No. 5-ranked Central Oklahoma returns to the mat this weekend with a pair of duals, one on the road and one at home.
The Bronchos, 7-1 on the season, travel to Springfield, Mo. Friday to take on Drury at 7 p.m. before returning home Sunday to host Colorado State-Pueblo at 2 p.m. on Alumni Day.
The Panthers are 4-2, while the Thunderwolves are 8-2 heading into a Friday home dual against No. 18 Colorado School of Mines. UCO has never lost to either team, owning a 4-0 series lead over Drury and a 22-0 advantage against CSU-P.
“We’re looking forward to getting back at it,” said head coach Todd Steidley, whose team hasn’t competed since a runner-up finish at NWCA Division II National Duals Jan. 10-11. “We only have six duals left, so we really need to get some momentum built for the postseason.”
“Everybody has been working hard in the room and we’ve made a lot of progress. We have some guys banged up, but I’m looking forward to seeing how we do this weekend.”
THE LINEUPS: Here’s a look at the probable lineups for this weekend.
UCO: 125 – Studd Morris, Sr. (17-1); 133 – Peter Rolle, Sr. (12-3) or Eli Kirk, RS Fr. (17-4); 141 – Josh Taylor, So. (15-1) or Dylan Lucas, Sr. (6-2); 149 – Dylan Brown, Sr. (7-4); 157 – Gabe Johnson, Jr. (13-1); 165 – Hunter Jump, Sr. (8-5); 174 – Zane Coleman, Sr. (15-6) or Tucker Waitman, RS Fr. (17-5); 184 – Garrett Wells, So. (11-4); 197 – Emmanuel Skillings, So. (10-5); Hvy – Judson Rowland, So. (5-3) or Paul Sharp, So. (12-13).
Drury: 125 – Bryson Humphries, Fr. (8-3); 133 – Kyshin Isringhausen, RS Fr. (4-5); 141 – Nate Wishne, So. (8-8); 149 – Trevor Christian, Sr. (14-5); 157 – Joe Kuster, RS Fr. (14-5); 165 – Will Kuster, Sr. (15-5); 174 – Jeremiah Halter, So. (10-10) or Gaven Bremenkamp, RS Fr. (9-4); 184 – Nate Brower, RS Fr. (7-3); 197 – Wade Stanton, RS Fr. (2-1); Hvy – Jaxon Glenn, So. (3-8) or Jack Stoffel, RS Fr. (6-9).
Colorado State-Pueblo: 125 – Rhys Sellers, Jr.; 133 – Eddie Bowman, Fr.; 141 – Hayden Tuma, Fr.; 149 – Kevin Boston, Fr.; 157 – Cyruss Meeks, Sr.; 165 – Aaron Concepcion, Fr; 174 – Solomon Arnds-Volcin, So; 184 – Donn Greer, Jr.; 197 – Remington Winmill, So.; Hvy – Henry Sturn, So.
ABOUT THE BRONCHOS: UCO hasn’t competed since the NWCA Division II National Duals in Cedar Falls, Iowa on Jan. 10-11. The Bronchos went 3-1 in that event, beating No. 11 Mary (26-15), No. 2 Wisconsin-Parkside (20-15) and No. 4 Nebraska-Kearney (22-14) before falling to No. 1 St. Cloud State 21-16 in the finals.
That setback ended a school-record 29-match winning streak by the Bronchos that dated back to a 19-16 loss to SCSU in the 2003 NWCA Division II National Duals finals. Those are UCO’s only two losses in its last 56 duals.
The Bronchos will take a 22-match home winning streak into Sunday’s dual with CSU-Pueblo, the last loss coming on Feb. 3, 2019 to Nebraska-Kearney (19-15). The school record for consecutive home wins is 24, set from 2010-2015.
Central has eight individuals ranked in the top 15 at their respective weight, led by No. 1 pick Studd Morris at 125. Defending national champion Gabe Johnson is No. 2 at 157, while 141 Dylan Lucas is fifth, 133 Peter Rolle sixth, 165 Hunter Jump 10th, 184 Garrett Wells 10th, 149 Dylan Brown 12th and 197 Emmanuel Skillings 13th.
Morris leads the team with a 17-1 record that includes 10 bonus-point wins. The senior went 4-0 at the National Duals, including a win over previous No. 1 and now No. 2 Zach Ourada of UNK, and is 89-22 for his career.
Johnson fell from his perch at No. 1 after having a 28-match winning streak ended with a 4-1 sudden-victory loss to SCSU’s Joel Jesuroga, who took over the top spot. He’s now 13-1 with nine bonus wins.
SUNDAY IS ALUMNI DAY: All former UCO wrestlers, coaches, managers and trainers are encouraged to attend Sunday’s Alumni Day dual against CSU-Pueblo.
A reception will be held from 12:30 p.m. to approximately 5 p.m. in the practice gym attached to Hamilton Field House, with refreshments and a cash bar available. The 1984-85 and 1994-95 national championship teams will be recognized during intermission.
