GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. — The Eagles men's wrestling team ended their dual season with a win against Colorado Mesa, taking seven out of 10 match-ups and winning the dual 22-12 on Saturday in Grand Junction, Colo.

Chadron State improves to a 6-3 overall and 4-2 conference record. Colorado Mesa fell to 5-4 overall and 2-3 in conference.

The Eagles only received one bonus point in the dual from No. 4 Keegan Gehlhausen (184 pounds), who won his match by major decision, 17-4, against Colorado Mesa's Noah O'Dougherty.

Chadron State's other wins were all by decision, including two sudden victory wins from Hunter Jacobsen (133 pounds) and Aidan Callahan (149 pounds). Jacobsen secured his win with a takedown, ending the match 7-4. Callahan defeated Colorado Mesa's Alex Castenada, ranked No. 19 by The Open Mat, also with a takedown, ending his match 10-7.

Other winners included No. 4 Quade Smith (125 pounds), No. 14 Caleb Chaves (141 pounds), Tayten Gillette (165 pounds) and Logan Berger (174 pounds).

The only ranked showdown was between No. 16 Mason Villwok and CMU's Gabriel Carranza, ranked No. 8. Villwok took his first RMAC dual loss of the season, with Carranza coming out on top, 10-6.

After Villwok's loss, Eli Reese had trouble ending the match, getting pinned in the first period against Ruben Samuelson. This pin gave CMU half of their total points.

Despite the Mavericks taking the last two match-ups, the Eagles had a healthy lead for the entire dual, racking up a 12-point lead in the first four matches.

Chadron State will travel to Golden, Colorado on Feb. 14 for the Rocky Mountain Open. This will be the final tournament before the Eagles go to NCAA Regionals on Feb. 28.

Dual Results:

125: #4/5 Quade Smith (CSC) def. Adonias Cantu, Dec. 1-0

133: Hunter Jacobsen (CSC) def. AJ Hague, SV-1 7-4

141: #14/16 Caleb Chaves (CSC) def. Apollo Cruz, Dec. 12-7

149: Aidan Callahan (CSC) def. NR/#19 Alex Castaneda, SV-1 10-7

157: #7/5 Owen Cline (CMU) def. Brandon Paredes, Dec 10-3

165: Tayten Gillette (CSC) def. William Alvarado, Dec. 8-1

174: Logan Berger (CSC) def. Christian Pebley, Dec. 10-4

184: #4/2 Keegan Gehlhausen (CSC) def. Noah O`Dougherty, MD 17-4

197: #8/10 Gabriel Carranza (CMU) def. NR/#16 Mason Villwok, Dec 10-6

285: Ruben Samuelson (CMU) def. Eli Reese, Fall 1:06

Eagles Earn Two Pins in CMU Dual Loss

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – Piper Cadden and Meredith Nash earned pins for Chadron State, but the No. 7-ranked Colorado Mesa women's wrestling asserted itself, winning eight of 10 matches over the Eagles and taking a Saturday night dual 34-12 in Grand Junction.

The result means that the Mavericks (11-8, 3-1 RMAC) will finish second in the RMAC standings while the Eagles (5-6, 2-2 RMAC) will be third. Chadron State has still never beaten Colorado Mesa in six dual meetings.

The Mavericks earned two big-time wins in high-profile matchups at the start of dual that put CMU in the driver's seat. At 103 pounds, Chadron State's newly-crowned RMAC champion Brianna Vollendroff faced CMU's Mia Zuniga, the No. 3-ranked 103-pounder in the nation who did not compete at the RMAC Championships that Vollendroff won. Zuniga pinned Vollendroff in 2:01 to stake the Mavericks to a 5-0 lead.

The 110-pound bout saw a rematch of the RMAC Championship final between CSC's Rylee Balcazar and CMU's Adriana Gomez which ended 7-7 and went to Gomez on the second criteria tiebreaker. The sequel didn't have the drama of the original, as Gomez tech-falled Balcazar 10-0 in 1:26.

Adrianna Lopez kept it close at 117, falling by a 3-0 decision, but CMU's No. 4-ranked 124-pounder Lorianna Piestewa gave the hosts another pin and a 17-0 lead through four weights.

Chadron State answered with two pins to make up ground in the dual. Piper Cadden led 6-2 in points at 131 pounds, but found an opening and pinned CMU's Brooke McCurley with just five seconds remaining in the match. At 138 pounds, Meredith Nash took an 8-0 lead only to see that evaporate into an 8-8 tie before rebounding for a pin, staying just in bounds on a call that was upheld after a replay challenge.

While that made the dual 17-10, Colorado Mesa did not allow the Eagles to get closer, using a tech fall, forfeit and pin at 145, 160 and 180 to go up 31-10. Another high-profile bout at 207, CMU's No. 7-ranked Jayleen Sekona vs. CSC's No. 9-ranked Esther Peters, also went the Mavericks' way with Sekona taking a hard-fought 8-4 decision win.

The Eagles will return home and honor the program's seniors when they face Fort Hays Tech NW in their final dual of the season and Senior Night on Wednesday, February 11, before preparing for the first-ever women's wrestling NCAA regionals on February 21-22.

Full dual results:

103: #3/#3 Mia Zuniga (CMU) def. NR/#11 Brianna Vollendroff, Fall 2:01

110: NR/#10 Adriana Gomez (CMU) def. NR/#16 Rylee Balcazar, TF 10-0 1:26

117: Isabella Morales (CMU) def. Adrianna Lopez, Dec 3-0

124: #4/#6 Lorianna Piestewa (CMU) def. Ana Rojas-Zamora, Fall 1:41

131: NR/#20 Piper Cadden (CSC) def. Brooke McCurley, Fall 5:55

138: Meredith Nash (CSC) def. Alyssa Jackson, Fall 5:19

145: #10/#8 Gretchen Donally (CMU) def. Eliza Davis, TF 12-2 3:35

160: NR/#15 Celina Cooke (CMU) wins by forfeit

180: Kimberly Carlin (CMU) def. Cosette Desrosiers, Fall 0:41

207: #5/#7 Jayleen Sekona (CMU) def. NR/#9 Esther Peters, Dec 8-4

Softball Drops Two in Wildcat Dome

WAYNE, Neb. – Chadron State softball came up empty in its first two attempts against in-state rivals inside the Wildcat Dome on Saturday, falling 15-2 to Wayne State in five innings and 7-0 to Nebraska-Kearney.

While Wayne State scored early and often against the Eagles in the opening game, the final score of the Kearney game turned out to be deceiving as the two teams were deadlocked at 0-0 through four innings and 1-0 through six innings before a late explosion by the Loper offense in the seventh.

Elia DeLozier was CSC's standout batter for the day, recording three of CSC's nine hits across the two games, including a double and a run scored against Wayne State. Tiffani Mein had a hit in each contest while Sophia Brennan provided CSC's only extra-base hit against UNK with a double against the Lopers.

The Eagles started the day with a two-spot in the first inning, taking an early lead over Wayne State, which was playing its first game of the season.

DeLozier hit a one-out bloop double down the left-field line to give the Eagles a runner in scoring position. Tiffani Mein laid down a bunt and ran it out for a single, but a wild throw went deep into the right field corner and allowed not only DeLozier to score but Mein to circle the bases completely as well, giving CSC a 2-0 lead after three batters.

Unfortunately, those would be the final runs of the day for the Eagles.

Wayne State answered with five runs in the bottom of the first inning, then added two in the second and eight in the third. Much of the damage came against starting pitcher McKenna Sides, who allowed 11 runs on 13 hits with three walks and one strikeout in 2.2 innings pitched.

Belle Akins came on in relief and allowed four of the third inning's eight runs before she could record the final out as the first five Wildcats to face Akins all reached. After that, however, Akins retired four hitters in a row, setting WSC down in order in the fourth.

Akins stayed in the circle to start the second game against Nebraska Kearney and matched zeroes with Lopers starter Chloe Odle through the first four innings. Akins navigated traffic expertly, escaping a bases loaded with nobody out jam in the first and stranding two runners on with one out in the third.

UNK broke through with a run on three singles in the fifth and Odle continued to shut down the Eagle offense, finishing with a complete-game five-hitter while striking out nine with no walks. The Lopers tagged Akins for two home runs, including a grand slam, in the seventh inning to pull away late.

Chadron State will face the same two opponents tomorrow, taking on UNK at 9 a.m. and Wayne State at 11 a.m.

Adesipe Tallies Double-Double in Loss to CSUP

PUEBLO, Colo. – CSU Pueblo used a scoring run at the end of the first half to stay a little out in front of Chadron State for the last half hour and defeat CSC men's basketball 74-65 on Saturday afternoon in Pueblo.

The Eagles (5-17, 3-11 RMAC) did lots of things well – they shot 40.4 percent from the field, including 51.8 percent in the second half, made 12 of 32 threes and set a new team season-high with 18 assists.

Three Eagles scored in double figures – Mack Keighran scored 15, Zach Smith added 13 for his second straight game in double figures and Blessing Adesipe tallied his second double-double of the season with 12 points and 10 rebounds. In addition to his scoring, Smith also added a season-high six assists, one off his career-high from last season.

Chadron State kept it within nine points despite getting surprisingly little from their two leading scorers. Isaiah Randolph and Jadon Cool, who entered averaging 14 points per game apiece, could only score five and three points, respectively, and went a combined 2-for-12 from the floor.

CSU Pueblo (15-7, 9-5 RMAC) had a slight edge in most statistical categories. The ThunderWolves shot 41.3 percent from the field compared to CSC's 40.4 percent, outpaced CSC at the free throw line 75 percent to 70 percent and outrebounded the Eagles 40-34. The home team also had 19 assists, one more than CSC's total, while also racking up seven blocks.

Chadron State took an early 4-0 lead after Isaiah Randolph opened the game by making a technical foul free throw and Adesipe forced a steal on Pueblo's opening possession before hitting a three. Adesipe, an Angelo State transfer, scored all 12 of his points from behind the arc, shooting 4-for-7 from deep overall.

Pueblo responded to take an 8-6 lead, but Keighran hit a jumper then converted two free throws to put the Eagles back on top 10-8 with 13 minutes to play in the first half. A minute later, Sam Howery hit a three to put the ThunderWolves back in front, and they would lead for the rest of the game.

The ThunderWolves did a lot of damage in the final eight minutes. Pueblo led by just two points at 19-17, but a 6-0 run over 90 seconds and a later 7-3 run over the final four minutes of the half put the hosts up by seven at the break.

That was essentially the margin of victory, as Pueblo outscored Chadron State 42-40 in the second half as both teams shot the ball well. The ThunderWolves made 16 of 33 second-half field goals for 48.5 percent while the Eagles were above 50 percent, making 14 of 27 and 8 of 16 second-half three-pointers.

Jovan Jovanovic went 3-for-4 from beyond the arc for Chadron State, his first points since December 11, and was CSC's fourth-leading scorer with nine points.

Chadron State will return home to host MSU Denver (7-15, 5-9 RMAC) and Colorado School of Mines (13-12, 9-5 RMAC) on Thursday and Saturday.

​Chadron State—Mack Keighran 15, Zach Smith 13, Blessing Adesipe 12, Jovan Jovanovic 9, Luka Djurovic 8, Isaiah Randolph 5, Jadon Cool 3. Totals: 23-57 FG (12-32 3PT) 7-10 FT. 65 points, 34 rebounds, 18 assists, 14 turnovers.

​CSU Pueblo—Jordan Blair 14, Dylan Sanders 12, Jaden Kennis 9, Kyren Allen 8, Bryce Riehl 7, Cash Callaway 6, Sam Howery 5, Corbin Garver 5, Mac Terry 4, Ty Adam 4. Totals: 26-63FG (10-30 3PT) 12-16 FT. 74 points, 40 rebounds, 19 assists, 9 turnovers.

CSC Women Shoot Three Well, Fall to Pueblo

PUEBLO, Colo. – The Chadron State College women's basketball team made a season-high 11 three-point shots and trailed by just four points at halftime, but could not keep up in the second half and fell to homestanding CSU Pueblo 76-56 on Saturday afternoon.

Junior guard Audrey Quintana paced the Eagles with 21 points while making eight of 17 field goal attempts, including five of 11 from behind the arc. It was her eighth double-figure scoring game of the season, and the second time she has exceeded 20 points.

Chadron State also got nine points on three treys by freshman Ella Moser and eight points from senior post McKenzi Petersen to go with her seven rebounds. The Eagles' leading rebounder, however, was 5-9 freshman Teryn Stokes with nine after she was the Wyoming high school rebounding leader her junior year at Torrington.

The Eagles were 5 of 13 from the field for 38.5 percent in the first, second and fourth quarters and shot almost exactly the same percentage in the third frame when they were 7 of 18 overall, but their 38.6 percentage for the game and 22 total field goals didn't allow them to stay with Pueblo's 45.3 percent field goal marksmanship and 29 baskets from the field.

Although the Eagles' 11 treys were two more than the ThunderWolves, the hosts made 9 of 14 free throws and CSC was just 1 of 5 at the line.

Bolstered by going 4-for-8 from long range, Chadron State led 15-11 at the end of the first quarter. But Pueblo tallied the first 11 points of the second quarter and led the rest of the way.

The Eagles definitely hung around. They trailed by only 37-36 after freshman Kenna Wagner nailed a triple two minutes into the second half, but the Colorado team outscored CSC 18-8 the remainder of the third quarter to take a 55-44 lead into the final stanza.

Senior Seneya Martinez led the Wolves with 23 points on 9 of 17 from the field, including four of nine on three-pointers. Freshman Jada Bobb added 15 points and senior Genesis Sweetwine contributed 14.

The win evened Pueblo's record at 11-11 for the season and 7-7 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. The Eagles, who still have just one win this season, will be at home to play MSU Denver at 5 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 12 and Colorado School of Mines at 1 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 14.

Chadron State—Audrey Quntana 21, Ella Moser 9, McKenzi Petersen 8, Bianca Bindzus 6, Kenna Wagner 5, Keziah Toran 3, Dreanna Jackson 2, Teryn Stokes 2. Totals: 22-57 FG (11-27 3PT), 1-5 FT, 56 points, 36 rebounds, 14 assists, 21 turnovers.

Colorado State Pueblo—Seneya Martinez 23, Jada Bobb 15, Genesis Sweetwine 14, Laci Roffle 7, Anyla Owens 6, Ruby Sweeney-Spitzeck 5, Desani Nesbit 4, Talia Strode 2. Totals: 29-64 FG, (9-28 3PT), 9-14 FT, 76 points, 41 rebounds, 23 assists, 12 turnovers.

Chadron State 15 13 16 12 ----56

CSU-Pueblo 11 21 23 21 ----76