By: Nash Loibl, Advanced Graduate Assistant / Strategic Communications
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Colorado Mesa enters the 2024-25 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference men’s wrestling season as the league favorite, earning 44 points and two first-place votes RMAC Men’s Wrestling Preseason Coaches’ Poll, released Friday. The poll was voted on by the league’s head coaches, who were not permitted to vote for their teams.
Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference
2024-25 Men’s Wrestling
Coaches’ Poll
|
| PL |
Team |
Points |
| 1. |
Colorado Mesa (2) |
44 |
| 2. |
Western Colorado (2) |
38 |
| 3. |
Adams State (1) |
36 |
| 4. |
Colorado School of Mines (2) |
35 |
| 5. |
Chadron State (1) |
30 |
| 6. |
CSU Pueblo |
18 |
| 7. |
New Mexico Highlands |
16 |
| 8. |
Simon Fraser |
7 |
- First-place votes in parentheses.
- In the men’s poll, seven points were awarded for a first-place vote, with one point less for each succeeding place. (Maximum score = 49).
- Coaches were not allowed to vote for their team
|
Colorado Mesa collected two first-place votes and 44 points, followed by Western Colorado with two votes and 38 points. Adams State checks in at No. 3 garnering one first-place vote and 36 points. Colorado School of Mines earns the No. 4 spot with two first-place votes and 35 points, while Chadron is No. 5 with one vote and 30 points. Colorado State University Pueblo, New Mexico Highlands, and Simon Fraser close out the 2024-25 Preseason Poll with 18, 16, and 7 points, respectively.
Led by head coach Mike Mendoza, the Mavericks return all 10 starters from last year’s team, which finished third at the NCAA Super Regional VI. Oran Huff, Jason Bynarowicz, and Tyler Doyle highlight the returners for CMU, as the trio was named Second Team All-RMAC. CMU went 5-3 in RMAC duals last season, earning a third-place finish.
Under eighth-year head coach Charlie Pipher, Western Colorado checks in at No. 2 in the preseason poll with 38 points and a pair of first-place votes. The Mountaineers finished the 2023-24 season tied for third in the RMAC with a 5-3 conference record. Cole Hernandez and Cole Gray return to the mat for Western Colorado after being named to the 2023-24 RMAC Men’s Wrestling First Team All-Conference roster.
Adams State claims the third spot in the preseason poll with 36 points and one first-place vote. Isaiah Gamez and Aaden Valdez enter their sophomore and redshirt sophomore seasons, respectively, after making the conference’s first team roster last season. Colorado School of Mines earns the No. 4 spot with 25 points and two first-place votes. The Orediggers finished the 2023-24 season ranked second in the RMAC and hope to see more success this season. Rounding out the top five is Chadron State who earned 30 points and one first-place vote. Reigning RMAC Men’s Wrestling Coach of the Year, Brett Hunter, guided his team to a first-place finish in the RMAC last year and is shooting to repeat that success in 2024-25.
The 2025 Division II Men’s Wrestling Championship will be held on March 14-15 in Indianapolis and the Indiana Farmers Coliseum.