Wrestling 3/19/2020 2:26:00 PM Mike Kirk

National Tournament Cancellation Still Stings For UCO Wrestlers

On the cusp of competing in their first – and only – national wrestling tournament last week, Central Oklahoma seniors Cody Karstetter and Zachary Moore instead saw their careers end in an emotional hotel room team meeting and not on the mat.

The fifth-ranked Bronchos of fourth-year head coach Todd Steidley had qualified six individuals for the NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships that were scheduled to start last Friday, March 13, in Sioux Falls, S.D. Redshirt freshman Dalton Abney and sophomores Brik Filippo and Ty Lucas were also making their first appearance, while junior Heath Gray was in the tournament for the second time.

UCO's contingent made the drive to Sioux Falls Wednesday. Early Thursday afternoon, Steidley -- as coach of a top-five team -- and Gray – as the No. 1 seed at 184 pounds -- participated in separate press conferences. An hour-long practice at the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center followed before the team returned to their hotel.

And then, at 3:17 p.m., came word that the NCAA was immediately cancelling all winter championships on every level due to the escalating Coronavirus pandemic.

"We got back to the hotel after practice and within five minutes I got an email saying the tournament had been cancelled," Steidley said. "I texted the guys to come to my room and just said 'there's no easy way to say this' and gave them the news. Nobody said anything for a minute or two.

"There were some tears, no doubt about it. It was a very difficult situation, but I was proud of the way our guys handled it. Obviously they were all crushed, but everybody handled it like the mature young men that they are."

In an instant, the dreams that UCO's qualifiers had of becoming an All-American or contending for a national championship were dashed. For Karstetter and Moore it was even more devastating.

"I didn't think it was real," Moore said of hearing the news. "It felt like I was in a movie. Ever since then I've had a feeling that something's missing, there's something I can't accomplish. It's like a missing puzzle piece that I can't find to put in."

A Putnam City High School product who spent four years at West Virginia before transferring to UCO for his final season, Moore was on a roll entering the national tournament. He had battled Filippo for the starting spot at 149 throughout the season while also seeing time at 157 and then jumped to 165 for the Regional IV Tournament.

Moore went 5-1 in that tournament in finishing third to earn a qualifying berth, with his only loss a tough 3-2 decision to the top-ranked wrestler in the country.

"I had all that momentum from the regional and then nationals gets cancelled," said Moore, who finished the season 26-8 with a team-high 14 falls. "Every time I hear the word Coronavirus I'm reminded about it and I hear that word a thousand times a day. It still hurts."

Karstetter, like Moore, is in his fifth year of college. He's battled injuries throughout a career that saw him attend two Division I universities and Northeastern Oklahoma A&M before landing at UCO two years ago.

After settling into the lineup at 133 early in the second semester, Karstetter had been making plenty of noise. He had beaten several ranked wrestlers, qualified for nationals with a regional runner-up finish and was excited about ending his career standing on the podium as an All-American.

It was not to be.

"With social media it's easy to see the news spread and I saw stuff getting shut down left and right as we were on the bus heading to the tournament," Karstetter said. "As a wrestler you think there's no way that's going to happen, especially after we got there and got comfortable.

"We spent the night, ate breakfast and went to practice. I wasn't really thinking about it that much because I was really focused on the tournament. And then it all blew up."

A week later, the emotions are still raw for Karstetter.

"This Pandemic is a bad situation and hopefully it gets settled," the Tulsa native said. "But as far as my athletic career is concerned I'm gonna be selfish about it. It means a lot to you when you've grown up around the sport and always looked forward to competing in the national tournament and then when you finally get a chance to do that, it's ripped away.

"Others are talking about their seasons ending and I'm talking about my career ending. I'm hopeful that those who qualified for nationals get another year, or at least another semester, but I know that's probably a long shot."

The pain is also still with Gray, though having another season ahead of him in 2020-21 takes away some of the sting.

"For the most part I'm still heartbroken," Gray said. "I didn't think this is how it would go down, especially being the number one guy. Nothing's guaranteed, but I liked my chances."

As well he should have. Ranked No. 1 most of the season after finishing third in last year's national tournament, Gray carried a 29-1 record and 28-match winning streak to Sioux Falls. He didn't figure to leave town with the same marks.

"Wrestling is a grind," Gray said. "It's six months of beating down your body and it's pretty demoralizing to work all that time to accomplish a goal and then get it ripped away from you.

"I told myself if they cancelled it I was gonna freak out. I had one little breakdown, that's about it. It's still tough to take, but it's best to not get too mad because I can't do anything about it."

Steidley also tries not to dwell on what his six-man team could have accomplished, though that's still difficult.

"I really felt like we were wrestling well and were peaking at the right time," Steidley said. "I feel in my heart that all six guys would have been All-Americans and think we would have had a few with a chance to make the finals.

"But looking back, it was the right decision. I hate it for our guys and initially I thought it was a huge knee-jerk reaction, but in hindsight it wasn't worth getting people infected. We have to worry about what's best for our country and our citizens."

Even if that meant cutting short the season – and career – of thousands of student-athletes.

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Players Mentioned

Dalton Abney: 6' 1"; Redshirt Freshman; 197

Brik Filippo: 5' 8"; Sophomore; 149

Heath Gray: 5' 11"; Junior; 184

Cody Karstetter: 5' 7"; Senior; 133

Ty Lucas: 5' 9"; Sophomore; 157

Zachary Moore: 5' 6"; Senior

Players Mentioned

Dalton Abney
: 6' 1"; Redshirt Freshman; 197

Brik Filippo
: 5' 8"; Sophomore; 149

Heath Gray
: 5' 11"; Junior; 184

Cody Karstetter
: 5' 7"; Senior; 133

Ty Lucas
: 5' 9"; Sophomore; 157

Zachary Moore
: 5' 6"; Senior