COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Chadron State men's wrestling has been picked to finish fifth in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference's Preseason Coaches Poll, announced Tuesday by the league office alongside the conference's Preseason All-RMAC teams.
It was a very close race at the top, with Adams State finishing first with 32 points and Colorado Mesa just behind with 31 points. Both programs had three first-place votes.
Colorado School of Mines placed third in the poll with the remaining first-place vote and 28 points. Adams State, Colorado Mesa and Mines had two second-place votes apiece. Western Colorado gathered the final second-place vote and finished fourth in the poll with 23 points.
The Eagles were fifth with 13 points, ahead of CSU Pueblo in sixth and New Mexico Highlands in seventh.
It will be a season of change for CSC men's wrestling, which has a new head coach in former assistant
Taygen Smith. A coaching assistant and assistant coach since 2022-23 with the Chadron State program, Smith has contributed to 12 national qualifiers, five All-Americans and 31 Academic All-Americans during his time on staff.
Beyond the head coach change, however, just two of the 10 competitors that led CSC to a third-place regional championships finish last season will suit up for the Eagles this year – 149-pounder
Aidan Callahan and 174-pounder
Logan Berger. A third, 133-pounder
Hunter Jacobsen, remains on the CSC roster but will miss the 2026-27 season of competition.
Chadron State boasted four national qualifiers and three All-Americans in 2025-26. None return to the roster, but one – reigning 125-pound All-American
Quade Smith – joins the coaching staff for the 2026-27 season.
The Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference also named a Preseason All-RMAC team, which is based on the top returning vote-getters from last season's all-conference voting. No wrestlers who received all-conference votes last season return at four weights, so the Preseason All-RMAC team has six members.
The Eagles open competition at the DWU Open on Saturday, November 7. CSC opens its dual schedule and home schedule with a clash against defending national champion Nebraska-Kearney on Thursday, November 12. Chadron State's first RMAC dual will be on the road against CSU Pueblo on Thursday, January 14.
Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference
2026-27 Preseason Men's Wrestling Coaches' Poll |
| PL |
Team |
1sts |
2nds |
3rds |
Points |
| 1. |
Adams State |
3 |
2 |
1 |
32 |
| 2. |
Colorado Mesa |
3 |
2 |
|
31 |
| 3. |
Colorado School of Mines |
1 |
2 |
3 |
28 |
| 4. |
Western Colorado |
|
1 |
3 |
23 |
| 5. |
Chadron State |
|
|
|
13 |
| 6. |
CSU Pueblo |
|
|
|
12 |
| 7. |
New Mexico Highlands |
|
|
|
8 |
Notes:
Head coaches were not permitted to vote for their team.
6 points for a 1st-place vote, 5 for 2nd, etc.
36 points maximum in men's wrestling. |
2026-27 Preseason All-Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference: Men's Wrestling
|
| Weight |
Player |
School |
Yr. |
Hometown |
| 125 |
Devin Gomez (2) |
Western Colorado |
R-Sr. |
Gunnison, Colo. |
| 133 |
AJ Hague (2) |
Colorado Mesa |
Jr. |
Brighton, Colo. |
| 141 |
Eddie Bowman (1) |
CSU Pueblo |
Jr. |
Trinidad, Colo. |
| 157 |
Vinny Cabral |
Western Colorado |
R-Jr. |
Erie, Colo. |
| 165 |
Ivan Smith (1) |
New Mexico Highlands |
Sr. |
Farmington, N.M. |
| 174 |
Levi Deaguero (2) |
Adams State |
Sr. |
Commerce City, Colo. |
| Symbols in parentheses are 2025 All-RMAC Recognitions: 1 -was a First Team All-RMAC selection; 2 - was a Second Team All-RMAC selection |
