Wrestling 10/16/2020 9:00:00 AM Mike Kirk

Friday Feature: An Historic First

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EDMOND – There were some in the collegiate wrestling world who doubted Central Oklahoma would be the overwhelming force in NCAA Division II that it was in the NAIA ranks when the Bronchos made the move up prior to the 1989-90 season.

But UCO – which captured eight national titles in its last 11 years in the NAIA – quickly established itself as a power to be reckoned with, finishing runner-up in its first two Division II national tournaments.

And that set the stage for the 1991-92 campaign, when the Bronchos were poised to prove just how dominate they could be. Four All-Americans (Wayne Cole, Todd Drake, Howard Moore and Randy Zellner), two national qualifiers (Fay Barnett and Chance Skidgel) and another starter (Keith Cunningham) returned from the year before.

"With the people we've got coming back, I think we have to be considered one of the contenders," 10^th-year head coach David James said in the 1991-92 UCO media guide season outlook. "A lot of how we do will be determined by what the kids did in the summer. Did they sit around and get lazy or did they do something to make themselves better?"

The results answered that question.

Central went 14-1 in duals, with only a controversial loss to Oklahoma marring the record, and competed at a high level all season. The Bronchos won the Southwest Missouri Invitational, were second in the Western Colorado Invitational behind New Mexico and finished 14^th in the prestigious Las Vegas Invitational. James' crew rolled to the Midwest Regional title and capped the season with the school's first-ever Division II national championship.

UCO knocked off four Division I teams (Boise State, Michigan State, New Mexico and San Diego State) and were basically robbed of its first-ever undefeated season with a 17-16 setback to the Sooners in Norman in the dual finale. Cole, Cunningham, Drake, Skidgel and Ryan Martin all won while Moore wrestled to a draw as the Bronchos took a 17-11 lead into the final match at heavyweight.

Barnett had to not get pinned to avoid OU forging a tie and he did that. But, with just one second left in the match, Barnett was given his fifth stalling call and was disqualified. The resulting six points made it 17-17, then referee Bruce Hubbard deducted a team point from UCO when James disputed the last-second call.

"The kids did everything they could to win the match and had it taken away from them," James told the Vista after the match. "I couldn't be more proud of the way we wrestled and the way we conducted ourselves, but it didn't pan out. I know one thing – the University of Central Oklahoma outwrestled the University of Oklahoma tonight."

The Bronchos put that disappointment behind them and won their third straight Midwest Regional crown two weeks later in Edwardsville, Ill. while qualifying nine individuals for the NCAA Division II Championships. Cole, Cunningham, Drake, Martin, Moore and Travis Moman all won titles, while Skidgel, Zellner and Brooks Levonitis earned wildcard berths after finishing second.

"I thought our guys did a super job of staying focused on the job at hand and not looking ahead to nationals," James told the Vista. "Obviously we've put ourselves in good position for the national tournament. We know it's going to be a tight race, but I've got a lot of confidence in the nine guys we're taking up there."

Top-rated UCO was indeed in excellent position for the national tournament, which was set for March 6-7 in Greely, Colo., but the nine guys became eight when the second-ranked Cole – 40-7 on the season -- was suspended just before the team left town.

More adversity awaited the Bronchos during the two-day tournament as Martin and Skidgel both suffered severe injuries that drastically affected their performance.

And it still didn't matter.

Central crowned three champions, added three other All-Americans and finished with 91.5 points to claim its ninth national championship. North Dakota State and Portland State tied for second, 13 points behind.

Cunningham (158), Moore (167) and Zellner (118) won gold medals, while Drake (142) and Moman (126) finished third and Martin (134) fifth.

"It seemed like everything was going against us, even before we got here, but the kids didn't get down," James said in the Vista's tournament wrap-up. "They stayed focused on what we came here to do. It's an unbelievable feeling. These guys paid the price and they deserve this."

Zellner pulled off three straight upsets in claiming the crown at 118. The fifth-seeded sophomore opened the tournament with a 3-1 win, knocked off the No. 4 seed 6-3 in the quarterfinals, upended the top seed in overtime in the semifinals and outlasted the No. 2 seed 6-3 in the title bout.

Cunningham was seeded second and advanced to the finals with an 8-0 shutout and consecutive two-point victories. Cunningham's championship hopes were on the ropes in overtime when Cheney's Kendall Southerland appeared on the verge of getting the winning takedown, but the sophomore flipped the script and came out on top in a wild scramble to cap a 43-9 season.

Moore ended his stellar career in style as he made his No. 1 seeding hold up with 3-1, 9-7, 5-1 and 9-6 wins. It was the second national crown for the four-time All-American, whose finals triumph secured the team title for the Bronchos and ended a 24-2-3 season that saw him miss the first two months to injury.

Drake was seeded third and finished third for the second straight year. The junior opened with a 9-7 victory before getting upset in the quarterfinals, but he bounced back with four consolation wins and took third with an overtime triumph.

Moman's third-place finish was also key for UCO. The fifth-seeded freshman eked out a 2-1 first-round win and then lost in the quarterfinals before rebounding in the consolations. Moman won four straight to take the bronze medal, knocking off the Nos. 3 and 1 seeds in his last two matches.

Martin was seeded third and followed an opening-round bye with a 5-4 win before suffering an ACL tear in his knee in a semifinal loss. The sophomore lost his first consolation match, then gutted out a 2-1 upset of the No. 1 seed to take fifth.

The resilient Bronchos combined to win 15 matches by two points or less and it all added up to their first Division II championship. And, with the bulk of the team returning, put the rest of Division II on notice that unseating the Bronchos was going to be a tall order.

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