COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Headlined by a pair of second-place votes, the Chadron State men's wrestling program has been picked fifth in a crowded 2025 Preseason Coaches Poll while Keegan Gehlhausen earned a preseason honor. 

The poll – which is voted on by each the league's head coaches, who rank opponents without voting for their own team – did not have any firm consensus, as five of the conference's seven schools received a first or second-place vote. 

Colorado Mesa emerged as the top pick, with the Mavericks receiving three first-place votes and three second-place votes for a total of 33 points. Adams State came second with three first-place votes, no second-place votes and two third-place votes, totaling 28 points. 

Colorado School of Mines, the defending league champions, garnered the poll's final first-place vote and finished third in the 2025 poll with 26 points. Western Colorado came fourth with 22 while the Eagles were just behind with 21 points.

The drop-off in poll numbers happens after the top five, with more points separating Chadron State from sixth place in the poll than second. CSU Pueblo was voted sixth while New Mexico Highlands rounded out the poll in seventh. 

In addition, the RMAC named a Preseason All-RMAC Team, which is determined by the top returning vote-getters from last season's all-conference ballots, also voted on by the head coaches. 

Keegan Gehlhausen earned the Preseason All-RMAC nod at 184 pounds after the now-redshirt senior's breakout 2024-25 season that saw the Pinedale, Wyoming native win a regional championship and finish as the national runner-up. 

Five of the RMAC's seven schools are represented on the preseason team, with Colorado Mesa and Adams State leading the way with three selections each while CSU Pueblo and Colorado School of Mines each had two alongside the Eagles' selection. 

Chadron State will open the 2025-26 schedule at the DWU Open in Mitchell, South Dakota on November 8. The Eagles will also have non-conference duals against Fort Hays State and Otero Junior College, both on November 15. 

The crown jewel of the nonconference schedule is a road dual against in-state rival and defending national champions Nebraska-Kearney, with the Eagles and Lopers set to battle on Friday, December 5 at 6 p.m. in Kearney. That dual will take place in between a pair of tournament schedule mainstays – the UNK Open on Saturday, November 22 and the Midwest Classic in Indianapolis from December 13-14. 

This season, four of Chadron State's six RMAC duals will be at home, with all taking place in January. The Eagles will face defending conference champs Colorado School of Mines on Friday, January 9 at 6 p.m. in the Chicoine Center to open both their home and RMAC schedules. 

Other home duals include clashes with New Mexico Highlands on January 18 at 12 p.m., CSU Pueblo on January 23 at 6 p.m. and Adams State on January 31 at 2 p.m. Chadron State will close the RMAC calendar on the road against Western Colorado and Colorado Mesa, the two schools which joined CSC in a three-way tie for second in the conference standings at 5-2 last season. 

NCAA Regionals are set for Saturday, February 28 in Golden, Colorado, with nationals taking place from March 13-14 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

 

Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference 2025-26 Men's Wrestling Preseason Coaches' Poll
PL	Team	1sts	2nds	3rds	Points
1.	Colorado Mesa	3	3	-	33
2.	Adams State	3	-	2	28
3.	Colorado School of Mines	1	1	3	26
4.	Western Colorado	-	1	2	22
5.	Chadron State	-	2	-	21
6.	CSU Pueblo				10
7.	New Mexico Highlands				7
Notes: Coaches were not permitted to vote for their team. 6 points for a 1st place vote, 5 for a 2nd, etc. 36 points maximum in men's wrestling.

 

2025-26 Preseason All-Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference: Men's Wrestling
Weight	Player	School	Yr.	Hometown
125	Isaiah Gamez (WoTY, 1)	Adams State	Sr.	La Junta, Colo.
133	Eddie Bowman (FoTY, 1)	CSU Pueblo	So.	Trinidad, Colo.
141	Angel Flores (1)	Adams State	Gr.	Colorado Springs, Colo.
149	Alex Castaneda	Colorado Mesa	R-Jr.	Eaton, Colo.
149	Kevin Boston	CSU Pueblo	So.	Omaha, Neb.
157	Aaden Valdez (1)	Adams State	R-Sr.	Pueblo, Colo.
165	Jakob Smith (1)	Colorado School of Mines	R-Jr.	Conroe, Texas
174	Wyatt Reisz (2)	Colorado School of Mines	Jr.	Logan, Iowa
184	Keegan Gehlhausen (1)	Chadron State	R-Sr.	Pinedale, Wyo.
197	Gabriel Carranza (1)	Colorado Mesa	R-Sr.	Victorville, Calif.
285	Tyler Doyle (1)	Colorado Mesa	Sr.	Littleton, Colo.
Symbols in parentheses are 2024 -25 All-RMAC Recognitions: WoTY was the Wrestler of the Year; FoTY was the Freshman of the Year; 1 -was a First Team All-RMAC selection; 2 - was a Second Team All-RMAC selection; H - was an Honorable Mention All-RMAC selection.