PUEBLO, Colo. – Three wrestlers from Adams State University secured their spots at the NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships following their top-three finishes at the NCAA Region VI Tournament hosted by CSU Pueblo.
Isaiah Gamez secured a berth at 125 pounds with a second-place finish, while
Angel Flores qualified at 141 pounds after claiming third place.
Aaden Valdez emerged as the lone individual champion for the Grizzlies, punching his ticket at 165 pounds.
Valdez dominated his opponents, going 4-0. He started with a 12-3 major decision victory, followed by a 17-2 tech fall in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals, he secured a 5-0 shutout, and he clinched the title with a win over Kyle Botelho from San Francisco State. Valdez accrued 17.5 team points.
Gamez finished second, narrowly missing the individual title after a tiebreaker favored Zachary Ourada from Nebraska-Kearney. Gamez earned 18.5 team points.
DJ Van Matre placed sixth at 133 pounds, contributing seven points before Flores added 13 with a third-place finish, sealed by a 6-5 decision victory over Johnny Lopez from San Francisco State.
Jack Faczak went 0-2 at 149 pounds, while Nico Carassco claimed fifth place at 157 pounds, securing nine points. Ben Tonnessen also finished fifth at 197 pounds, earning 11 points.
Samuel Loera (174),
Hunter Tobiasson (184), and
Wil Aucoin (285) went 0-2 in their respective weight classes.
Overall, the Grizzlies amassed 76.5 points, finishing seventh as a team.
The trio of Grizzlies will now have 13 days to prepare for the NCAA National Championships in Park City, Kan., scheduled to commence on Friday, March 15.
