No. 1 Bronchos End Dual Season Sunday

Top-ranked Central Oklahoma wraps up the dual and regular season schedule Sunday when the Bronchos host Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association rival Newman for a 2 p.m. contest at Hamilton Field House.

UCO is 12-0 on the season and 3-0 in the league, while the No. 24 Jets from Wichita, Kan. are 4-4 and 0-3. The Bronchos can claim their second straight MIAA title with a win.

Central will also be looking to polish off just the fourth undefeated season in its illustrious history. The Bronchos went 4-0-1 in 1929-30, 18-0 in 2016-17 and 5-0 in the COVID-shortened 2020-21 campaign.

"One of our goals entering the season was to win all our duals and we're excited we have an opportunity to do that," said head coach Todd Steidley, who is 72-11 in his sixth year at the helm. "It's our last chance to wrestle in front of our home fans, so the guys are looking forward to that.

"It's been a long season, but we're still focused on the goals we have in front of us at the regional and national tournaments. We have a lot of work to do in the next couple of weeks."

UCO's quest for its 16th national championship – and the first since 2007 – begins Feb. 26 at the NCAA Division II Regional IV Tournament in St. Charles, Mo. The top-three finishers at each of the 10 weights in the regional qualify for the NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships, which are set for March 11-12 in St. Louis, Mo.

THE LINEUPS: Here's a look at Sunday's probable starters, with UCO wrestler listed first:

125 – Paxton Rosen, Jr. (22-4) vs. D'Andre Brown, Fr. (10-8); 133 – Tanner Cole, Jr. (15-2) vs. open; 141 – Nate Keim, Jr. (20-4) vs. Caleb Streeter, Fr. (2-10); 149 – Brik Filippo, Jr. (21-2) vs. Garrett Lange, Jr. (7-4); 157 – Ty Lucas, Jr. (15-2) vs. Jace Fisher, Fr. (15-5); 165 – Hunter Jump, RS Fr. (18-5) or Anthony DesVigne, So. (15-10) vs. Kameron Frame, Jr. (9-1); 174 – Kalin Winkler, Jr. (15-4) or Tre'Vaughn Craig, Jr. (11-3) vs. J.D. Johnson, So. (16-8); 184 – Alex Kauffman, Jr. (24-4) vs. Open; 197 – Dalton Abney, So. (18-0) vs. Ivan Balavage, Jr. (10-5); Hvy – Shawn Streck, So. (5-0) vs. open.

UCO owns a 16-0 series lead, including a 40-6 road win last year.

ABOUT THE BRONCHOS: Central is riding an 18-match winning streak that dates back to 2020 and the Bronchos have also won 10 straight home duals.

UCO won two MIAA road duals last weekend, blasting Fort Hays State 34-0 Saturday night before pulling out a tense 18-17 victory over No. 3 Nebraska-Kearney the next afternoon.

The Bronchos took six of 10 matches against UNK, highlighted by overtime wins by Keim and Filippo, who knocked off top-rated Sam Turner. UCO trailed 17-12 going to the last wo matches, but got a 6-0 shutout from Abney at 197 and a 5-2 win by Streck over No. 7 Lee Herrington in the finale that decided the outcome.

Central has eight individuals ranked in the top 12 at their respective weight, led by three No. 1s in Cole, Gray and Abney. Filippo and Lucas are rated third, while Keim is fourth, Rosen sixth and Jump 12th.

Three of UCO's starters have won 20-plus matches – Rosen (22), Filippo (21) and Keim (20). Rosen has a team-high 13 bonus-point wins, while Filippo has nine and Keim eight.

Abney is unbeaten at 18-0 with eight falls and two major decisions. The sophomore standout has a 41-4 career record with 23 bonus wins, including 18 falls.

Gray had a 50-match winning streak ended against UNK, which ranks second on UCO's all-time list. He's 87-4 for his career, a phenomenal 95.6 winning percentage that is easily the best in school history.

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Players Mentioned

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

Tanner Cole: 5' 6"; Sophomore

Anthony DesVigne: 5' 11"; Redshirt Freshman

Brik Filippo: 5' 8"; Sophomore; 149

Nate Keim: 5' 7"; Sophomore; 141

Ty Lucas: 5' 9"; Sophomore; 157

Hunter Jump: 6' 2"; Freshman

Kalin Winkler: 6' 0"; Junior

Tre'Vaughn Craig: 5' 11"; Sophomore

Paxton Rosen: 5' 3"; Junior

Players Mentioned

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

Tanner Cole
: 5' 6"; Sophomore

Anthony DesVigne
: 5' 11"; Redshirt Freshman

Brik Filippo
: 5' 8"; Sophomore; 149

Nate Keim
: 5' 7"; Sophomore; 141

Ty Lucas
: 5' 9"; Sophomore; 157

Hunter Jump
: 6' 2"; Freshman

Kalin Winkler
: 6' 0"; Junior

Tre'Vaughn Craig
: 5' 11"; Sophomore

Paxton Rosen
: 5' 3"; Junior