UCO Ready For Regional

No. 20-ranked Central Oklahoma looks to ride the momentum of a late-season surge to a strong performance in the NCAA Division II Super Regional IV Tournament Saturday in St. Charles, Mo.

The Bronchos knocked off two top-10 teams down the stretch in finishing off a 12-4 dual campaign and will have a healthy 10-man contingent for the tournament that serves as a qualifier for the NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships, set for March 8-9 in Cleveland, Ohio.

First-round action begins at 10 a.m. at Hyland Arena on the Lindenwood campus and continues all day, with the championship and consolation finals set for 6 p.m. The top-three finishers at each weight advance to the national tournament. Live stats will be available through trackwrestling.com.

"Our goal is to qualify all 10 guys and I don't see any reason why we can't do that if everybody wrestles the way they're capable of," third-year head coach Todd Steidley said. "Our guys have worked hard all year and we've made a lot of progress, especially in the last month or so."

UCO will be competing in what is undoubtedly the hardest of the six regionals being held around the country this weekend, with six of the 11 teams ranked in the top 20.

No. 4 McKendree leads the field, with the host Lions at No. 9, Fort Hays State at No. 10, Maryville at No. 12, Newman at No. 18 and the Bronchos. Also in the tournament is Central Missouri, Drury, Ouachita Baptist, Kentucky Wesleyan and Truman State.

"It's definitely the toughest regional, but the schedule we've wrestled this year has prepared us for that," Steidley said. "It's time to just go out and let loose. Have some fun, wrestle hard for seven minutes and give it your best shot. That's all I can ask of our guys."

Here's a look at Central's lineup for the regional:

125 – Tanner Cole, RS Fr. (6-4); 133 – Noah McQuigg, So. (14-10), 141 – Nate Keim, RS Fr. (14-5); 149 – Brik Filippo, RS Fr. (20-6); 157 – Ty Lucas, RS Fr. (14-3); 165 – Wyatt Jordan, Jr. (14-5); 174 – Devin Crawl, Jr. (8-11), 184 – Heath Gray, So. (29-1); 197 – Colton Looper, Sr. (22-7); Hvy – Greg Wilson, Sr. (6-2).

Gray leads the Bronchos with a 29-1 record that includes 18 bonus-point wins and the sophomore standout is ranked second nationally. Wilson (10th) and Looper (12th) are the only other individuals ranked in the top 12.

Looper has a team-high 10 falls among his 22 wins and he's won eight of his last nine matches. Wilson is UCO's only starter with national tournament experience, having qualified for the Bronchos at 197 two years ago.

Filippo has also reached the 20-win mark at 20-6 and has 10 bonus wins, while Lucas has eight bonus victories. Jordan was a two-time national finalist in junior college, winning one title, and has won seven of his last eight matches.

This is the first year for the new six-regional alignment, with 30 wrestlers from each advancing to the national tournament for a total of 180 qualifiers – 18 at each of the 10 weights.

Print Friendly Version

Players Mentioned

Tanner Cole: 5' 6"; Redshirt Freshman; 133/141

Brik Filippo: 5' 8"; Redshirt Freshman; 149

Heath Gray: 5' 11"; Sophomore; 174

Nate Keim: 5' 7"; Redshirt Freshman; 141

Colton Looper: 5' 8"; Senior; 197

Ty Lucas: 5' 9"; Redshirt Freshman; 149

Noah McQuigg: 5' 5"; Sophomore; 125

Wyatt Jordan: 5' 11"; Junior; 165

Devin Crawl: 5' 10"; Junior; 174

Greg Wilson: 5' 10"; Senior; 197

Players Mentioned

Tanner Cole
: 5' 6"; Redshirt Freshman; 133/141

Brik Filippo
: 5' 8"; Redshirt Freshman; 149

Heath Gray
: 5' 11"; Sophomore; 174

Nate Keim
: 5' 7"; Redshirt Freshman; 141

Colton Looper
: 5' 8"; Senior; 197

Ty Lucas
: 5' 9"; Redshirt Freshman; 149

Noah McQuigg
: 5' 5"; Sophomore; 125

Wyatt Jordan
: 5' 11"; Junior; 165

Devin Crawl
: 5' 10"; Junior; 174

Greg Wilson
: 5' 10"; Senior; 197