Wrestling 1/12/2018 1:00:00 PM Chris Brannick

No. 13 UCO Heads To Midwest Duals

KEARNEY, Neb. – The University of Central Oklahoma wrestling team has three duals on tap for Saturday when the 13th-ranked Bronchos take place in the sixth annual Midwest Duals. Central will wrestle Adams State, Mary, and San Francisco State Saturday at Nebraska-Kearney's Cushing Coliseum.

Central Oklahoma is 7-2 in duals on the season and coming off a 41-3 drubbing of Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association foe Central Missouri on Wednesday night. The Bronchos have won 32 of 34 duals dating back to this event in 2016.

"The Midwest Duals always have some really good teams," UCO head coach Todd Steidley said. "It ought to be a good day of competition for us."

Up first is Mary, scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. Saturday. The Bronchos have never wrestled the Marauders of Bismarck, N.D. before. Mary is ranked No. 22 in the country in the most recent Coaches' poll. Led by seventh-ranked 133-pounder Tate Barnhardt and fourth-ranked 149-pounder Rudy Guillen, Mary is 3-1 on the season.

Barnhardt, a junior from Bismarck, is 16-4 on the season with four falls. Guillen, a sophomore from Duluth, Ga., is 13-1 with one pin, three major decisions and three technical falls.

The Bronchos will go again at 10:30 a.m. Saturday against Adams State. UCO has beaten ASU in 24 of 30 duals. Adams State is 0-3 on the season, however, the Grizzlies have lost two duals by a single point, and the third by five points.

UCO's third and final dual of the day is scheduled to begin at noon against San Francisco State. The Midwest Duals will be the first trip out of the state of California for the Gators, who are 2-2 on the season.

SFSU is also unranked. The Bronchos are 3-1 all-time against San Francisco. UCO won 28 consecutive duals following a loss to San Francisco State at the Midwest Duals two years ago.

UCO heads into the Midwest Duals led by heavyweight Caleb Cotter. The senior is 16-1 on the season and has scored bonus-point wins in four of his last five matches, including three falls in his last four.

Cotter, a returning All-American, also has wins over three ranked opponents this season. Most recently, he knocked off the No. 1 ranked heavyweight in the country in Notre Dame's Kameron Teacher. He also edged ninth-ranked Mimmo Lytle at the Midwest Classic last month, and earned an 18-2 technical fall against 12th-ranked Ethan Sheretz.

UCO returns home following the Midwest Duals for a pair of MIAA matchups in Hamilton Field House next week. The Bronchos host Newman on Wednesday, Jan. 17, and Lindenwood on Sunday, Jan. 21.

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Players Mentioned

Caleb Cotter: 6' 2"; Senior; Hvy

Players Mentioned

Caleb Cotter
: 6' 2"; Senior; Hvy