They may not have accomplished their immediate goal of a Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference wrestling championship, but competing at the Colorado Springs Olympic Training Center on Sunday before about 400 fans is something area grapplers Tuli Laulu and Brandon Supernaw will always remember.

“It was an awesome feeling,” said Sand Creek High School graduate Laulu of Adams State.

“It’s a pretty big deal to be able to show everyone what RMAC wrestling is about in front of family and friends.”

California Baptist won the team championship with 133 1/2 points. CBU overtook early leader Western State Colorado (123 ½) during the third-place matches and pulled away with three titles out of the 10 NCAA Division 2 weight classes.

“They have so many tough wrestlers,” said Western State’s Supernaw, a Doherty graduate who placed third at 184 pounds with an 8-4 win over Adams State’s Joe Bencomo.

Laulu placed fourth, losing in overtime to heavyweight Sam Alnassiri of San Francisco State 6-4 despite the boisterous cheers of 20 family members and friends in the stands.

They had plenty to yell about after Laulu, a Peyton resident, lunged in the closing seconds of the third period to score a two-point takedown and force the sudden-death extra period.

Laulu, who was limping on a tweaked right knee, came up short but that did little to diminish the experience.

“Having them cheering me on just made me work that much harder on the mat,” Laulu said. “They were really inspiring.”

The league championships, the first held in 20 years, was run by USA Wrestling with help from the Colorado Springs-based league and the Colorado Springs Sports Corp.

The tournament used the same facility and equipment as the three-day Dave Schultz Memorial International tournament, making for a seamless transition into Sunday’s one-day, nine-team competition.

“You never know how things will go with an inaugural event, but it’s gone exceptionally well and the biggest reasons are USA Wrestling, its volunteers and the Sports Corp.,” RMAC commissioner Chris Graham said. “Seeing the looks on the wrestlers faces when they entered the practice area Saturday and saw the Olympic rings showed how having this here means to them.”

“The community support made this the best D2 league championships in the country.”

Supernaw agreed.

“The atmosphere was awesome,” Supernaw said. “The single mat for third-place (and championship) matches really gave this the feel of a big-time event.”

Former OTC resident Greco-Roman wrestlers Tarrence Williams (174) and Jacob Mitchell (285) of CSU-Pueblo both finished second.

Defending champion Colorado Mesa was third (105 1/2) behind Western and CBU. That was important for Supernaw since Mesa defeated WSU in a dual last month.

“People discounted us but finishing ahead of Mesa is important as a team,” Supernaw said. “We wanted to show what Western wrestling is all about.

“To do so in front of family and friends made it all the better.”