Lopes trio 6th at RMAC Championships

KEARNEY, Neb. — There will be no trip to nationals this year. No grand stage for a courageous group who’ve helped Grand Canyon wrestling turn a new leaf in this young program’s history.

Instead, they walk away from the mat for the final time this year with what-ifs running through their minds.
Grand Canyon’s Ryan Becerra, Jack Porter and Alex Contreras each placed sixth in their respective weight classes Saturday at the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference championships. The top four finishers in each weight class advance to the NCAA Championships.

Becerra (pictured) lost to Fort Hays State’s Tyler Gonzales, 3-2, at 184 in a match that would’ve guaranteed him a spot in the nationals. Becerra beat Colorado School of Mines’ Brad Price by technical fall, 16-0. He also beat Colorado State Pueblo’s Kellen Desmond by tech fall, 16-0, to set up the match with the No. 2-seeded Gonzales. Becerra, seeded fifth, finished 22-8 this year.