ST. LOUIS, Mo. (March 11) – Alex Kauffman pulled off a major upset at 174 pounds and No. 2-ranked Central Oklahoma won eight of its nine matches in opening-round action at the NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships Friday at Chaifetz Arena.
Kauffman scored a late six-point move to notch a stunning 10-2 major decision of second-seeded Cade Mueller of Augustana at 174 pounds as the Bronchos advanced seven of their eight qualifiers into Friday night's quarterfinals.
Also moving on were 125 Paxton Rosen, 149 Brik Filippo, 157 Ty Lucas, 184 Heath Gray, 197 Dalton Abney and Hvy Shawn Streck. Central's lone loss came at 133, where top-seeded Tanner Cole dropped a tight 3-2 decision.
Top-rated Nebraska-Kearney leads the team race with 16 points, followed by UCO (12), No. 3 St. Cloud State (9) and No. 4 West Liberty (8.5). The tournament resumes at 5 p.m. with the quarterfinals and two rounds of consolations.
"Other than Tanner's match it was a good start for us," head coach Todd Steidley said. "I thought our guys wrestled hard. Tanner had a tough match and needs to bounce back tonight, but I'm confident he'll do that."
Kauffman had the biggest win for the 15-time national champion Bronchos, turning a barn-burner into a runaway in the final seconds.
The unseeded junior scored a takedown midway through the first period, with Mueller escaping a minute later to make it 2-1. Mueller tied it on a second-period escape and Kauffman got free early in the final period to go up 3-2.
Kauffman clinched the upset in the final five seconds, turning Mueller's last-gasp takedown try into a takedown of his own and then adding a four-point near-fall and riding-time point to secure the bonus-point win.
Rosen advanced with a tough 3-1 victory over Jaxson Rohman of Augustana. The second-seeded junior took a 3-0 lead on a takedown in the final minute of the third period before giving up a late escape.
The second-seeded Filippo moved into the quarterfinals with a methodical 6-2 decision, scoring takedowns in each of the first two periods to go along with an escape and riding time point.
Lucas racked up five takedowns in a 12-4 major decision, with the fifth-seeded junior getting the last of those with just 15 seconds left to gain the bonus-point victory.
Heath also used a late score to earn an extra team point for the Bronchos. The second-seeded senior and defending national champion had six takedowns in a 13-4 rout, getting the final one with 18 seconds left.
Abney advanced to the quarters with a 4-0 shutout to remain unbeaten (23-0). The top-seeded sophomore got a takedown in the opening period, added an escape and the second and then controlled North Carolina-Pembroke's Bryce Walker the entire third period to add a riding time point.
Streck had the lone preliminary round match for UCO and cruised to a 15-3 major decision behind a six-takedown attack. The third-seeded sophomore followed with a hard-earned 3-2 victory over Weston Hunt of Colorado Mines – last year's national runner-up – on the strength of a second-period takedown.
The Bronchos suffered a big blow with Cole's 3-2 loss to Lake Erie's Corey Gamet.
Gamet scored a first-period takedown to take a 2-0 lead, but Cole tied it with an escape later in the period and to start the second. Cole was close to securing a riding time point in the final stanza when Gamet got loose to go ahead 3-2 and he held on for the upset.
NCAA DIVISION II CHAMPIONSHIPS
CHAMPIONSHIP PRELIMINARY ROUND
Hvy –
Shawn Streck, UCO, major dec. Juan Holmes, Limestone, 15-3.
CHAMPIONSHIP FIRST ROUND
125 –
Paxton Rosen, UCO, dec. Jaxson Rohman, Augustana, 3-1.
133 – Corey Gamet, Lake Erie, dec.
Tanner Cole, UCO, 3-2.
149 –
Brik Filippo, UCO, dec. Jordan Watters, West Liberty, 6-2.
157 –
Ty Lucas, UCO, major dec. Chance Esmont, Ashland, 12-4.
174 –
Alex Kauffman, UCO, major dec. Cade Mueller, Augustana, 10-2.
184 –
Heath Gray, UCO, major dec. Cole Houser, Glenville State, 13-4.
197 –
Dalton Abney, UCO, dec. Bryce Walker, North Carolina-Pembroke, 4-0.
Hvy – Streck, UCO, dec. Weston Hunt, Colorado Mines, 3-2.
