No. 3 UCO Ready For Midwest Classic

No. 3-ranked Central Oklahoma wraps up the first-semester schedule this weekend when the Bronchos trek to Indianapolis, Ind. for the 43rd Midwest Classic.

First-round action begins at 9 a.m. Saturday at Nicoson Hall and runs all day. The two-day tournament hosted by UIndy resumes at 8:30 a.m. Sunday and concludes with the finals at 2 p.m.

UCO is the highest of 17 ranked NCAA Division II teams in the huge 46-team field.

Other ranked squads in the event are No. T4 Indy, No. T4 Lander, No. 6 Pittsburgh-Johnstown, No. T9 Central Missouri, No. T9 Gannon, No. 11 Wisconsin-Parkside, No. 12 Glenville State, No. T13 McKendree, No. T13 Adams State, No. 16 Western Colorado, No. 17 Ashland, No. 18 Mercyhurst, No. 19 Lake Erie, No. 20 Northern State, No. 22 Mary and No. 23 Southwest Minnesota.

"There are a lot of really good teams in this tournament and it will certainly test us," head coach Todd Steidley said. "Our guys are going to have to be ready to compete for seven minutes every time they step on the mat.

"We've made strides since the start of the season, but there's so much work we need to do to get where we want to be. This tournament will be a great gauge for us and I'm looking forward to seeing how our guys react."

The Bronchos are the defending champions, winning last year's title by nine points over the host Greyhounds.

UCO LINEUP Here's a look at Central's lineup, with national ranking and record:

125 – No. 7 Studd Morris, Jr. (15-1); 133 – Dylan Lucas, So. (8-1); 141 – No. 12 Nate Keim, Sr. (8-3); 149 - No. 9 Brik Filippo, Sr. (10-3); 157 – No. 9 Gabe Johnson, RS Fr. (13-3); 165 – No. 12 Ty Lucas, Sr. (4-4); 174 – Tre'Vaughn Craig, Sr. (5-0); 184 – Anthony DesVigne, Jr. (13-2); No. 1 197 – Dalton Abney, Jr. (8-0); Hvy – No. 3 Shawn Streck, Jr. (6-0).

ABOUT THE BRONCHOS: UCO won last year's Midwest Classic despite missing three starters, losing two of those to sickness on the eve of the tournament.

The Bronchos finished with 106.5 points, with Dalton Abney's 4-0 finals win over Indy's Derek Blubaugh at 197 clinching the title. UCO also got runner-up finishes from 141 Nate Keim and 149 Brik Filippo, while 184 Alex Kauffman finished third and 125 Paxton Rosen fourth.

Abney is off to an 8-0 start with five bonus-point wins and the reigning national champion has stretched his winning streak to 34 in a row. The junior star has a 57-4 career record.

Studd Morris is 15-1, leading the team in wins. He's won six straight and has six bonus wins for the season.

Gabe Johnson (13-3), Anthony DesVigne (13-2) and Filippo (10-3) also have double-digit wins on the season.

Filippo, Keim and Ty Lucas each have 70-plus career wins. Filippo leads the way at 81-24, while Keim is 75-34 and Lucas 70-26.

Tre'Vaughn Craig (5-0, three bonus wins) and Shawn Streck (6-0, five bonus wins) have both started strong. Craig joined the team late after playing football for the Bronchos this fall and Streck missed the first part of the season while recovering from off-season surgery.

UCO will take a break over the Christmas holidays, not returning to action until going to Louisville, Ky. for the NWCA Division II National Duals Jan. 6-7.

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Players Mentioned

Paxton Rosen: 5' 3"; Junior

Dalton Abney: 6' 1"; Junior; 197

Tre'Vaughn Craig: 5' 11"; Senior

Anthony DesVigne: 5' 11"; Junior

Brik Filippo: 5' 8"; Senior; 149

Gabe Johnson: 5' 8"; Redshirt Freshman

Alex Kauffman: 5' 10"; Senior

Nate Keim: 5' 7"; Senior; 141

Ty Lucas: 5' 9"; Senior; 157

Studd Morris: 5' 0"; Junior

Players Mentioned

Paxton Rosen
: 5' 3"; Junior

Dalton Abney
: 6' 1"; Junior; 197

Tre'Vaughn Craig
: 5' 11"; Senior

Anthony DesVigne
: 5' 11"; Junior

Brik Filippo
: 5' 8"; Senior; 149

Gabe Johnson
: 5' 8"; Redshirt Freshman

Alex Kauffman
: 5' 10"; Senior

Nate Keim
: 5' 7"; Senior; 141

Ty Lucas
: 5' 9"; Senior; 157

Studd Morris
: 5' 0"; Junior