 p.m. The ceremony will then begin at 7 p.m.

Cotton and Giblin will be the sixth and seventh individuals with Adams State ties to be inducted since the conference introduced the event in 2002. Adams State has also had 12 other national championship teams, including the 1968, 1969, 1972, 1973, 1975 and 1976 wrestling squads inducted.

No other RMAC school has had more than two teams inducted.

Cotton, best known for his basketball coaching success, served in a variety of roles at Adams State during his tenure at Adams State which spanned nearly three decades (1960-87). A member of ASC's inaugural Athletics Hall of Fame Class in 2000, Cotton coached the men's basketball team from 1960-78 before guiding the women from 1978-87, a time that saw the Indians win four RMAC titles in five years (1981, 1982, 1984, 1985) and five NAIA district championships.

Cotton, who guided RMAC Hall of Famers Lonnie Porter and Debra Gilbert and several other great athletes, also served as the athletic director and golf, tennis and football coaches at various times during his career. He also drove the athletic bus, all while maintaining a full teaching load.

Prior to arriving at Adams State, Cotton served in the U.S. Navy during World War II, and in 1950, played for the original Denver Nuggets. He was also a part of the U.S. Olympic Committee, a role that helped him bring Olympic athletes to train in Alamosa in preparation for the 1968 Mexico City Olympic Games, held at high altitude. He also served as the President of the NAIA Coaches Association and was proud to help develop the legendary Top of the Nation Coaches' Clinic.

Now retired and residing in Alamosa, Cotton and his wife Mabel have been married for 63 years.

Giblin was an 18-time All-American and a member of three national championship cross country teams during her time at Adams State. One of just two Adams State athletes (Amber Klein) to achieve the "triple crown" by winning individual national titles in cross country, indoor track and outdoor track in the same school year (1991-92), Giblin set the NAIA outdoor championship record in the 5,000 meters in 1992, a mark that stood until 2008.

The first recruit ever signed by legendary Adams State Coach Damon Martin, Giblin, who won four total individual national championships, also finished fourth at the World University Games. Following her 1993 graduation, Giblin went on to serve as a graduate assistant coach for Martin while training for the 1996 Olympic Marathon Trials that she competed in.

A native of Colorado Springs, Giblin was inducted into the ASC Athletics Hall of Fame in 2003 and was recognized by the RMAC last summer as a member of the conference's all-time team in both cross country and track and field.

The 1980 wrestling team won the 10th national championship for the RMAC and was the seventh in Adams State's wrestling history. The squad was coached by Dr. Richard Ulrich, a 2001 ASC Hall of Famer and the 1980 NAIA Coach of the Year. The squad scored 86 team points at the national tournament, held in Hays, Kan.

The team, which also won the RMAC title that year, was led by 126-pound national champion Scott Ritzen, a 2004 Adams State Hall of Fame inductee and now the head coach at Chadron State, who won the first of his two national titles that year as a sophomore. ASC had four wrestlers in the national finals that year including heavyweight Herb Stanley, a 2-time national champion who was named to the RMAC Centennial Celebration's All-Time team. Lawrence MacErnie and John Sheridan were also finalists and All-Americans at 134 and 142 pounds, respectively.
Follow Adams State Grizzly Athletics on Twitter

ALAMOSA-Adams State College Sports Information Director Chris Day has announced that fans can now follow Grizzly Athletics on Twitter by clicking on the Twitter logo on the ASCGrizzlies.com website and clicking the 'follow' button on the page.

Twitter, one of the most popular social networks on the web, has been used by numerous Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference athletic departments and even the Conference headquarters to get news and updates out to media and fans.

The Adams State Sports Information Department will be tweeting scores periodically during sporting events and will update any schedule changes as well as any news that hits the ASCGrizzlies.com website.

For questions or more information on Adams State's athletics teams or the Twitter page, please contact sports information director Chris Day at clday@adams.edu.
Lopers Claim Narrow 24-21 Win Over Adams State Wrestlers

ASC now prepares for Feb. 27 super regional/RMAC Championships

ALAMOSA, Colo.- The ninth-ranked University of Nebraska-Kearney Lopers received two first-minute wins by fall, a forfeit by top-ranked 174-pounder Marty Usman and a 3-2 win from heavyweight Ben Hohensee as they won a 24-21 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference back-and-forth dual meet over the host No. 16 Adams State College Grizzlies, Wednesday night in Plachy Hall.

The Lopers trailed 15-9 at the intermission but quickly took a 21-15 lead as Taylor May recorded a fall over Grizzly freshman Anthony Gomez (Albuquerque, N.M.) at 165 pounds before Usman, last year's national runner-up¬, received the forfeit win.

The Grizzlies then answered right back as Torben Walters (Olney Springs, Colo.) recorded a thrilling 9-8 win at 184 pounds before fifth-ranked Kyle Sand (Arvada, Colo.) tied the dual at 21 with his 7-1 decision at 197 pounds.

Hohensee then scored a quick takedown in the opening seconds of the decisive heavyweight battle and held on for a 3-2 win over Grizzly senior Jeff Schossow (Fort Morgan, Colo.) giving the Lopers the win, their fifth straight and second of the day.

The Lopers, who posted a 28-9 win over Colorado State-Pueblo earlier in the afternoon, are now 15-6 overall and a perfect 6-0 in RMAC duals. The Grizzlies end the dual meet portion of the season with 7-6 and 4-4 overall records.

Wednesday's match-up was close throughout as neither team would win more than two consecutive matches as the squad's split them evenly with each team winning five, including two by fall.

The Grizzlies drew first blood as Arsenia Barksdale (Norfolk, Va.), one of four Grizzly seniors in the lineup wresting in their final career duals, scored a 7-1 decision over the Lopers' Danny Luttrell in the opening 125-pound match. Barksdale, the defending national champion at the weight class, is now 16-5 overall and 8-1 in dual meets this season.

However, the Lopers would jump right into a 6-3 lead as Joey Morrison pinned Grizzly sophomore Dominic Valencia in just 34 seconds. However, that lead would be short-lived as ASC's Josh Hensley (Alamosa, Colo.) completed a perfect dual-meet season with a pin over Tyler Baker at 141 pounds.

That victory, his second fall of the season, was Hensley's 13th straight and upped his record to 24-3 overall and to 13-0 in dual-meet action. Hensley, who has outscored his opponents 128-14 in that stretch, was leading 10-0 at the time of the fall.

Trailing 9-6, the Lopers then evened the score at 149 pounds as fourth-ranked T.J. Hepburn recorded his 34th win of the campaign by an 8-4 score over Grizzly freshman Daniel Kelly (Parker, Colo.).

However, the Grizzlies would go right back on top when senior Joey Deaguero (Commerce City, Colo.), ranked fifth in the country at 157 pounds, needed just 3:18 to take out the Lopers' Jordan Gienger giving the Grizzlies a 15-9 lead at the break. Deaguero, who now has a team-high nine falls, this season won for the 20th time this season and is now 8-1 in dual-meet action.

Although the Lopers did come back to take a 6-point lead of their own after Usman's forfeit, the Grizzlies remained in the contest as Walters hung on for his 1-point win over Derek Ross while improving to 15-8 on the year and to 10-3 in duals.

Sand, who went undefeated in home duals during the Grizzly portion of his collegiate career, started at North Idaho College, then dominated a defensive Justin McKain, who gave up two late stalling penalty points late in the third period of Sand's convincing win.

The Grizzlies will now turn their attention to the post-season and will host the NCAA Division II Super Regional Four/RMAC Championships on Saturday, Feb. 27. That tournament will include all 11 RMAC teams and will declare the RMAC champions while qualifying four wrestlers in each weight class for the Mar. 12 & 13 NCAA Division II National Championships in Omaha, Neb.
Adams State Grizzlies Open Big Lead, Win at Mesa 29-9

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo.- The Adams State College Grizzlies won the first five and eight of the 10 matches as they cruised to a comfortable 29-9 Rocky Mountain Athletic conference wrestling win over the Mesa State College Mavericks.

The Grizzlies, who led 19-0 half-way through the dual, snapped a 2-dual mini-slide while improving to 7-4 overall and to 4-3 in RMAC action. The Mavericks, who only got one win on the mat and another by virtue of forfeit fell to 3-5 overall and to 2-4 in conference action.

The Grizzlies, who came into the night ranked 16th in the latest NCAA Division II National Wrestling Coaches Association Poll, received wins from each of their four nationally-ranked individuals, three of which came by bonus-point margins. They also picked up a pair of sudden victory wins and a thrilling 4-3 victory from senior Joey Deaguero (Commerce City, Colo.) over Chase Walker in a battle of nationally-ranked 157-pounders.

Deaguero, ranked fifth in the nation, improved to 19-8 on the season with that win over No. 6 rated Chase Walker, a returning All-American, as the Grizzlies went on top 19-0.

The Mavericks then got on the board as Cole Johnson bested Anthony Gomez 3-0 at 165 pounds before Andy Laiminger received a win by default pulling the Mavericks within 19-9.

However, the Grizzlies then sealed the deal in the heavier weight classes as Torben Walters (Olney Springs, Colo.) claimed a 4-0 shutout win over Chris Cielinski at 184 pounds before senior Kyle Sand (Arvada, Colo.), ranked fifth in the country at 197 pounds, claimed a 16-5 major decision win over Shane Miller putting the Grizzlies up 26-9.

That win was the 20th of Sand's season.

The Grizzlies then added a 3-1 sudden victory win by senior heavyweight Jeff Schossow (Fort Morgan, Colo.) for good measure.

Earlier in the night, Grizzly senior Arsenia Barksdale (Norfolk, Va.) posted a 16-1 technical fall win over Tyler Nelson in the opening 125-pound match. Barksdale, ranked third in the country, is now 15-5 this season.

Sophomore Dominic Valencia (Albuquerque, N.M.) then got a 4-2 sudden victory triumph over Chris Rubalcaba at 133 pounds before top-rated Josh Hensley (Alamosa, Colo.) scored another dominant 18-1 technical fall win over Trevor Donarski at 141 pounds.

Hensley, now 23-3 overall, has now outscored his last 11 opponents by a combined 118-14 margin and has posted nine technical falls and two major decisions, one of which came over No. 2 Andre Harrison of Fort Hays State, in that stretch that also includes a forfeit.

Leading 13-0 at the time, the Grizzlies then went for more as true freshman Daniel Kelly (Parker, Colo.) scored a 10-3 win over Tyler Juby at 149 pounds before Deaguero's win gave the Grizzlies the 19-point lead.

The Grizzlies, assured of their fourth straight winning season, will now return home to face Nebraska-Kearney, tied for ninth in the national poll, in their final dual of the season on Wednesday, Feb. 10.
Western State College Mountaineers Come Back to Beat Adams State

GUNNISON, Colo.- After taking a 15-3 lead by winning four of the first five matches, the Adams State College Grizzlies dropped each of the last five, including two by a single point, as the Western State College Mountaineers came back to claim a 24-15 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference wrestling win, Thursday night here in the Paul W. Wright Gymnasium. The Mountaineers, ranked 13th in the latest (Jan. 20) NCAA Division II Wrestling Coaches Association Poll, also got a pair of pins in the comeback effort as they improved to 5-3 overall and 2-1 in RMAC action. The No. 14 Grizzlies fell to 6-5 overall and to 3-3 in RMAC action.

The Grizzlies had the momentum in the early going as senior Arsenia Barksdale (Norfolk, Va.) claimed a decisive 12-2 major decision win at 125 pounds over Kyle O'Brien giving the visitors a 4-0 lead.

Barksdale, ranked third in the nation in the weight class, scored four takedowns and a late third-period near fall as he improved to 14-5 on the year.

The Mountaineers then got on the board at 133 pounds as Darren Hockett scored a 6-2 decision over Grizzly junior A.J. Alexander (Pueblo, Colo.) cutting the gap to 4-3.

However, ASC then got on a roll winning the next three matches, a streak started by an 18-0 technical fall win by Grizzly sophomore Josh Hensley (Alamosa, Colo.), ranked first in the country at 141 pounds. Hensley, who is now 22-3 overall and a perfect 11-0 in dual meets this season, scored four 3-point near falls against the Mountaineers' Hollan Gravley and needed just 4:33 to claim the victory that extended his winning streak to 11 matches.

Scoring bonus-points for the 19th time this season, Hensley has now outscored his opponents by a combined 113-9 margin in his last seven matches, posting six technical falls and a 12-2 major decision win over second-rated Andre Harrison of Fort Hays State.

Leading 9-3 at the time, the Grizzlies then extended their lead at 149 pounds as freshman Daniel Kelly (Parker, Colo.) scored 9-5 decision over Justin Morris.

Senior Joey Deaguero (Commerce City, Colo.) then rallied to post a 4-3 win over former Monte Vista High School standout Kyle Francis in the 157-pound match. Deaguero, who is now 18-8 on the year, scored a pair of reversals in the exciting third period breaking a scoreless deadlock with the first before falling behind 3-2 on a Francis escape and takedown.

However, Deaguero, ranked fourth in the country, then regained the top position with 24 seconds to go as he rallied for the win putting the Grizzlies up 15-3.

After the intermission, WSC's Cody Frankum delivered a big blow at 165 pounds pinning sophomore Brandon Johnson (Newcastle, Calif.), in the Grizzly lineup for the first time since Dec. 5. Frankum was leading 19-7 at the time scoring seven takedowns but got the pin moments after a tired Johnson had been called for a 2-point stalling call.

The pin gave the Mountaineers two big bonus-points as they went on to pull within 15-12 with a 7-3 decision by Zach Frasier over Grizzly freshman Anthony Gomez (Albuquerque, N.M.), who, with the addition of Johnson to the lineup, was moved up a weight class to avoid the forfeit that the Grizzlies had given up in each of their previous 10 duals at the weight class.

The Mountaineers then got a dual-tying win at 184 pounds as Charlie Pipher, ranked second in the country, scored a 6-5 win over ASC sophomore Torben Walters (Olney Springs, Colo.).

Walters led 3-2 after the second period thanks to a reversal late in the stanza but fell behind Pipher for good as the Mountaineer scored two takedowns in the first minute of the third period before holding off Walters the rest of the way.

The 197-pound match-up, predicted to be the best of the night, then lived up to its billing as No. 5 Donovan McMahill of WSC scored a winning takedown with just 10 seconds left in a 4-3 win over fourth-ranked Grizzly senior Kyle Sand (Arvada, Colo.), who saw a streak of six straight wins, all by bonus-points snapped.

Sand, who was looking for his 20th win of the campaign, led 2-1 after the first period thanks to a takedown of his own. After McMahill scored the second period's only point with an early escape to tie the score, the wrestlers remained standing for the rest of the period.

Sand then escaped early in the third period to take a 3-2 lead but could not escape McMahill's leg grasp near the end as the Mountaineers took their first lead, 18-15.

WSC then closed out the dual with a heavyweight pin by fourth-ranked Charlie Alexander who took out Grizzly redshirt freshman Taylor Stam (Parker, Colo.) at the 1:22 mark.

Many of the younger Grizzlies will be in action on Saturday competing unattached at the Rocky Mountain Collegiate Open in Golden, Colo. although the starters will be off until Feb. 4 when the Grizzlies travel to Grand Junction to face Mesa State in a RMAC dual.
No. 17 Fort Hays State Post 24-Point Run in Mild Upset Over No. 14 Adams State

Hensley, Barksdale win key matches for ASC

ALAMOSA, Colo.- The 17th-ranked Fort Hays State University Tigers won five straight matches, including two by fall and another by forfeit as they turned a 7-3 deficit into a 27-7 lead en-route to a Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference wrestling road win over the No. 14 Adams State College Grizzlies, Friday night here in Plachy Hall.

The Tigers have now won four straight duals while improving to 5-3 overall and to 3-0 in RMAC action, good for first place in the conference's dual meet standings. The Grizzlies, who had won four straight entering the night, fell to 6-4 overall and to 3-2 in RMAC duals.

The Grizzlies had momentum early as they won two of the first three matches, both of which were national championship caliber battles, to take the early lead but watched Tiger senior Levi Younkin come from behind to claim an 11-9 sudden victory win at 149 pounds sparking what amounted to a 24-point swing.

The Tigers then got a key pin from sixth-ranked Danny Grater over No. 4 rated Joey Deaguero (Commerce City, Colo.) at 157 pounds and another from No. 8 Blake Malloy at 165 pounds before Shawn Kuhlman picked up six more points by default at 174 as the Tigers were well on their way to the victory.

Although the Grizzlies won just four of the nine wrestled and 10 overall matches, they did have some highlights as senior Arsenia Barksdale (Norfolk, Va.) claimed a 4-1 win over Tommy Edgmon in a rematch of last year's NCAA Division II National and RMAC/West Regional Championship bouts. Barksdale, who is ranked third in the country at 125 pounds this year, led 2-0 after the second period thanks to a locked hands violation on Edgmon, currently rated No. 1 in the country, and an escape.

Edgmon, who had entered the weekend 5-0 before dropping back-to-back matches, then got an escape to close to within 2-1 before Barksdale sealed the win with a late takedown.

Barksdale, who defeated Edgmon by a 3-1 score in a very similar match to win the national title in 2009, now has three career wins over Edgmon. Barksdale is now 13-5 overall this year.

The Grizzlies nearly went up 6-0 but instead found themselves tied at 3 after Tiger sophomore Travis Kuhn came from behind to post an 8-7 win over Grizzly junior A.J. Alexander in the 133-pound match. 

Alexander scored three takedowns and held a 7-2 lead in the second period but watched Kuhn, now 10-9 this season, come from behind with escapes and takedown combinations later in the second period and again in the third.

The Grizzlies then picked up another big win at 141 pounds as sophomore Josh Hensley (Alamosa, Colo.) continued his hot streak by blasting FHSU's Andre Harrison by a 12-2 major decision margin in a battle of the nation's top two ranked wrestlers. Hensley, rated first, was behind early 2-0 after some great action but came back to score the next 12 points including a pair of 3-point near falls in what was an 8-point second period to claim his 21st overall and 10th straight win.

Hensley now has 18 total bonus-point wins this season and has scored extra team points in each of his last 16 victories while outscoring opponents 95-9 in the last six wrestled matches. The second-ranked Harrison is now 15-4 on the year.

With a 7-3 team lead, the Grizzlies then watched true freshman Daniel Kelly (Parker, Colo.) take a 9-7 lead with a third period reversal that was countered by Younkin, who later won the back-and-forth 149-pound match with a takedown in the extra frame.

Kelly, who had won four straight matches since being pulled out of redshirt, is still a solid 17-6 overall this season while Younkin improved to 8-9.

Grater then caught Deaguero for an early takedown and scored the monstrous fall just 40 seconds into the 157-pound match that was a battle of 2-time All-Americans as the Tigers took a 12-7 lead into the intermission.

After the break, Malloy finished off Grizzly freshman Anthony Gomez (Albuquerque, N.M.) just 35.5 seconds from the final buzzer of the 165-pound match.

After Kuhlman's win, the Tigers continued their roll as an early third period reversal helped Chance Rencountre stop Torben Walters (Olney Springs, Colo.) 5-match winning streak by a 5-2 margin at 184 pounds.

That victory put the Tigers up 27-7 and sealed the dual.

However, the Grizzlies did make the final tally much closer as senior Kyle Sand (Arvada, Colo.) posted a convincing 10-2 major decision win over Steven Kyler at 197 pounds before redshirt freshman Taylor Stam (Parker, Colo.) pinned FHSU's Justin Glenn at the 4:05 mark of the heavyweight match.

Sand, ranked fourth in the country this year, was last year's 184-pound national champion and is now 19-5 overall and 9-1 in dual meets. He has won six straight matches, all by bonus-point margins.

Stam is now 4-6 overall and recorded his first career win by fall.

The Grizzlies, who have wrestled four duals in the last nine days, have a relatively light schedule ahead as they will have single-dual weeks over the next three weeks, starting Jan. 28 when they take on arch-rival Western State, currently ranked 13th in the country.

That match will begin at 7 p.m. in Gunnison at the Mountaineers' Paul W. Wright Gymnasium.Ranked-wrestlers Key as Adams State Tops Central Oklahoma, 26-15
ASC wins fourth straight dual

ALAMOSA, Colo.- All four of Adams State College's nationally ranked wrestlers won while both of the nationally-ranked University of Central Oklahoma Bronchos fell as the nation's 14th-ranked Grizzlies posted a convincing 25-16 upset win over the No. 11 visitors, Thursday night here in Plachy Hall.

The Grizzlies, who have now won four straight duals while improving to 6-3 overall, took four of the five opening matches and won six overall, including two by fall and another by technical fall. UCO, which fell to 5-5 on the season, managed just three decisions and a forfeit at 174 pounds while being doubled-up 54-27 in total match points.

The Grizzlies never trailed and took the early 3-0 lead when senior Arsenia Barksdale (Norfolk, Va.) scored a 7-3 decision over the Bronchos' Casy Rowell in a battle of nationally-ranked wrestlers at 125 pounds. Barksdale, the defending NCAA Division II National Champion who moved down to No. 3 in the latest National Wrestling Coaches Association Rankings released Wednesday, scored a takedown in each period while racking up nearly three minutes of riding time to improve to 12-5 overall and to 4-1 in duals with his 92nd career victory. Rowell, just a freshman, fell to 24-7 and 5-2.

The Bronchos would tie the score moments later as Trison Graham picked up a 4-1 133-pound decision over Grizzly sophomore Dominic Valencia (Rio Rancho, N.M.), wrestling for the first time this season. Graham, now 18-11 overall and 7-3 in duals, was unable to score in the first period but worked for a takedown and was awarded a penalty point for an illegal hold later in the second period to take a 3-1 lead. He then tallied an escape in the third to complete the scoring.

Grizzly sophomore Josh Hensley (Alamosa, Colo.) then continued his domination of opponents as he scored four near of the Grizzlies' nine near falls for 11 total points to go along with a takedown and a reversal in a 17-2 technical fall win over the Bronchos' Michael Walkup (2-6) in the 141-pound match. Hensley, who moved up to No. 1 in the national rankings earlier in the week, is now 20-3 overall and a perfect 9-0 in duals. He has now won 13 straight matches, all by bonus-point margins, and has 17 total bonus-point wins. In his last six matches, Hensley has received a forfeit and posted five technical fall wins while outscoring his opponents 83-7.

That victory gave the Grizzlies an 8-3 lead and was solidified at 149 pounds as true freshman Daniel Kelly (Parker, Colo.) upset sixth-ranked Colby Robinson at 149 pounds by a 10-5 score. Kelly, who is now 17-5 overall and a perfect 4-0 in duals after being pulled out of redshirt earlier this month, trailed 5-0 after the first period but came back to tie the match at 5 with a takedown and 2-point near fall at second-period buzzer.

Kelly, a 2-time Colorado High School State Champion while at Ponderosa High School, then got another takedown and near fall in the third period while receiving a penalty point for stalling as Robinson, a 2008 All-American, fell to 17-11 overall and to 3-3 in duals.

The Grizzlies then continued their momentum at 157 pounds as senior Joey Deaguero (Commerce City, Colo.). ranked fourth in the nation at the weight class, gave up a quick takedown only come back to claim an 8-1 lead over the Bronchos' Ed Jackson after three minutes.

Deaguero, who now has a team-high eight falls as part of his 17-7 overall record, then chose the top position to begin the second period and pinned Jackson (12-6) just 27 seconds into the frame putting the Grizzlies up 17-3 at the intermission.

The Bronchos' Derrick Adkins, now 23-11 overall, was able to get some of those points back at 165 pounds as he claimed a 6-1 decision over freshman Anthony Gomez (Albuquerque, N.M.), who was valiantly able to fight off several back-point efforts and thus preventing a major decision despite falling to 1-7.

Cody Rowell then picked up a forfeit at 174 pounds pulling the Bronchos back within 17-12.

However, Grizzly sophomore Torben Walters (Olney Springs, Colo.) won for the fifth straight time in a key 184-pound battle as he scored a second-period reversal to go up 2-0 against Tanner Keck in what would be the bout's only scoring move.

Walters, who is now 13-6 overall, sports an impressive 8-1 dual-meet mark while Keck fell to 9-7 overall and to 2-3 in dual-meet action.

Leading 20-12 at the time, the Grizzlies then sealed the team victory at 197 pounds as Kyle Sand (Arvada, Colo.), ranked fourth in the nation at the weight class, pinned Patrick Finn at the 2:54 mark. Sand, who has now scored first-period falls in each of his last four matches is now 18-5 overall with seven victories coming via the pin. Like Walters, he is now 8-1 in duals.

Finn, who weighed in at 184 pounds, fell to 4-6 on the season.

UCO sophomore, Jarrett Edison, who weighed in at 197 pounds, then came to the mat for the somewhat meaningless heavyweight match against Grizzly senior Jeff Schossow (Fort Morgan, Colo.). Edison, who is now 18-11 overall, trailed 1-0 after Schossow scored an escape mid-way through the second period but quickly took the lead for good with a reversal early in the third period of his eventual 4-1.victory that dropped Schossow to 4-8.

The Grizzlies also bested Bronchos at home in 2008 before tying them 20-20 last year in Edmond, Okla. The 2008 victory was the Grizzlies' first in 25 years of the non-conference rivalry that has been contested every year since 2003.

The Grizzlies will now look for a fifth straight dual victory when they host No. 17 Fort Hays State on Friday at 7 p.m. The Tigers, associate members of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, entered a Thursday night encounter at New Mexico Highlands with 3-3 overall and 1-0 RMAC marks.
High School Half of Wrestling Doubleheader Cancelled; Adams State Still to Face Central Oklahoma at 7 p.m.

ALAMOSA, Colo.- The first half of Thursday night's high school and college wrestling dual doubleheader at Adams State College's Plachy Hall between Monte Vista and Pagosa Springs High Schools has been cancelled because of inclement weather and poor road conditions.

The college half of the doubleheader between the Adams State Grizzlies and the Central Oklahoma Bronchos will still take place as scheduled at 7 p.m.
Adams State Grizzlies Jump Out to Big Lead En-route to 29-15 Win Over New Mexico Highlands University

Three pins, Kelly's come-from-behind win propel ASC over Hall of Famer's squad

ALAMOSA, Colo.- The Adams State College wrestling team recorded three pins and four bonus-point decisions as they bounced back from Wednesday's heartbreaking loss to post a comfortable 29-15 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference dual meet win over visiting New Mexico Highlands University, Friday night here in Plachy Hall.

The nation's 10th-ranked Grizzlies, now 3-3 overall and 1-1 in RMAC duals, never trailed as they jumped out to a big 12-0 lead behind first-period falls by both Torben Walters (Olney Springs, Colo.) and Kyle Sand (Arvada, Colo.).

Later in the night, the Grizzlies won four straight matches from 133 to 157 pounds as sophomore Josh Hensley (Alamosa, Colo.) scored a 16-0 technical fall win over Daniel Perales at 141 pounds while Joey Deaguero (Commerce City, Colo.) scored his team-best seventh fall of the campaign in the 157-pound match helping the Grizzlies build an insurmountable 29-6 lead.

The Grizzlies also picked up key wins from 133-pound junior A.J. Alexander (Pueblo, Colo.), his first dual-meet win of his career, and true freshman Daniel Kelly (Parker, Colo.), pulled out of redshirt in time to claim a come-from-behind 9-7 sudden victory win at 149 pounds.

The Cowboys, now 0-3 in both overall and RMAC duals, won four matches, most notably a 125-pound upset by Seth Wright who bested Grizzly senior Arsenia Barksdale (Norfolk, Va.), the defending national champion.

Walters, who picked up his 10th win and third fall of the campaign, needed just two minutes and 23 seconds to best Adam Pacheco as he took the Cowboy junior down before pinning him moments later.
Sand, now 15-5 overall, did the same against Joe Zambrano, but needed just 40 seconds to claim his fourth fall of the year. Sand, ranked fifth in the country at 184 pounds, and Walters are now both 5-1 in duals this year.

The Cowboys then got on the board in the heavyweight match as Jesse Boggs scored first and second-period takedowns while getting a riding time point to claim a 5-0 decision over Grizzly redshirt freshman Taylor Stam (Parker, Colo.).

Wright, who improved to 5-1 on the year, then scored a big upset as a takedown and three ensuing back points near the edge of the mat in the waning moments of the second period helped him to a 9-4 decision over Barksdale, who had won 17 straight duals over the last three seasons. Barksdale, ranked first in the country in the weight class, had also been undefeated in 13 career home matches prior to Friday's setback that dropped his 2009-10 record to 9-5.

With their lead sliced to 12-6, the Grizzlies then responded as Alexander scored a quick reversal to begin the second period before tallying takedowns in both the second and third frames to claim a 7-3 win over the Cowboys' Donovan Troup.

Hensley then dominated Perales scoring four 3-point near falls, a takedown and a reversal to claim the win in just 4:36. Hensley, now a team-best 17-3 on the year, now has 14 bonus-point wins scoring extra team points in each of his last 12 victories and all six of the Grizzlies' duals.

Kelly, who went an impressive 13-5 in open tournaments as an unattached wrestler earlier this fall, then fell behind 7-1 to Trey Saxon after the first period but cut the gap to 7-2 with an escape in the second period.

The Grizzly, who was a 2-time state champion while at Ponderosa High School then earned two back points to begin third period and got two more points on back-to-back stalling calls against Perales, who had been warned earlier in the period.

Kelly, who rode Saxon throughout the third period, also received a riding time point at the end of regulation to tie the score at 7 and then scored the winning takedown, his first of the bout, mid-way through the sudden victory period.

Deaguero, ranked fifth in the nation at 149 pounds, and Cowboy senior Nick Sanchez went scoreless through the opening three minutes before Deaguero came out of a defensive position to flip Sanchez to his back while scoring the pin-fall moments later at the 4:14 mark of the 157-pound match. Deaguero is now 14-7 this season.

Grizzly coach Jason Ramstetter, now 5-0 against his Cowboy counterpart Doug Moses, inducted into the ASC Athletics Hall of Fame in September, then strategically forfeited the 165-pound match to NMHU's Jarrod Purvis before sending true freshman Anthony Gomez (Albuquerque, N.M.), who had weighed in at 165 pounds, out to face the Cowboys' Andrew Roden for the 174-pound bout.

However, Roden would score five of the Cowboys' seven total takedowns as he claimed an 11-6 win over Gomez, who tallied six of the Grizzlies' eight escapes.

The Grizzlies will now go on the road for their next two duals facing Chadron State and Colorado Mines next Thursday and Friday, respectively, before returning home on Jan. 21 for a clash with Central Oklahoma, currently tied for third in the national rankings.
Colorado State University-Pueblo ThunderWolves Stun Adams State Grizzlies, 27-25

Five bonus-point wins not enough for No. 10 ASC

ALAMOSA, Colo.- The Colorado State University-Pueblo ThunderWolves recorded three pins and a forfeit in the final match as they rallied from as much as 21-9 down to claim a 27-25 upset wrestling win over the nation's 10th-ranked Adams State College Grizzlies in their home and Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference opener Wednesday night here in Plachy Hall.

The ThunderWolves, who are now in just their second year back after a 7-year without a wrestling program, improved to 3-0 overall and to 2-0 in RMAC action while the Grizzlies slipped to 2-3 overall despite getting bonus-point wins in all five of their victories, including a dual-starting pin-fall by sophomore Torben Walters (Olney Springs, Colo.) and clutch major decision victories by nationally-ranked Kyle Sand (Arvada, Colo.) and Joey Deaguero (Commerce City, Colo.).

The Grizzlies also received a dominating 18-3 technical fall win from reigning RMAC Wrestler of the Week Josh Hensley (Alamosa, Colo.) at 141 pounds and a forfeit victory from top-ranked Arsenia Barksdale (Norfolk, Va.) at 125 pounds but could not overcome clutch pins from CSU-Pueblo's Patrick Carey, Benjamin Collins, a late addition to the lineup, and Justin Grant to claim the win, the Pack's first over a nationally-ranked team since defeating No. 10 Chadron State on Feb. 14, 2001.

The Grizzlies led the dual until the very end as a third-period fall by Grant over Adams State freshman Anthony Gomez (Albuquerque, N.M.), one of three new additions to the battered Grizzly lineup, in the 165-pound bout pulled the ThunderWolves' within 25-21 moments before Kellen Desmond received an uncontested forfeit victory at 174 pounds to seal the victory.

The Grizzlies had started the night with a 10-0 lead as Walters pinned ThunderWolf newcomer Adam Carey just 59 seconds into the second period of the 184-pound match before Sand, the last part of a major lineup shift, claimed a 9-1 major decision win over Tony Chavarria in a battle of nationally-ranked wrestlers at 197 pounds.

Sand, the defending NCAA Division II National Champion and the No. 5 man in the country this year at 184 pounds led throughout scoring a takedown as time expired to give the Grizzlies an extra team point with the 8-point win over Chavarria, who is ranked eighth in the 197-pound weight class.

However, the ThunderWolves came roaring back as Patrick Carey, also a newcomer to the coach Dax Charles' lineup, scored a sudden-victory period fall over Grizzly senior Jeff Schossow (Fort Morgan, Colo.) after the wrestlers traded escapes in regulation.

Barksdale then received the forfeit at 125 pounds to give the Grizzlies a 16-6 lead before sophomore Markus Portillos answered back for CSU-Pueblo with a 6-2 win over Grizzly junior A.J. Alexander (Pueblo, Colo.) in a battle of Steel City products. Portillos, a graduate of Pueblo East High School, was tied with Alexander, who matriculated from Central, at 2 through the second period but then used an escape, a third-period takedown and a riding time point to claim the win.

The Grizzlies still led 16-9 at that point and then went up 21-9 after the intermission as Hensley, who moved into the national rankings for the first time this season at the No. 4 spot on Tuesday, scored five of the Grizzlies' seven near falls throughout the night while dominating Nick Stahler. Hensley, now a team-best 16-3 on the season, has 13 total bonus-point wins, including one in each of his last 11 victories.

However, the Grizzly momentum would be short-lived as Collins scored a reversal and an ensuing fall just moments after trailing Grizzly junior Nick Dionisio (Greenwood Village, Colo.), who had led 2-0 early on in the 149-pound match.

That stunning victory gave the visitors life although they were still down 21-15 at the time and 25-15 after Deaguero, ranked fifth in the country at 149 pounds, benefited from four penalty points due to stalling, while racking up nearly four minutes of riding time in his decisive major decision win over Quinn Donnell, who had come into the night 5-2 overall and 2-0 in duals meets.

However, Grant would take a 4-1 through the first three minutes at 165 pounds and extended that lead to 6-1 after the second period in his match with Gomez. Grant, now 8-5 on the year, then scored a quick reversal in the third period before sticking Gomez at the 5:36 mark of what proved to be the decisive match.

The Grizzlies, who saw a 9-year-old streak of 24 consecutive dual meet wins over unranked Division II foes snapped, will try to bounce back when they host New Mexico Highlands, currently 0-1, on Friday night at 7 o'clock.
Barksdale, Hensley Win as Adams State Grizzlies Take Third at Midwest Classic

Grizzlies to begin RMAC duals by hosting CSU-Pueblo
1/3/2010

INDIANAPOLIS- Adams State College's Josh Hensley was named as the Michael Horton Most Outstanding Wrestler while senior Arsenia Barksdale (Norfolk, Va.) won his fourth straight Midwest Classic title at 125 pounds to lead the Grizzly wrestling team to a strong third place finish amongst 22 teams at the 2-day tournament hosted by the University of Indianapolis on Saturday and Sunday.

The Grizzlies, who finished with 110 team points, had been in fourth place after the first day and ended up with six placers as Hensley, competing at 141 pounds, and Barksdale led the way. Senior Joey Deaguero (Commerce City, Colo.), wrestling at 157 pounds, and senior heavyweight Jeff Schossow (Fort Morgan, Colo.) each placed fourth while 184-pound senior Kyle Sand (Arvada, Colo.) placed fifth.

Sophomore Torben Walters (Olney Springs, Colo.) earned a sixth place finish in the 174-pound bracket to round out the Grizzly contingent that advanced to the tournament's second day.

Hensley, who won a tournament title for the first time in his career, picked up two more bonus-point wins on Sunday as he pinned Jake Strausbaugh of Wabash (Ind.) at the 5:32 mark of the semifinal before scoring an impressive 17-2 technical fall win over Deral Brown of Newberry (S.C.) in the title. Hensley, who was seeded just fifth, also outscored his two Saturday opponents by a combined 34-4 margin and is now 15-3 on the season posting bonus-point victories 12 times, including in each of his last 10 triumphs.

Barksdale, who went a combined 17-0 in his four career Midwest Classic appearances while helping lead the Grizzlies to 2007 and 2008 team titles and a fifth place finish a year ago, was the top seed in his bracket and claimed a 8-0 major decision win over Brandon Davis of Ashland (Ohio), the fifth seed, in the semifinal round. He then defeated Cody Zimmerman of Wisconsin-Parkside, ranked eighth in the nation according to the latest (Dec. 16) NCAA Division II Wrestling Rankings, by a 7-5 score in the final.

Barksdale, a 3-time All-American and the reigning national champion, is now 8-4 overall this season with all of his losses coming against Division I opponents. He has been ranked No. 1 in the Division II rankings throughout the season.

Deaguero, ranked fifth in the country at 149 pounds, had a 1-2 day and is now 12-7 on the campaign spent at 157 pounds thus far. On Sunday, he dropped an 8-7 heartbreaker in the tiebreaker period to Michael Lybarger of Findlay (Ohio), who is currently ranked sixth in the country.

That semifinal loss dropped Deaguero to the consolation bracket where he defeated top-seeded and second-ranked Chase Walker of Mesa State by a 4-2 score. Deaguero then fell to Indianapolis' Bryce Givens by a 12-10 score in the third place match less than 24 hours after Deaguero had pinned Givens in 1:58 to reach the semifinals.

Schossow, who had placed eighth in the tournament in both 2007 and 2009, dropped his semifinal by a 5-1 score to Lynn Panko of Indianapolis, the top seed, but bounced back to defeat North Carolina-Pembroke's Erik Stancil by fall at the 4:16 mark. Schossow, seeded fourth and ranked eighth in the country, then fell by a 5-1 score to No. 5 seed Sean Jameson of Mount St. Joseph (Ohio), the same man he had pinned at the 6:55 mark in the quarterfinals on Saturday.

The Grizzly is now 4-4 on the campaign.

Sand, who is now 13-5, was in the consolation bracket to begin the day and picked up an 11-7 win over Findlay's Jeff Halevka but then fell for the second time in as many days to Phil Witt of Central Missouri. However, Sand, the No. 1 seed and nation's top-ranked wrestler in the weight class, then posted an 11-2 major decision win over Nike Karus of Trine (Ind.) in the fifth place match.

Walters also got a win in his first match of the day defeating Ohio Northern's Kyle Kwiat by an 8-4 score but then dropped his next two matches to seeded wrestlers, including the nation's No. 7 man in Luke Rynish of Wisconsin-Parkside, in his fifth place bout. Walters is now 8-6 on the year.

The Grizzlies now begin Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference dual-meet action by hosting Colorado State-Pueblo on Wednesday in Plachy Hall. The dual will begin at 7 p.m. following a high school match-up between Alamosa and Pueblo West, also in Plachy Hall. The Mean Moose and Cyclone varsity match will begin at 5 p.m. while the junior varsity wrestlers will square off starting between 3:30 and 4 p.m. depending on the number of matches to be contested.
Adams State College Senior Deaguero Pins D-I National Qualifier at Midlands

Grizzlies tied for 38th after Session I

EVANSTON, Ill.- Adams State College senior Joey Deaguero (Commerce City, Colo.) pinned nationally-ranked Bryan Deutsch of Division I Northern Illinois in the second period of a 157-pound consolation match, the lone victory that a group of three Adams State College wrestlers recorded in the 47th annual Midlands Championships that started Tuesday here at Northwestern University's Welsh-Ryan Arena.

That victory over the returning national qualifier, ranked 17th in the latest NCAA Division I Intermat Rankings, allowed Deaguero and the Grizzlies to score three team points, good for a 38th place positioning through the first session of the 2-day tournament that runs through Wednesday.

Iowa had a 46 ∏-42 ∏ cushion over in-state rival Iowa State after the first of two Tuesday sessions.

Deaguero, who is now 7-6 on the season, pinned the 12th seeded Deutsch just 53 seconds into the third period of his first consolation match.

Earlier in the day, Deaguero, wrestling up a weight class, fell by a 6-3 margin to No. 11 seed Daryl Cocozzo of Rutgers in the championship portion of the bracket. Deaguero, a 2-time NCAA Division II All-American who is currently ranked fifth in NCAA Division II at 149 pounds, was later defeated by Sean Bilodeau of Lehigh to fall out of the tournament.

Meanwhile, fellow Grizzly seniors Arsenia Barksdale (Norfolk, Va.) and Noomis Jones (Arvada, Colo.) each went 0-2 on the day against Division I foes. Barksdale, the defending NCAA Division II National Champion and current top-ranked wrestler at 125 pounds is now 4-4 on the year. Jones, ranked fourth in the nation at 157 pounds, was competing at 165 pounds and is now 3-2 this season.

Grizzly assistant coach Jared Deaguero also competed at 184 pounds and went 1-2.

The Grizzlies will next compete at the Midwest Classic on Saturday and Sunday in Indianapolis, Ind.
Adams State's Kelly Leads Unattached Contingent at FHSU-Bob Smith Open

HAYS, Kan.- While many of the team's starters were in South Carolina for the Newberry Duals, six members of the Adams State College wrestling team competed unattached at the Fort Hays State University-Bob Smith Open held here in the Tigers' Gross Memorial Coliseum on Saturday.

ASC freshman Daniel Kelly (Parker, Colo.) led the group as he continued a solid redshirt season with a strong 3-2 performance that left him just one round shy of a top four placing in the 149-pound bracket.

Kelly, who is now a solid 13-5 in three open tournaments this fall, received a bye in the round of 64 before beating 11th seed Mitch Arnold of Newman (Kan.) by a 4-1 score in the round of 32. He then got by Alec Williams of Division I Air Force by a 6-3 score to reach the quarterfinals, where he fell to No. 3 seed William Forrest of Central Missouri.

Kelly then came back to get a 6-4 win over Forrest's Mule teammate Brandon Russow, the seventh seed in the bracket, in the consolation before seeing his day end in the consolation quarterfinals.

AJ Alexander (Pueblo, Colo.) also tasted victory on the day winning his first match in the 133-pound bracket before going 0-2 the rest of the way.

The other four Grizzlies in the tournament, which included 353 total wrestlers, each went 0-2.
Depleted Adams State Go 2-2 at Newberry Duals

Hensley, Jones lead ASC to 18-8 combined record in wrestled matches

NEWBERRY, S.C.- Despite wrestling without three of their five individually ranked wrestlers and giving up at least three forfeits and thus 18 points in each dual, the nation's third-ranked Adams State College Grizzlies still managed to post a respectable 2-2 effort in the Newberry Duals, held Saturday here at Newberry College.

The Grizzlies, competing in duals for the first time this season, were led by 149-pound sophomore Josh Hensley (Alamosa, Colo.), who outscored his opponents 57-4 en-route to four bonus-point wins- two technical falls and two major decisions . Senior Noomis Jones (Arvada, Colo.), ranked fourth in the nation at 157 pounds, also went 3-0 throughout the day as the seven Grizzlies in the lineup, many of which were wrestling up a weight class, posted a combined 18-8 record in the wrestled matches.

In the process, the Grizzlies dominated Belmont Abbey (N.C.) 32-18 before falling to host and second-ranked Newberry 42-7. Later in the day, the Grizzlies got a thrilling 3-2 heavyweight win from freshman Taylor Stam (Parker, Colo.) to claim a 23-21 win over No. 20 North Carolina-Pembroke before ending the day with a 35-14 setback to No. 19 Findlay (Ohio).

#3 Adams State 32, Belmont Abbey (N.C.) 18

The Grizzlies dominated the Crusaders, who fell to 0-3, winning all six wrestled matches by while picking up pinfalls from sophomore 141-pounder Kevin Schmitt (Arlington, Texas) and Jones while getting a forfeit win at 197 pounds when Kyle Sand (Arvada, Colo.) had his hand raised sealing the Grizzlies' win.

Schmitt helped erase the Grizzlies initial 12-0 deficit after forfeits at 125 and 133 pounds when he stuck Tashawn Takeall at the 2:31 mark. The Grizzlies then closed the deficit to 12-11 as Hensley dominated Trevor Steverson with a 16-0 technical fall win that took just 4:37.

Jones, who wrestled for the first time in the campaign, then pinned at Peter Petties 4:35 into the 157-pound match giving the Grizzlies a 17-12 lead.

Sophomore Brandon Johnson (Newcastle, Calif.) then blanked Ben Oeser 5-0 in the 165-pound match as the Grizzlies went up 20-12 before a 174-pound forfeit cut the Grizzlies' advantage to 20-18.

Ryan Gregory then scored a reversal, the Crusaders' only offensive points, but was not nearly enough as Grizzly sophomore Torben Walters (Olney Springs, Colo.) claimed an easy 9-2 win at 184 pounds putting the Grizzlies up 23-18 before Sand, ranked first in the country at 184 pounds, received six points for a forfeit at 197 pounds.

Stam then claimed a 5-1 win, his first as a Grizzly, over Kyle Spar in the heavyweight match to finish the dual that saw the Grizzlies score all 11 takedowns.

#2 Newberry (S.C.) 42, #3 Adams State 7

The host team was not nearly as kind to the Grizzlies as the three forfeits plus five other bonus-point wins, including pins from No. 2 Bryant Blanton at 184 pounds and Steven Butler in the heavyweight match after the dual had already been decided.

Leading 12-0 at the start, the scarlet and grey went up 16-0 after an 11-3 major decision win by Sheridan Moran over Schmitt at 141 pounds.
Hensley then answered right back with an 12-1 major decision triumph over Deral Brown before the Grizzlies got their second and final win out of Jones, who bested 3-time NCAA Division II National Tournament qualifier Latra Collick by a 5-1 margin in the 157-pound match-up.

With the lead trimmed to 16-7, Newberry received a 17-0 (5:58) technical fall win from returning national qualifier Josh Whitelock over Johnson at 165 pounds before clinching the dual with the 174-pound forfeit.

Blanton, who finished fourth at last year's NCAA Division II National Championships then pinned Walters at 4:50 of the 184-pound match although Walters was leading 6-3 with 1:59 worth of riding time at the time of the fall.

Keeno Griffin then claimed a 3-1 sudden victory over Sand in a battle of defending national champion and top-ranked wrestlers. Griffin, the defending champion at 197 pounds, stopped Sand's 12-match winning streak, highlighted by last year's 184-pound title, as the two wrestlers traded escapes in the second and third periods before Griffin claimed the victory in overtime.

Butler then finished the dual by sticking Stam 2:30 into the heavyweight match as Newberry improved to 3-1 on the season while the Grizzlies slipped to 1-1 on the day and the campaign.

#3 Adams State 23, #20 North Carolina-Pembroke 21

Stam avenged that loss in the Grizzlies' next dual, a 23-21 win over the Braves, who fell to 5-5 on the season. The redshirt freshman defeated Erick Stancil, 3-2 in the heavyweight match as the Grizzlies won the final three matches while rallying from a 21-11 deficit, mainly forced because of the three forfeits.

The Grizzlies, who never led until the end, lost just one wrestled match throughout the dual recording 12 takedowns compared the Braves' 2 but still needed the heroics from Stam and victories from Walters and Sand in the upper weight classes.

Down 10 points after the final forfeit at 174 pounds, Walters got a fall over John Sturrock just 2:03 into the 184-pound match before Sand shutout Shane Nolan, 3-0 to bring Stam and the Grizzlies within 21-20 into the decisive heavyweight match.

Earlier in the match-up, the Grizzlies got 8-6 and 6-4 wins from Schmitt and Jones surrounding a 15-0 technical fall destruction from Hensley against Brandon Bradley as the Grizzlies erased all but one point of the initial 12-0 deficit.

The Braves then built their lead back up to double-figures as Darving Rios picked up a 5-3 win over Johnson at 165 pounds before Shiheem Bryant received the forfeit at 174 pounds giving the Braves their 21-11 lead.

#19 Findlay (Ohio) 35, #3 Adams State 14

The Grizzlies outscored the Oilers (4-3) 14-11 in the six wrestled matches but could not overcome a total of four forfeits as the Oilers cruised to the win.

They lead 18-0 after Josh Falk pinned Schmitt at the 3:31 mark of the 141-pound match before Hensley delivered a 14-3 major decision win over Jeremy Espinosa while improving his season record to 9-1.

Still up 18-4 at the time, the Oilers then got a forfeit win from nationally-ranked Michael Lybarger as Jones did not wrestle at 157 pounds before a Ian Giachetti scored a 15-0 technical fall victory over Johnson as Giachetti used a riding time point to score the extra team point that put the Oilers up 29-4.

They extended that lead to 35-4 after the 174-pound forfeit but watched the Grizzlies do their best to close the gap as Walters claimed a 7-3 win over returning national qualifier Jeff Havelka in the 184-pound match-up.

Sand then improved to 3-1 on the day and to 7-1 on the season with a 9-0 major decision win over Daniel Stevenson.

Clum then ended the day with a 3-2 win over Matt Clum as the Grizzlies scored seven takedowns, one more than the Oilers.

The Grizzlies will now take two weeks off before returning to tournament action at the Reno Tournament of Champions on Dec. 20.
Adams State Wrestlers Move up to No. 3
Five seniors also invidiually ranked

EDMOND, Okla.- The Adams State College wrestling team has moved up two spots to a program record-matching third in the first regular season edition of the NCAA Division II National Wrestling Coaches Association Top 20 poll released Wednesday. The Grizzlies, who had been tabbed fifth in the preseason rankings received 137 points in the polling of eight coaches from around the country.

They also have five individual wrestlers ranked amongst the top eight in their respective weight classes, a group that is led by defending NCAA Division II National Champions Arsenia Barksdale (Norfolk, Va.) and Kyle Sand (Arvada, Colo.), who continue to hold down the top spots in the 125 and 184-pound rankings, respectively.

Fellow seniors Joey Deaguero (Commerce City, Colo.) and Noomis Jones (Arvada, Colo.) each moved up a spot in their respective weight classes. Deaguero is now ranked fifth at 149 pounds while Jones is now fourth at 157 pounds.

Senior heavyweight Jeff Schossow (Fort Morgan, Colo.) is now ranked eighth despite not wrestling yet this year as he just finished his senior season as the Grizzly football team's starting left guard. He was a qualifier for last year's national tournament. This national ranking is the first of his career.

Both Barksdale and Sand are off to quick starts this season as both won Elite Division titles at last month's Wyoming Cowboy Open despite wrestling up a weight class. Barksdale went 3-0 at 133 pounds and has now won 23 straight matches dating back to last year. He is gunning to become a 4-time NCAA Division II All-American after taking third at the national tournament as a redshirt freshman in 2006 and fourth as a sophomore in 2007. Sand, who defended his 197-pound title in Wyoming, is 4-0 this year and has won 11 straight matches overall. He was also NJCAA National Champion and 2-time all-American while at North Idaho College.

Deaguero, a 2-time all-American and 3-time national qualifier, took third in the 149-pound bracket of the Elite Division of the Wyoming Cowboy Open going 6-1 with three wins coming by fall. He was competing unattached.

Jones did not wrestle because of injury at the Wyoming Cowboy Open and is in search of his second career all-America honor this year.

The Grizzlies, who have finished fifth at each of the last NCAA Division II National Championship tournaments, have been ranked amongst the top 20 for 59 straight polls dating back to the end of the 2000-01 season.

The No. 3 ranking is the Grizzlies highest such ranking since they held down that same spot in the Feb. 7 and Feb. 20, 2008 polls.

Defending national champions Nebraska-Omaha continue to hold down the top spot as the Mavericks received all eight first place votes and while scoring a maximum 160 points.

Newberry (S.C.), one of four teams the Grizzlies wrestle in the Newberry Duals on Saturday, moved up a spot and now is ranked second with 152 points.

The Grizzlies will also face off with No. 19 Findlay (Ohio) and North Carolina-Pembroke, tied for 20th with Chadron State in the poll, on Saturday after beginning their day against un-ranked Belmont Abbey (N.C.).

The Grizzlies have a total of eight ranked opponents on their dual-meet schedule this season including home dates with No. 4 Central Oklahoma on Jan. 21, No. 13 Fort Hays State on Jan. 22 and No. 8 Nebraska-Kearney on Feb. 10. The Grizzlies will also host the NCAA Division II West Regional/RMAC Championships on Feb. 27, a tournament that will qualify four wrestlers in each weight class for the Mar. 12-13 NCAA Division II Championships in Omaha, Neb.
Adams State Grizzlies Lead Learfield Sports Directors' Cup Standings
CLEVELAND- After winning national championships in both men's and women's cross country, the Adams State College Grizzlies lead the first set of NCAA Division II Learfield Sports Directors' Cup standings that were recently announced by National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics officials.

The Grizzlies, who have finished in the top 8 after each of the last three years, have 200 points and a 35-point lead over 6-time defending champion Grand Valley State (Mich.). The Lakers finished second behind the Grizzlies in the women's cross country and fifth in the men's championships and have 165 points.

Massachusetts-Lowell is in third place with 160 points after finishing second in women's field hockey, 16th in men's cross country and 23rd in women's cross country.

Western State, one of four Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference schools in the top 17, is fourth with 153 points after the Mountaineers finished second behind the Grizzlies in men's cross country and ninth in the women's championship. The other RMAC representatives are Colorado Mines, 16th with 85 points, and Metro State, tied for 17th with 80 points.

Bloomsburg (Pa.), which won the women's field hockey national title, is in eighth place overall with 140 points.

The Learfield Sports Directors' Cup was developed as a joint effort between NACDA and USA Today. Points are awarded based on each institution's finish in up to 14 sports - seven women's and seven men's. National Championships teams earn 100 points for their institution while other national championship qualifying teams are awarded points on a sliding scale based on their finish and the size of the championship field.

The Grizzlies are the only school in the RMAC and the only school in Colorado (all divisions) to have ever won the all-sports competition doing so in 1998-99 when it was known as the Sears Directors' Cup. ASC has six total top 10 and 12 consecutive top 20 finishes, also the longest streak in the RMAC and in Colorado.

The next set of standings will be released on Thursday, Dec. 10 and will include national tournament results from three more fall sports- men's soccer, women's soccer and women's volleyball.
Adams State Wins Three National Division II Awards

NEW ORLEANS - Adams State's Damon Martin swept men's and women's Division II National Cross Country Coach of the Year honors while Adams State's Reuben Mwei and Seattle Pacific's Jessica Pixler were named National Cross Country Athletes of the Year Tuesday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).
Martin, in his 21st year at Adams State, led the Grizzlies to dual men's and women's NCAA Division II Cross Country Championship titles on Saturday. The feat marked the second-consecutive season in which his men's and women's squads won national titles and it was the seventh-straight crown for Adams State's women. The awards are Martin's 26th and 27th overall National Coach of the Year honors.

In addition, Martin's men easily defended their NCAA Central Region title with a score of 20 points, placing all seven runners in the top 15. The 20 points scored by the Grizzlies were the lowest point total at the Central Region meet since 2001, and the team's 27-point margin of victory was also the largest margin of victory in regional competition since 2006.

On the women's side, Martin led the Grizzlies to their third-straight NCAA Central Regional title. Adams State placed three runners in the top five en route to a 52-point win for their seventh regional title in the last eight years. The Grizzlies also won this year's RMAC Conference cross country title, extending their RMAC record of eight-straight conference titles. Martin was also named the 2009 RMAC Women's Coach of the Year.

Adams State senior Reuben Mwei is a first-time winner of the men's National Athlete of the Year award. Mwei clocked 30:27.8 at Saturday's 10-kilometer race to claim the NCAA Individual Championship, finishing just four tenths of a second ahead of Harding's Daniel Kirwa for the crown in becoming Adams State's first individual title holder since 2003.
Mwei also finished first at the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Championships and finishing third at the NCAA Central Regional Championship this fall. Mwei, a senior from Kapsabet, Kenya, finished the Central Region course with a time of 30:57.3, helping lead the Grizzlies to their second-straight regional title.

Seattle Pacific's Jessica Pixler made NCAA history in becoming the first female Division II athlete to win three individual cross country championships, doing so with a seven-plus-second victory in the women's six-kilometer championship race (20:22.6). Pixler earns the National Cross Country Athlete of the Year honor for the third-straight year.

Pixler, a senior from Sammamish, Wash., went out from the start and ran to her fourth-straight NCAA Division II West Regional title. She cruised over the six-kilometer course in a record time of 20:08.09, breaking her previous course record of 20:36.4. Pixler also finished a four-year career sweep of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference meet when the senior ran to a ten-second victory.
Kelly, Samora Lead Unattached Adams State Group at Old Chicago NC Open

GREELEY, Colo.- A dozen members of the Adams State College wrestling team competed unattached at Sunday's Old Chicago Northern Colorado Open held here in the University of Northern Colorado's Butler-Hancock Sports Pavilion.

The group, which combined to win 19 matches, was led by true freshmen Daniel Kelly (Parker, Colo.) and Justin Samora (Cortez, Colo.), who each placed for the second week in a row.

Kelly finished fifth in the 149-pound bracket while Samora won each of his first three matches before medically forfeiting his next three while taking sixth place in the 157-pound competition. Both wrestlers, who are expected to redshirt this season, had also placed third at the Wyoming Cowboy Open on Nov. 14.

Kelly, who now sports a 10-3 record this season, went 5-2 on the day defeating Dylan Granard, an unattached wrestler from Mesa State in both his first match and later in the consolation bracket. Kelly, who was a 2-time state champion while at Ponderosa high School, claimed a 9-7 sudden victory over Sieji Hashimoto, an unattached wrestler from the host Bear squad, in the championship quarterfinals before falling 8-3 to eventual runner-up Tyler Juby (Mesa State-Unattached) in the semifinals.

However, Kelly bounced back with a 5-2 win over Telbe Storbeck, also an unattached Mesa State wrestler, before beating Granard for the second time. He then fell to fourth-seeded Justin Gonzales, another Northern Colorado unattached wrestler, before claiming fifth place with a medical forfeit win over Trey Saxon of New Mexico Highlands.

Samora, who now has eight wins, posted a 10-6 win over Brandon Montoya (Western State-Unattached) in the round of 32 and then posted a 14-7 win over sixth-seeded Blake Mabry, an unattached wrestler from Air Force Prep in the round of 16.

Samora, who was the state runner-up in each of the past two springs while at Montezuma-Cortez High School, then bested unattached grappler Daniel Barringer in the quarterfinals by a 10-8 sudden victory margin. He was one of four men on the ASC roster competing in that weight class.

Grizzly freshman Corey Johnson (Newcastle, Calif.) fared the best of the rest as he went 3-2 while falling just one match short of a top 6 placing in the 133-pound bracket.
Adam State's Barksdale, Sand Begin Title Defenses with Cowboy Open Wins

Four other Grizzlies place third

LARAMIE, Wyo.- Defending NCAA Division II National Champions Arsenia Barksdale (Norfolk, Va.) and Kyle Sand (Arvada, Colo.) each won Elite Division titles while four other Adams State College wrestlers, three of which competed unattached, place third in their respective brackets as the Grizzlies won each of their six combined championship and consolation final matches during the closing hours of a successful 37th annual Cowboy Open, contested all day Saturday here in the University of Wyoming's War Memorial Fieldhouse.

Barksdale, the defending national champion at 125 pounds, wrestled up a weight class but still defeated three Division I wrestlers en-route to his first career title. Barksdale, who finished second at last year's tournament, also at 133 pounds, has now won 24 straight matches dating back to last year.

Sand, the reigning national champion at 184 pounds, also wrestled up a weight class at 197, yet posted a perfect 4-0 record for the second straight year at the tournament, split up into Amateur and Elite Divisions, the first of which is reserved for wrestlers.

Sand, who also wrestled at 197 pounds at the 2008 Cowboy Open defeated a pair of Division I wrestlers in his opening two matches before taking out Alex Calvi of Great Falls (Mont.), ranked fifth in the 197-pound division of the NAIA Preseason Rankings before grabbing a 3-1 championship match win over fellow Preseason All-Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Team selection Donovan McMahill of Western State. McMahill has been tabbed fifth in the NCAA Division II National Wrestling Coaches Association Preseason Rankings at 197 pounds.

Both Barksdale and Sand are ranked first in those rankings at their regular weight classes.

The Grizzlies also got a third place finish at 149 pounds in the Elite Division from sophomore Josh Hensley (Alamosa, Colo.), who redshirted a year ago. Hensley, also wrestling up a weight class, went 5-1 on the day.

2-time Grizzly All-American Joey Deaguero (Commerce City, Colo.), ranked sixth in the nation at 149 pounds coming in, competed unattached in the 157-pound bracket of the Elite Division and finished third with a solid 6-1 record. The senior had three pins in his run through the consolation bracket.

Two Grizzly newcomers also had solid starts to their collegiate careers as Daniel Kelly (Parker, Colo.) and Justin Samora (Cortez, Colo.) each finished third in the Amateur Division. Both ASC freshmen competed unattached.

Kelly went 5-1 at 149 pounds while Samora posted a 4-1 record in the 157-pound bracket.
Adam State's Black Comes from Behind for 17-12 Win
National Champs both win while Kelly shutout sparks comeback
11/11/2009

ALAMOSA, Colo.- A convincing shutout win by freshman Daniel Kelly (Parker, Colo.) in the second of two 149-pound matches triggered a run of four straight wins for the Black team as that squad went on to claim a 17-12 win over the Green squad in Adams State College's annual intra-squad wrestling dual, Wednesday night in Plachy Hall.

Kelly's 11-0 win over sophomore Jesse Long (Albuquerque, N.M.) cut what was a 12-4 deficit in half before Kyle Sand (Arvada, Colo.), Dominic DeMarco (Shingle Springs, Calif.) and Taylor Stam (Parker, Colo.) each claimed convincing wins, all with riding time advantages, later in the night as the Black team, guided by assistant coach Evan Copeland, came from as many as nine points behind to claim the victory.

The Green team, guided by assistant coach Jared Deaguero, got off to a great start as Dominic Madril (Westminster, Colo.) claimed an 8-5 win over Jeremy Robledo (Denver, Colo.) in the 125-pound match before reigning NCAA Division II National Champion Arsenia Barksdale (Norfolk, Va.), wrestling up a weight class at 133 pounds, pinned Grizzly newcomer Corey Johnson (Newcastle, Calif.) in the second period giving the Green team an early 9-0 lead. Barksdale, who will be gunning to become ASC's first-ever 4-time NCAA Division II All-American and just the fifth overall in the program's illustrious history, led Johnson 7-1 after the first period and was up 9-2 at the time of the fall with 27 seconds left in the second period.

The Black team, which won five of the eight matches overall, while out-pointing the Green 56-28, then got on the scoreboard at 141 pounds as sophomore Josh Hensley (Alamosa, Colo.) made his return to the mat with an 11-1 major decision win over redshirt freshman Bradley Spence (Moriarty, N.M.). Hensley, a national qualifier in 2008 who redshirted last season, led 7-1 through two periods and racked up 2 minutes, 29 seconds of riding time in the victory.

Still leading 9-4 at that point, the Green team then got a crucial win in the first of two 149-pound matches as 2-time All-American Joey Deaguero (Commerce, Colo.), part of an overall senior-laden Grizzly squad, came from behind to claim a 4-3 win over redshirt freshman Nick Jones (Arvada, Colo.), wrestling for the Black team.

Jones scored the first takedown of the night in the first period and held Deaguero at bay throughout the neutral-starting second period before an early third period escape by Deaguero tied the match at 2. Deaguero then scored his takedown before surrendering a meaningless escape late in the match while holding on to the win.

Kelly, a former 2-time state champion while at Ponderosa High School then smashed Long in the third period as the freshman scored five back points and nine overall in the final two minutes blowing open what was a tight 2-0 match through five minutes.

Still down 12-8 at that point, Sand then brought his Black squad even closer with a 10-3 decision over Torben Walters (Olney Springs, Colo.) in a battle of returning starters. Sand, the reigning NCAA Division II National Champion at 184 pounds, led 2-1 through one period and 5-1 through two before scoring two more takedowns in the third period in his victory over Walters, the Grizzlies' starting 197-pounder a year ago. Walters, like Sand, a 4-time state champion while in high school, is expected to wrestle at 174 pounds this year.

DeMarco, who joins the Grizzly program after a stint at Marion (Ala.) Military Institute, where he was a National Collegiate Wrestling Association All-American last spring, then scored a 3-point near fall from after starting on top in the second period of his eventual 9-3 win over Grizzly freshman Rico Garcia (Canon City, Colo.). That victory gave the Black team its first lead of the night at 14-12 before redshirt freshman heavyweight Taylor Stam (Parker, Colo.) claimed a dual-clinching 5-0 win over the Green team's Three Amigos.

Stam wrestled Chris Ellis (Fountain, Colo.), Tyler Haney (Beloit, Wisc.) and Tyler Yates (Pueblo West, Colo.) for one period each and scored a takedown on Ellis in the first and another on Haney in the second before Yates and Stam battled to a scoreless draw in the third. However, Stam had racked up more than a minute of riding time earning an extra point.

The Grizzlies, who come into the campaign, the 11th under head coach Jason Ramstetter, have been picked to win their first Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference title since 1996 and are ranked fifth in the NCAA Division II National Wrestling Coaches Association Poll.

They begin their season Saturday at the University of Wyoming's Cowboy Open. Action is slated to begin at 9 a.m. Fans can follow the progression of the tournament throughout the day on TrackWrestling.com.
Hall of Fame tickets on sale through Wednesday


ALAMOSA, Colo.- Tickets for Friday's 10th annual Adams State College Athletic Hall of Fame Banquet are on sale through Wednesday.  The tickets are $35 per person and must be reserved through the ASC Athletic Office by Wednesday at 2 p.m. by calling administrative assistant Dianne Lee at (719) 587-7401 or by emailing her at diannelee@adams.edu.

The early deadline is necessary so event organizers can give the caterers an accurate count of attendees.

Friday's banquet begins at 6:30 p.m. in the banquet rooms of the Student Union Building.  A social hour, only open to those attending the banquet, will begin at 5:30 p.m. in the Dr. Joe I. Vigil Hall of Fame room in Plachy Hall.  The inductees will also be honored at halftime of Saturday's football game against Nebraska-Kearney.

A total of six individuals and the 1968 and 1969 NAIA National Championship Wrestling Teams are being inducted this year and join 67 other individuals and the 1992 "Perfect Score" NCAA Division II National Championship Men's Cross Country team, which have been enshrined since the annual ceremonies began in 2000.

This year's group of inductees includes 6-time NCAA Division II National Champion and 2-time World Championship marathon qualifier Zoila Gomez, football player and 100-meter school record holder Ivory Joe Hunt, 1972 NAIA National Championship wrestler Doug Moses, 1968 and 1969 NAIA All-America wide receiver Jim Paul, NAIA Marathon National Champion Tim Terrill and basketball legend Mel Yates.

The 1968 and 1969 wrestling teams were the first two teams in ASC history to win national championships.  Each squad had eight NAIA All-Americans.

Visit ascgrizzlies.com for the latest news and info on Adams State College Athletics.

Adams State College Wrestling: MMA Event Set for Apr. 4

ALAMOSA, Colo.- Nemesis Promotions will be hosting the High Altitude Face-Off, a mixed martial arts extravaganza, at Adams State College's Plachy Hall on Saturday, Apr. 4.

The doors will open at 6 p.m. with the fight card to begin at 7 p.m.

Tickets are on sale now in the main athletic office in Plachy Hall and also at City Market and St. Ives and GWI Investigations in Alamosa and at Alibis in Monte Vista. Remaining tickets will also be on sale at the door on the evening of the fights.

General admission tickets will be sold for $25 at all three ticket distribution locations.

Reserved seating tickets, which are priced between $35 and $55 depending on location, are also available but only at Plachy Hall. ASC students can also purchase discounted tickets for $15 at Plachy Hall with a valid I.D.

The event will be highlighted by the main event match-up between professionals Dave Heredia and James Mead. Well-known professionals Cameron Dollar and Tait Fletcher will also be making an appearance to sign autographs and mingle with fans.

Heredia, a native of Center, now resides in Alamosa and is the head trainer for Alamosa Mixed Martial Arts.

Numerous other amateur-level fights are on the fight card and will include some current and former ASC student-athletes from the Grizzly football and wrestling teams.

Scheduled to fight are current Grizzly wrestlers Jesse Long (Albuquerque, N.M.) and Omar Gonzalez (Monte Vista, Colo.), ASC's starting 165-pounder this past season. Former Grizzly football players Stuart Johnson and Dominic DeGeorge are also on the fight card as is former 2006 ASC wrestling All-American Scott Cleve.
Adams State College Wrestling: Double GoldDouble gold

Barksdale, Sand win titles as Grizzlies take fifth for 3rd straight year

HOUSTON-- Adams State College juniors Arsenia Barksdale (Norfolk, Va.) and Kyle Sand (Arvada, Colo.) each won thrilling NCAA Division II National Championships as the Grizzlies finished fifth in the team standings for the third straight year, Saturday night here in the University of Houston's Campus Wellness & Recreation Center.

Barksdale started the night's championship session with a 3-1 win over Fort Hays State's Tommy Edgmon scoring the bout's only and winning takedown with 11 seconds left.

Sand then posted a 6-4 win over Nebraska-Omaha's Brent Pankoke in the second sudden victory period.

This was the first time in ASC's NCAA Division II history (1992-93/Present) that the Grizzlies have crowned two champions on the same night. They now have six Division II champions, all under coach Jason Ramstetter, who has guided the Grizzlies to a top 10 finish in each of the last seven years.

Grizzly senior Raymond Dunning (Nashville, Tenn.) fell in the 141-pound championship match by a 5-3 margin to West Liberty State's (W. Va.) Doug Surra.

A complete recap and online photo gallery will be posted later.

125 Pounds
Arsenia Barksdale (Adams State) dec. Tommy Edgmon, 3-1

1st Period
No Score

2nd Period
Barksdale chooses down
0:03- Barksdale Escape (Barksdale 1, Edgmon 0)

3rd Period
Edgmon chooses down
0:02- Edgmon Escape (Barksdale 1, Edgmon 1)
1:49- Barksdale Takedown (Barksdale 3, Edgmon 1)

141 Pounds
Doug Surra (West Liberty State) dec. Raymond Dunning, 5-3

1st Period
1:34- Surra Takedown (Surra 2, Dunning 0)
1:40- Dunning Escape (Surra 2, Dunning 1)
3:00- Surra Takedown at buzzer (Surra 4, Dunning 1)

2nd Period
Dunning defers. Surra chooses neutral.
No score.

3rd Period
Dunning chooses top.
1:30- Surra stalling warning.
1:46- Surra Escape (Surra 5, Dunning 2)
1:55- Surra Stalling. Dunning Penalty Point.
Dunning-Riding Time (1:41) (Surra 5, Dunning 3).

184 Pounds
Kyle Sand (Adams State) dec. Brent Pankoke (Nebraska-Omaha), 6-4 (SV-2)

1st Period
1:26- Sand Takedown. (Sand 2, Pankoke 0)
1:38- Sand called for locked hands. (Sand 2, Pankoke 1)
1:40- Pankoke Escape (Sand 2, Pankoke 2)

2nd Period
Pankoke Defers. Sand chooses down.
0:10- Sand Escape (Sand 3, Pankoke 2)

3rd Period
Pankoke choosed down.
0:24- Pankoke Escape (Sand 3, Pankoke 3)

Sudden Victory
No Score

Tiebreaker
Sand goes down.
0:20- Sand Escape (Sand 4, Pankoke 3)
Pankoke goes down
0:28- Pankoke Escape (Sand 4, Pankoke 4)

Sudden Victory-2
0:41- Sand Takedown (Sand 6, Pankoke 4)
Pins Help Adams State to Third Place After Session I

HOUSTON- Back-to-back pin-falls by 141-pound senior Raymond Dunning (Nashville, Tenn.) and 149-pound junior Joey Deaguero (Commerce City, Colo.) on mat No. 3 helped the Adams State College Grizzlies to a 4-2 combined record and third place in the team standings after the first round of the NCAA Division II National Wrestling Championships that started Friday here at the University of Houston's Campus Wellness & Recreation Center.

The Grizzlies also received 7-2 and 4-1 decision wins by Arsenia Barksdale (Norfolk, Va.) and Kyle Sand (Arvada, Colo.) at 125 and 184 pounds, respectively, as they advanced four men in to the evening's championship quarterfinals.

157-pound junior Noomis Jones (Arvada, Colo.) and junior heavyweight Jeff Schossow (Fort Morgan, Colo.) dropped their opening matches and will wrestle in the consolations in the second session that begins at 6 p.m. CST.

The seventh-ranked Grizzlies, who got four total bonus points from Dunning and Deaguero, have eight overall and trail only No. 1 Nebraska-Omaha and No. 2 Minnesota State-Mankato in the team standings. Both of those squads have full 10-man contingents at the tournament.

Six other teams are within two points of the Grizzlies in the early standings.

Nebraska-Omaha's group went 8-2 in the opening round and has 15 points. Minnesota State-Mankato's contingent went 5-5 and is second with nine points.

Dunning, the nation's top-ranked wrestler according to the Mar. 2 edition of the NCAA Division II National Wrestling Coaches Association Rankings, needed just two minutes and 47 seconds to take out John Putman of Minnesota State-Mankato, ranked seventh. In the process, Dunning improved to a team-best 30-7 on the year with his 18th straight win.

Now just one win away from a third career All-America honor, Dunning will face Limestone's (S.C.) Jeremy Parker in the quarterfinals. Parker upset fourth-ranked University of Indianapolis Greyhound junior Matt Irwin 6-2 in his opening match.

Deaguero then pulled one of the biggest upsets of the session as he stuck Nebraska-Omaha redshirt freshman Esai Dominguez at the 4:14 mark after trailing 4-2 during the first period.

Deaguero, who missed more than a month before claiming third at the NCAA West Regional/RMAC Championships on Feb. 28, is not currently nationally ranked but did finish fourth at the 2008 version of the tournament.

Dominguez, who took second in his regional behind top-ranked and undefeated Craig Becker of Wisconsin-Parkside at his regional, was ranked third in the country.

Deaguero, who is now 12-7 on the season, is a 2-time All-American. He will next face No. 2 Tommy Abbott of Minnesota State-Mankato.

Barksdale, also a 2-time All-American, scored the final five points of his victory over Ashland's (Ohio) Daniel Mandara. The wrestlers were tied at 2 early in the period before a takedown and ensuing 3-point near fall lifted Barksdale to the victory, his 22nd of the year.

Now 22-5 overall and a winner of 17 straight matches, Barksdale will face North Carolina-Pembroke's Russell Weakley, a 12-4 major decision winner of Upper Iowa's Kyle Pedretti. Weakley is not nationally ranked but now sports an impressive 21-2 record.

Sand, the Grizzlies' other winner, is now 18-10 on the year, after he took a 3-0 lead through the second period en-route to his win over Newberry's (S.C.) Bryant Blanton. Ranked fifth in the country, Sand will next face Central Oklahoma's Nicholis Henning, who pulled a slight 7-2 upset over No. 7 Travis Barbarick of Central Missouri.

Jones, ranked second in the country, will now have two win two matches to repeat his All-America performance from a year ago after he suffered an 8-2 setback to West Liberty State (W. Va.) junior Mitch Smith in his opening match. Now 25-7, Jones will face Michael Lybarger of Findlay (Ohio) in the consolations.

Schossow, a first time national qualifier, was defeated 9-2 by No. 4 ranked Tony Lewis of Nebraska-Omaha. Now 10-11 overall, Schossow will face West Liberty State's Cody Tominak, who was pinned just 72 seconds into his match with No. 2 ranked Brady Wilson of Minnesota State-Mankato.

Adams State's Session I Results

125- #2 Arsenia Barksdale (Adams State) dec. Daniel Mandara (Ashland), 7-2
141-#1 Raymond Dunning (Adams State) def. #7 John Putman (Minnesota State-Mankato), Fall (2:47)
149-Joey Deaguero (Adams State) dec. #3 Esai Dominguez (Nebraska-Omaha), Fall (4:14)
157- Mitch Smith (West Liberty State (W. Va.)) dec. #2 Noomis Jones (Adams State), 8-2
184- #5 Kyle Sand (Adams State) dec. Bryant Blanton (Newberry (S.C.)), 4-1
HWT- #4 Anthony Lewis (Nebraska-Omaha) dec. Jeff Schossow (Adams State), 9-2