Mike Kirk
No. 1-ranked Central Oklahoma wraps up its dual schedule this weekend as the Bronchos head north looking to claim their fourth straight Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association championship and finish off a rare undefeated season.
UCO, 13-0 overall and 3-0 in the league, goes to Kearney, Neb. Friday for a 7 p.m. showdown with No. 7 Nebraska-Kearney (16-2, 4-0) before moving on to Hays, Kan. to take on Fort Hays State (4-5, 3-1) at 2 p.m. Saturday. The Bronchos are riding a 20-match MIAA winning streak.
“It’s a big weekend for us,” said head coach Todd Steidley, who is 99-12 in his eighth year with the Bronchos. “UNK has a great team and they’ve been on a roll the last couple of months. That’s going to be a tremendous challenge for our guys, but we’re looking forward to it.
“Fort Hays will be another test, especially with a short turnaround and having to travel. It will be a tough weekend and I’m anxious to see how we handle it.”
A sweep of this weekend’s matches would give the Bronchos just the fifth undefeated dual season in school history, including the fourth under Steidley.
UCO follows this weekend with a two-week break before returning to action March 2 at the NCAA Division II Regional IV Tournament in Indianapolis, Ind. The top-three finishers from each weight at the regional qualify for the NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships that will be held March 15-16 in Wichita, Kan.
ABOUT THE BRONCHOS: UCO earned its 21st consecutive home win last Sunday with a 50-3 rout of Drury on Senior Day. The Bronchos earned bonus points in all nine wins with four technical falls, three falls and two forfeits.
UCO has won 45 of its last 46 duals, including 20 in a row.
Defending national champions Dalton Abney (197) and Shawn Streck (Hvy) remain unbeaten on the season, with the senior standouts a combined 21-0.
Streck is 11-0 with nine technical falls, needing two more to tie Kyle Evans’ single-season school record of 11. Streck, who is riding a 37-match winning streak, has a 60-0 takedown advantage this season.
Abney is 10-0 with five bonus-point wins. The two-time national champion has won 18 consecutive matches.
Garrett Wells (184) continues to lead the team in wins with 25. The redshirt freshman is 25-6 and has won eight of his last nine matches, including six in a row.
Three others have 20-plus wins – 141 Dylan Lucas (24), 125 Guy Clevenger (22) and 197 Emmanuel Skillings (20). Lucas is 24-4 with 17 bonus wins and has won eight of his last nine matches. Clevenger is 22-8 with 12 b
