Western State College of Colorado

        If you were at Western last year, you already know how our Mountaineer Wrestlers did.  If not, let me fill you in: wow.  “The Trifecta” of Charlie Pipher, Donovan McMahill and Charlie Alexander made waves all throughout the NCAA II Wrestling world, and all three will be returning this year for their final season.
    Charlie Pipher (184) will be returning in the 2010-11 season after a 21-5 winning record, undefeated in both duals and RMAC matches.  After being sidelined by a knee injury early in the season, Pipher came back strong and pinned his first opponent after being out for over a month.  Pipher was named the RMAC No.1 wrestler for the 184 lb division after his comeback streak, then endured knee surgery late in the season.  This, however, did not stop the wrestler, who went on to place fifth in the NCAA Division II National Championships.
    Heavyweight Charlie Alexander will be returning after another strong season, finishing with an outstanding 30-7 record with only one lose within the RMAC and undefeated in Duals.  Alexander won the coveted heavyweight title at the 37th Cowboy Open in Wyoming early in the season and was named the RMAC Wrestler of the Week shortly thereafter.  Alexander was later named the RMAC's No. 4 wrestler.  After a hard fought journey to Nationals, Alexander place fifth at the NCAA II Championships and received his third-straight All-American title.
    However, the star of the season was Donovan McMahill, who dominated the 197 lb bracket of the NCAA Division II from the beginning of the season straight through to the end.  McMahill had a 35-4 overall record and was undefeated in both duals and matches within the RMAC.  Over the course of the season, he won 4-0 on major decisions and produced five falls.  While this is all incredibly impressive, it does not compare to how he truly finished out his season.  On March 13, Donovan McMahill, a junior at the time, won the NCAA Division II National Championship match, only the 14th Mountaineer in history to do so.  McMahill's victory was followed by a second honor when he was named the Colorado Collegiate Wrestler of the Year, only the fourth Mountaineer ever to receive such an award.
    “You can always count on an exciting and promising outcome when those three step on the mat,” said head coach Miles VanHee.
    This will be the Trio's final season wrestling at Western, along with fellow seniors Justin Keys, Zach Frazier, Jesse Cruz, Kyle O'Brien, Justin Morris, and Skye Wells.
    “We have nine seniors on our team and would love nothing more than to cap off a national championship title,” said VanHee, “both individually titles and a team title for these special seniors.”
    After such a strong season, everyone is awaiting the upcoming season with great anticipation.  Even coach VanHee reflects on these past few season with fond memories and has great expectations for 2010/11.  “Going into the NCAA II Super Region 4/RMAC tournament as the third and fourth ranked team and winning the tournament title back to back years,” said VanHee, “we must show up, have a great representation at the NCAA II National Tournament and believe in miracles to make a run at a National Title.”
    The Mountaineers' first match is not until Nov. 11 at the Crimson and Slate Dual.  It's a couple months away, but make sure to save the date and come support your Western wrestlers and our National Champion Donovan McMahill.