CSU-Pueblo hosting Rocky Mtn. Junior Regionals

Three hundred wrestlers expected to attend Rocky Mountain Junior Regional Championship at Massari Arena today and Saturday.

By TRACY RENCK
THE PUEBLO CHIEFTAIN

Although the rebirth of the Colorado State University-Pueblo wrestling program will officially begin on Nov. 15, head coach Dax Charles is already trying to make an impact in the community.

Charles is hosting the Rocky Mountain Junior Regional Championship, the Senior Olympic Team Trial Qualifier and the Grappling World Team Trial Qualifier tournaments today and Saturday at the renovated Massari Arena on the CSU-Pueblo campus.

"I'm very excited to get to host this event; this is a big deal for us," Charles said. "We're getting a lot of support from USA Wrestling (for this) and there are going to be some great wrestlers competing here from all around the country and from the Olympic Training Center."

Charles said he expects 300 competitors to participate in this event.

There's a schoolboy division (born 1994-95), cadet (born 1992-93), junior (born 1988 and after) and senior (19-and-older). At 11 a.m. today, Greco-Roman wrestling preliminary rounds will get under way. Greco-Roman finals are scheduled to start at 4 p.m. At 10 a.m. Saturday, freestyle prelims begins. The freestyle finals start at 2:30 p.m.

Adult two-day passes are $18 and student, two-day passes are $15. General admission prices are $10 for adults and $8 for students. Children 5-and-under get in free.

In the spring of 2007, the Colorado State University System Board of Governors unanimously approved the expansion of the athletic program at CSU-Pueblo.

In 2008-09, the school will reintroduce football, wrestling and women's track and field.

Because of a shortfall in the athletic budget, CSU-Pueblo, which was known as the University of Southern Colorado at the time, dropped wrestling on May 15, 2001.

CSU-Pueblo will take the mat for the first time since 2001, when the ThunderWolves compete Nov. 15 at the Cowboy Open at the University of Wyoming in Laramie. The ThunderWolves' first home dual at the renovated Massari Arena is Jan. 7 against Mesa State College.