Colorado Mesa University Men's Wrestling

Pipher begins his 10th year at the helm of the Colorado Mesa University wrestling program. Under his guidance the Mavs have qualified at least one individual to the NCAA Division II National Tournament seven of the eight years since the program was reinstated. Pipher has coached seven All-Americans in his tenure and his teams have been in the top ten in the nation the last three years on the NWCA Academic list.   In 2015, he coached his first national Champion at Colorado Mesa in 157 pounder James Martinez. Martinez defeated Anderson Universitys Sean Turner with a last second takedown to earn Colorado Mesas first NCAA National Championship in any sport. Prior to coming to Colorado Mesa, Pipher was the head wrestling coach at Hotchkiss High School since 1996, where he led the Bulldogs to the 2000 and 2004 Colorado High School 3A State Wrestling Team Championships. He was 3A Classification Colorado Wrestling Coach of the Year following the 2000 and 2004 seasons. In 2004, he was named the National High School Wrestling Coach of the Year by the National Wrestling Coaches Association. In January 2009 Pipher was selected RMAC All-Century Team Most Valuable Wrestler in honor of the conferences 100 th  anniversary. In November 2009 Pipher was inducted in to CSU-Pueblos Hall of Fame inaugural class. A four-time NAIA All-American at Colorado State University at Pueblo (formerly University of Southern Colorado), he was a three-time NAIA National Wrestling Champion, three-time Academic All-American and two-time NAIA National Championship Outstanding Wrestler Award recipient. Pipher was the first ever NAIA wrestler to compete in the National Wrestling Coaches Association NCAA All-star Classic. In his sophomore year he defended his RMAC title compiling a 47-8 record, including 23 pins. As a junior he posted a 48-5 record and won both the RMAC and national title (167#). At the national tournament he was named Most Outstanding Wrestler and earned the Gregorian Award for pinning the most opponents in the least amount of time. In his senior season he again claimed the RMAC and national title, Most Outstanding Wrestler award while posting a 37-2 mark. Pipher ended his collegiate career with an impressive 161-29-1 overall record. Following his senior season he was invited to the National Wrestling Association All-star meet at the Palestra in Philadelphia; only the second NAIA wrestler in 23 years to be granted an invitation.  A western slope native, Pipher was a two-time Colorado High School State Champion and selected Class 1A Outstanding Wrestler at Hotchkiss High School. In 1989 he was selected Colorado Sports Hall of Fame Amateur Athlete of the Year. He was inducted into the Colorado Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1995 and in 2004 inducted into the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Hall of Fame. Before taking over the Hotchkiss High School head coaching job he was an assistant coach at Hotchkiss Middle School. His college coaching experience includes four years as an assistant at Western State College, one year at Arizona State University and University of Southern Colorado. Pipher earned a bachelor's degree in Industrial Sciences and Technology with a teaching certificate from the University of Southern Colorado in 1990. Chuck and his wife Deana, have four children; Kendal, Charlie, Peyton and Grayson and four grandchildren; Caleb, Kennedy, Mason and Logan.

Mike Mendoza began his tenure at Colorado Mesa in 2019 after spending the past two years at Northeastern (Colo.) Junior College. He brings 20 years of coaching experience to the staff after coaching stints at Boise State, CSU Bakersfield, and Adams State. Mendoza was most recently the head coach at Northeastern Junior College in Sterling, Colorado and made an immediate impact on the program. He took the team from an 0-6 dual record in 2018 to an 11-3 mark this past season. He had nine NJCAA National Qualifiers in 2019 and guided the program to an 11th place finish at the National Tournament. Prior to his stint at Northeastern, Mendoza was the head coach at Division I Boise State University for one season where he led the Broncos to the highest team GPA in 16 years and made the NWCA Top 30 Academic Programs list. The wrestling program at Boise State was cut following the 2017 season.   From 2002-2016, Mendoza spent time as either an assistant or the head coach at Division I CSU Bakersfield, his alma mater. There, he guided 17 NCAA Division I National Qualifiers, four Pac-12 Champions, and an all-American (Bryce Hammond, 2014) in his six years as the head coach. He also had 23 Pac-12 All-Academic selections, two Pac-12 Scholar Athlete of the Year recipients, and a Capital One CoSIDA Scholar Athlete of the Year.   Mendoza is no stranger to the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference as he served as a graduate assistant at Adams State from 1999-2001. There he coached four Division II all-Americans including a National Champion (Adam Mars, 2001).   As a wrestler for the CSU Bakersfield Roadrunners, Mendoza was a three-time NCAA Division I National Qualifier and a three-time Pac-10 place winner, earning second place in 1998. He helped lead the Roadrunners to a third place NCAA finish in 1996 and was a member of two Pac-10 Championship teams.  

Petersen enters his third season as an assistant coach for the Mavericks wrestling program. Nick will work primarily with the 174, 184, and 197 pound weights.   Petersen completed a stellar career in 2012 with the Mavericks where he earned All-American honors for the fourth time in his collegiate career (twice at Northwest College and twice at Colorado Mesa.)   He was a NCAA Super Region 4/RMAC Champion in 2012 and a NJCAA National Champion in 2011.   In high school, he won the Utah State Championship at Delta High School.