U.S. Marine Corps/NWCA Multi-Division National Dual Meet Championships
SECOND ROUND - #18 Mines vs. #6 Central Oklahoma, Friday, 11 a.m. ET/9 a.m. MT [Live Results][Live Video (PPV)]
 

---

THE TOURNAMENT
For the first time, Colorado School of Mines will compete in the prestigious U.S. Marine Corps/NWCA Multi-Division National Dual Meet Championships, hosted at the Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville. The loaded NCAA Division II field includes 19 teams; all 19 are either ranked or receiving votes in the most recent NWCA top-25, with 14 in the top-25 proper including the top eight lead by #1 St. Cloud State. The event is a bracket, double-elimination dual format with separate brackets for NCAA Divisions II and III, NAIA, and NJCAA.

The #18 Orediggers begin against #6 Central Oklahoma in the second round on Friday at 11 a.m. ET/9 a.m. MT. The winner will face the winner of #16 Lindenwood/#3 Notre Dame College at 3 p.m. ET/1 p.m. MT; the loser wrestles again at the same time in consolations against either of those two, #13 Limestone, or Mary. Subscription-based video is available from TrackWrestling.

LAST TIME OUT
Robert Gambrell won the 174-pound title to lead four placewinners as Colorado School of Mines last competed in the Midwest Classic at UIndy in mid-December. The Orediggers, making their first appearance in the 41-year history of what is widely considered the top regular-season NCAA Division II tournament, finished eighth with 70 team points in a field that featured 16 teams ranked in the NWCA top 25. Gambrell won 174 while Anderson Salisbury was fourth at 184, Weston Hunt was fifth at 285, and Skyler Lykins finished seventh at 165.
 
MINES VS. UCO
Mines and Central Oklahoma met last year at the Midwest Duals with the Orediggers upsetting the then-#18 Bronchos 22-21 on criteria. Both teams won five bouts as Mines earned wins by Matt Lavengood, Jake Woods, Lukas Erickson, Skyler Lykins, and Robert Gambrell; Mines had 32 total match points to UCO's 31 to take the second tiebreaking criteria.

IN THE POLLS
Mines remained nationally ranked after a strong Midwest Classic showing, but slipped slightly to #18 from #13 in the latest NWCA national team rankings. Individually, Robert Gambrell was Mines' biggest individual mover, jumping to #3 at 174 pounds from #6. Skyler Lykins remained ranked at 165 at #12, down one spot, while Weston Hunt fell two spots to #7 at 285. As a team, Mines was #20 in preseason and #13 in the first regular-season poll. The next rankings will be released Jan. 22.

GAMBRELL EARNS RMAC HONORS
For his performance at the Midwest Classic, Robert Gambrell was named the RMAC Wrestler of the Week on Dec. 17. Gambrell beat two other top-10 wrestlers to win the 174-pound bracket, including 2018 NCAA 165-pound champion Bret Romanzak of Ashland in the final. In all, he outscored opponents 46-8 and trailed for just 15 seconds in the tournament.

WINNING IN THE CLASSROOM
After the end of last season, Mines picked up a series of impressive academic accolades. As a team, the Orediggers turned in the #3 GPA in all of NCAA Division II at 3.428, which later netted them their third straight RMAC Brechler Award for the top team GPA in the conference. Numerous individuals earned RMAC and NWCA All-Academic status, led by Noah Ottum, who was in June named a CoSIDA Third-Team Academic All-American, the program's first since 2013.

LOOKING AHEAD
Mines begins the RMAC dual season at home next week, hosting a tri-meet with New Mexico Highlands and San Francisco state on Friday, Jan. 17.