LAS VEGAS, N.M. (February 9, 2022) - The Colorado State University Pueblo wrestling team dropped a 25-21 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference dual at New Mexico Highlands on Wednesday. The Pack earned wins by Ruben Garcia (Sr., Selma, Calif.), Dominic Robles (So., Pueblo, Colo.) and Cyruss Meeks (Fr., Casper, Wyo.).

Both teams entered the match with a forfeit. The ThunderWolves were awarded six team points in the 197 pound match and Highlands was given six team points as a result of a forfeit at 125 pounds.

At the 141-pound match, Meeks built a 4-1 lead after the first period with a pair of takedowns against NMHU's Gabe Rivera. In the next period, Meeks started on the bottom position and earned an escape point before starting his offense and taking down Rivera into a strong hold that would result in a win by fall (3:50) midway through the period.

In the 165-pound showdown, Garcia used a quick offensive attack and scored two takedowns in the first period and carried a 4-2 lead into the second. Garcia began the next period on bottom and right away earned the escape point and darted after his opponent, NMHU's Antonio Guerrero, earning two more takedown points and a 7-2 lead. With the takedown Garcia earned four back points before he put Guerrero in a cradle and earned the win by fall (4:18) and six more team points for the Pack.

In arguably the match of the night at 184 pounds, Robles and the Cowboys' Lance Killgore wrestled all the way to a tiebreaker-1 when three periods and overtime was not enough to decide the match.

After a scoreless first period, Robles began the second period in the bottom position and worked his way out of the hold and earned the one point escape. In the last thirty seconds, strong defense displayed by Robles helped to prevent a takedown when the buzzer sounded.

In the last period, Robles started on top and Killgore evened the score at 1-1 with an escape point of his own.

In overtime and with both wrestlers having little in the tank, grappled to a scoreless period and went into the tiebreaker-1.

With thirty seconds on the clock, Robles started on bottom and earned a big escape point and followed it up with active offense, earning a takedown and a 4-1 lead. With the second thirty seconds and Killgore in the bottom position, Robles bellied out and prevented any sudden escapes or chance of reversal and earning the three points for the ThunderWolves.

In other close matches, Gabriel Taboa (Fr., Jerome, Idaho) dropped a 5-3 decision in the 133-pound bout against the Cowboys' Isaac Garcia. At 149-pounds, Gavin Melendez (R-Sr., Los Banos, Calif.) suffered a 4-3 setback versus NMHU's Jonathon Trujillo.

The Pack's Ben Gould (So., Canyon Country, Calif.) won by forfeit at 197-pounds.

CSU Pueblo has rescheduled a dual against Simon Fraser that was originally scheduled for earlier in the season. The Pack and Simon Fraser will battle it out Friday at CSU Pueblo's Recreation Center. Due to limited space, no fans will be allowed. The ThunderWolves will finish the dual season with an RMAC battle at Colorado School of Mines on Saturday at 1 p.m.