MANHEIM, Pa. – Eight ranked individuals kept Central Oklahoma at No. 2 in the first regular season NCAA Division II poll released by the National Wrestling Coaches Association Monday.
The two-time defending national champion Bronchos were second behind St. Cloud State in the preseason poll and the same two teams remained at the top. The Huskies totaled 106 points in the tournament-style ranking that gives points to the top 15 individuals at each weight, 19 points ahead of UCO.
Wisconsin-Parkside is third with 76.5 points, with McKendree (59.5) and Nebraska-Kearney (52) rounding out the top five.
Reigning national champion Gabe Johnson leads UCO’s contingent of ranked individuals as the No. 1 pick at 157 pounds. Dylan Lucas is second at 141, while 149 Dylan Brown and 165 Hunter Jump are third, 133 Peter Rolle fourth, 184 Garrett Wells fifth and 125 Studd Morris and 197 Emmanuel Skillings 13th.
“It’s good to see a lot of our guys recognized, but they know that rankings won’t win them any matches,” head coach Todd Steidley said. “It’s a long season and I think we’ve made good progress, but we have a long way to go and need to stay focused on getting better.”
UCO is 3-0 in duals with wins over three top-25 teams – No. 4 McKendree (18-17), No. 21 Maryville (42-4) and No. 25 Ouachita Baptist (29-10) – in running its winning streak to 25 in a row. The Bronchos have also had individuals compete in four open tournaments.
Johnson (3-0), Brown (0-0) and Wells (3-0) kept the same ranking they had in the preseason. Lucas (3-0) moved up two spots from fourth to second thanks to a win over previous No. 1 Ronan Schuelke of McKendree.
Jump (1-1) dropped one slot after falling in sudden victory to McKendree’s Cory Peterson, with the two switching places in the rankings. Rolle (5-0) made the biggest splash, debuting at No. 4 after a dominating performance at the Drury Open that was capped by a 9-2 finals win over fifth-ranked Jimmy Anderson of Ouachita.
Morris (6-0) and Wells (5-1) also made their first appearance in the rankings, which were expanded from 12 to 15 individuals for the first time this week. Morris was a regional champion and national qualifier in 2023 who missed last season to injury.
The Bronchos don’t return to action until going to Wichita, Kan. on Dec. 6 to take on MIAA rival Newman.
