Bronchos Place 11 At Golden Norsemen Open

MIAMI, Okla. (Jan. 29) – Central Oklahoma crowned three champions and added a pair of co-champs in a strong performance at the Golden Norsemen Open Saturday.

The Bronchos sent 16 back-ups and redshirting individuals to the all-day meet and returned with 11 top-four finishers.

Garrett Steidley (125 pounds), Anthony DesVigne (165) and Alex Kauffman (184) all won titles, while Tre'Vaughn Craig and Barrett Haemker shared the 174 crown after both made the finals. UCO also got a runner-up finish from 285 Christian Arriola, while 133 Will Manley, 141 Von Gray and 157 Gabe Johnson finished third and 149 Garrett Messimore and 184 Kohl Owen took fourth.

Central went 51-16 on the day with 30 bonus-point wins.

UCO, ranked No. 1 in NCAA Division II, will have its starting unit on the mat Sunday at Hamilton Field House for a 2 p.m. dual with Central Missouri.

Steidley went 3-0 on the day in winning his second open tourney of the season. He opened with a first-period fall and then posted back-to-back shutouts, winning 2-0 in the semifinals before blanking Ouachita Baptist's Noah Yeamans 3-0 for the title.

DeVigne won four matches in claiming the gold medal. The sophomore made the finals with a 16-1 technical fall and two decisions before routing Northeastern Oklahoma A&M's Richard Mack 11-0 in the title bout.

Kauffman also went 4-0 on the day, starting with a 10-2 major decision and second-period fall. The junior pulled out a tight 5-3 semifinal win before rolling over NEO's Jackson White 7-1 in the finals in improving to 24-4 on the season.

Craig had a technical fall, major decision and 6-5 victory in making the finals, while Haemker made it with a fall, technical fall and 4-2 win.

Arriola had three falls, two in the first period, to advance to the finals before dropping a tough 4-3 decision to NEO's Dan Baker, who is the top-ranked heavyweight in the junior college ranks.

Manley overcame a first-round loss with four straight wins to claim third, while Gray went 4-1 with a pair of bonus wins in taking the bronze. Johnson had two first-period falls in gliding into the semifinals before losing there, then came back with another fall and an 11-1 major decision in earning third.

Josh Taylor went 5-1 in reaching the consolation semifinals at 149, but couldn't continue after reaching the six-match limit for the day.

Championship Finals
125 – Garrett Steidley, UCO, dec. Noah Yeamans, Ouachita Baptist, 3-0.
165 – Anthony DesVigne, UCO, major dec. Richard Mack, NEO, 11-0.
174 – Co-champs: Tre'Vaughn Craig, UCO, and Barrett Haemker, UCO
184 – Alex Kauffman, UCO, dec. Jackson White, NEO, 7-1.
Hvy – Dan Baker, NEO, dec. Christian Arriola, UCO, 4-3.

Consolation Finals
133 – Will Manley, UCO, dec. Logan Chappell, Oklahoma City, 6-4.
141 – Von Gray, UCO, major dec. Bobby Robinson, Texas Wesleyan, 10-0.
149 – Jarod Kadel, Oklahoma State, dec. Garrett Messimore, UCO, 3-2.
157 – Gabe Johnson, UCO, major dec. Drake Vannoy, OCU, 11-1.
184 – Evan Shelley, OSU, dec. Kohl Owen, UCO, 8-5.

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Players Mentioned

Christian Arriola: 6' 3"; Redshirt Freshman; 285

Anthony DesVigne: 5' 11"; Redshirt Freshman

Von Gray: 6' 0"; Sophomore; 141

Garrett Messimore: 5' 6"; Freshman

Tre'Vaughn Craig: 5' 11"; Sophomore

Barrett Haemker: 5' 11"; Freshman

Gabe Johnson: 5' 8"; Freshman

Leyton Manley: 5' 5"; Freshman

Garrett Steidley: 5' 5"; Freshman

Alex Kauffman: 5' 10"; Junior

Players Mentioned

Christian Arriola
: 6' 3"; Redshirt Freshman; 285

Anthony DesVigne
: 5' 11"; Redshirt Freshman

Von Gray
: 6' 0"; Sophomore; 141

Garrett Messimore
: 5' 6"; Freshman

Tre'Vaughn Craig
: 5' 11"; Sophomore

Barrett Haemker
: 5' 11"; Freshman

Gabe Johnson
: 5' 8"; Freshman

Leyton Manley
: 5' 5"; Freshman

Garrett Steidley
: 5' 5"; Freshman

Alex Kauffman
: 5' 10"; Junior