GOLDEN, Colo. - After waiting 96 years to win their first conference championship last season, #9 Colorado School of Mines is making up for lost time.

The Orediggers clinched at least a share of their second consecutive RMAC championship, building a big lead and then holding off #13 Adams State at Volk Gym on Friday night. Mines (8-2, 6-0 RMAC) can wrap up the undisputed title next week when they close their dual season against CSU-Pueblo. 

Mines won the first five bouts before the Grizzlies (5-3, 3-2 RMAC) came back to win the next five; it was bonus points, powered by pins from #12 Anderson Salisbury and #4 Weston Hunt and a Nolan Funk technical fall, that made the difference.

With the meet starting at 165 pounds, it was truly a tale of two halves as the Orediggers were able to roll out their four nationally-ranked grapplers to start before ASU could respond with their three ranked individuals in the back half of the meet. All the rankings held as #6 Skyler Lykins and #2 Robert Gambrell reeled off decisions to start and give Mines a quick 6-0 lead.

Things opened up quickly at 184 where Salisbury dominated against William Tyler to earn a first-period pin, and Nolan Funk handled Manuelito Casias at 197 to the tune of an 18-2 technical fall to give Mines a 17-0 lead. At heavyweight, Sylvester Montgomery took Hunt into the second period before Hunt worked a takedown to a fall at 4:29 to lead 23-0.

Matt Lavengood held Isaiah DeLaCerda to a decision at 10-3, and Jake Woods nearly pinned #5 Jonathan Andreatta in the first period before Andreatta ripped off three straight near-fall 4s in the second to win 19-8. #4 Noah Hermosillo added a 10-1 major over Wes Rayburn at 141, but that left Adams State needing to go pin-pin in the final two bouts, and when Noah Ottum held #9 Josiah Rider to a 6-0 decision, it secured the dual for Mines despite ASU winning at 157 with Natrelle Demison's 10-0 win against Ryan Fidel.

NOTABLES
- Mines shared the 2018-19 title with Western Colorado; a win next Friday over CSU-Pueblo at home would give the Orediggers their first outright RMAC title in program history.
- Salisbury improved to a Mines-best 19-6 this season. 
- Lykins is now 17-3 including a team-best 9-1 in duals. 
- Hunt (12-2) notched his fifth fall of the year to tie him for the team lead with Woods and Funk.
- Mines improved to 4-2 against top-25 teams this season.
- The Orediggers extended their dual winning streak to six.

NEXT UP
Mines wrestled CSU-Pueblo at Volk Gym on Feb. 14 at 7 p.m.
 

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#9 Colorado School of Mines 23, #13 Adams State 18 [Full Scoring]
165: #6 Skyler Lykins (CSM) over Ryan Rochford (ASU) (Dec 11-9)
174: #2 Robert Gambrell (CSM) over Isaac Lopez (ASU) (Dec 4-3)
184: #12 Anderson Salisbury (CSM) over William Tyler (ASU) (Fall 2:40)
197: Nolan Funk (CSM) over Manuelito Casias (ASU) (TF 18-2 4:34)
285: #4 Weston Hunt (CSM) over Sylvester Montgomery (ASU) (Fall 4:29)
125: Isaiah DeLaCerda (ASU) over Matthew Lavengood (CSM) (Dec 10-3)
133: #5 Jonathan Andreatta (ASU) over Jake Woods (CSM) (MD 19-8)
141: #4 Noah Hermosillo (ASU) over Wesley Rayburn (CSM) (MD 10-1)
149: #9 Josiah Rider (ASU) over Noah Ottum (CSM) (Dec 6-0)
157: Natrelle Demison (ASU) over Ryan Fidel (CSM) (MD 10-0)