CHADRON, Neb. – After successful outings at large-field open tournaments, the second phase of Chadron State wrestling's season begins now when the Eagles open their RMAC and dual schedules with a head-to-head clash against Colorado School of Mines this Friday at 6 p.m. in Golden.

It will be the first opportunity for Chadron State to defend their RMAC championship from the 2023-24 season. Dating back to last season, the Eagles have won seven RMAC duals in a row and eight duals in a row overall. 

Friday's match will be extremely challenging, however. Colorado School of Mines is currently ranked No. 16 in the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA)'s team tournament rankings, with five individually ranked wrestlers. Chadron State is receiving votes, outside the top 25. 

The dual will be streamed live for free on the RMAC Network with results on Trackwrestling.

Looking Back
Chadron State had two placers at the prestigious 45^th Midwest Classic back on December 14-15.

RECAP: Midwest Classic

184-pounder Keegan Gehlhausen followed up his bracket win at the UNK Open with a fifth-place showing in Indianapolis. Ranked No. 14 at the time of the tournament, Gehlhausen faced five higher-ranked wrestlers and went 3-2 against them, knocking off the then-No. 4, No. 9 and No. 10 wrestlers in the country. 

At 125 pounds, true freshman Hunter Jacobsen made a statement with a seventh-place finish, becoming the first CSC true freshman to make the podium at the Midwest Classic. Jacobsen went 5-2 at the tournament, defeating two nationally ranked wrestlers, with both losses coming to opponents ranked in the top seven. 

National Rankings
After their standout performances in Indy, Gehlhausen and Jacobsen are both ranked nationally inside the top 10 for their respective weight classes.

In the NWCA's most recent rankings from December 23, Gehlhausen is the No. 7-ranked wrestler at 184 pounds while Jacobsen is ranked No. 9 at 125 pounds. The Open Mat, whose latest weekly rankings were updated on January 8, has Gehlhausen also at No. 7 and Jacobsen at No. 15.

In the NWCA's team tournament rankings, Chadron State is receiving votes, tallying 11 points in the voting for the top 25 poll. Three RMAC teams appear in the poll – Western Colorado at No. 15, Colorado School of Mines at No. 16 and Colorado Mesa at No. 23, while Adams State is receiving votes alongside CSC. 

Adams State and Chadron State have the second and fourth-most votes, respectively, of teams outside the top 25. 

RMAC Update
This will be the first RMAC dual of the season for both Chadron State and Colorado School of Mines.

Three RMAC duals have been contested so far this season, with Colorado Mesa, Simon Fraser and Western Colorado all 1-0 against 0-3 New Mexico Highlands so far in conference action. 

In the head coaches preseason poll, five teams received at least a first-place vote and 30 or more voting points in the poll. Colorado Mesa finished atop the poll with two first-place votes and 44 points. 

Western Colorado followed with two first-place votes and 38 points, Adams State came third with one first-place vote and 36 points, Colorado School of Mines was fourth with two first-place votes and 35 votes while Chadron State came fifth, tallying one first-place vote and 30 points. 

CSU Pueblo (18 points), New Mexico Highlands (16) and Simon Fraser (seven) rounded out the poll. 

Action Weights
Friday's dual could start with a bang at 125 pounds, with a potential premier matchup between Hunter Jacobsen and Mines's Christian Lopez, a redshirt senior. 

Lopez is the reigning RMAC Wrestler of the Week after upsetting the No. 3-ranked wrestler in the nation, Central Missouri's Jakason Burks, at the Jack Hancock duals last weekend. 

At 174 pounds, Logan Berger and No. 14-ranked Wyatt Reisz are set to square off again, with Reisz looking for revenge after Berger's upset victory over Reisz in the Midwest Classic last month. 

Scouting the Orediggers
Colorado School of Mines has taken a different approach to the season so far than Chadron State. While the Eagles have only had three competition dates and will be contesting their first dual of the year Friday, Colorado School of Mines has competed in seven nonconference duals, posting a 6-1 record. 

The Orediggers began the year with dual wins over Snow College, Northeastern JC, Otero College and Fort Hays State. They finished seventh as a team at the Midwest Classic with five placers (Grayston DiBlasi – 4^that 141, Cody Thompson – 6^th at 149, Marcus Caro – 7^th at 157, Wyatt Reisz – 7^th at 174 and Ryan Cody – 8^th at 197). 

Last weekend, Mines went 2-1 at the Jack Hancock Duals in Golden, defeating Belmont Abbey and Sioux Falls and losing to No. 14 Central Missouri 27-12.

Projected Lineups
Here is a look at the projected lineups for Thursday's match. 

A total of six NWCA nationally ranked wrestlers could take the mat Friday night, two for CSC and four for Mines. Cody Thompson, ranked No. 8 overall at 149 pounds for Colorado School of Mines, did not make the probables sheet. 
 

Weight Class	Chadron State		Colorado School of Mines
125	#9 Hunter Jacobsen (Fr., 13-5) OR Yusef Nelson (R-Sr, 5-4)	vs.	Christian Lopez (R-Sr., 11-5) OR Alexander Sweeney (So., 10-4)
133	James Davis (Gr., 4-4)	vs.	Trebor Moreno (So., 8-3)
141	Cyrus Wells (R-So, 10-6) OR Kyle Lewis (Jr., 5-4)	vs.	#4 Grayston DiBlasi (Sr., 15-3)
149	Torry Early (Gr., 7-5)	vs.	Carson Dulitz (Sr., 0-2)
157	Brandon Paredes (R-So., 7-5) OR Hunter Gilmore (R-Jr., 3-4)	vs.	#9 Marcus Caro (Fr., 18-4)
165	Tayten Gillette (R-So., 9-6) OR Jaziah Whaley (R-Jr., 4-4)	vs.	Jakob Smith (Jr., 5-4) OR Tristin David (R-Fr., 4-3)
174	Logan Berger (R-So., 11-5)	vs.	#14 Wyatt Reisz (So., 14-3)
184	#7 Keegan Gehlhausen (R-Jr., 8-2)	vs.	Mason Diel (R-Jr., 5-5)
197	Dominic Joyce (So., 6-6)  OR Reese Jacobs (So., 3-2)	vs.	#14 Ryan Cody (Sr., 9-6) OR Ethan Kremer (So., 1-3)
285	Cody Pinkerton (R-Jr., 9-4)	vs.	Cade Whish (Jr., 7-5) OR Trevor Thorn (So., 4-4)

 
Coach's Corner
Chadron State coach Brett Hunter is entering his 14^th season as the head coach at his alma mater. Hunter is the reigning RMAC Coach of the Year and NWCA Region VI Coach of the Year.

Hunter and the Eagles are coming off a landmark 2024 season that saw the Eagles win their first RMAC wrestling title since 1995. The Eagles finished with a 10-1 overall dual record, including an undefeated 8-0 mark in RMAC duals, with two national tournament qualifiers. At CSC, Hunter has coached five All-American wrestlers and three individual regional champions. 

As a Chadron State student-athlete, Hunter holds the program record for most wins, finishing with a career record of 133-32. He is the school's only repeat national champion, winning NCAA titles at 165 pounds in 2007 and 174 pounds in 2009. Hunter was inducted into the Chadron State Athletics Hall of Fame in 2024.