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Paxton Rosen
Paxton Rosen

Wrestling

Bronchos Poised For National Title Bid

INDIVIDUAL BRACKETS
CHAMPIONSHIP WEBSITE

One last goal remains for Central Oklahoma in what has been a wonderous 2021-22 season and that quest starts Friday morning when the NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships get underway at Chaifetz Arena in St. Louis, Mo.

Preliminary- and first-round action begins at 11 a.m., with the quarterfinals and two rounds of consolations at 5 p.m. The tournament resumes Saturday at 10 a.m. with the semifinals and conclusion of all consolation matches, then concludes with the championship finals at 7 p.m.

The No. 2-ranked Bronchos are looking to finish off what has been a remarkable season.

UCO won the prestigious Midwest Classic, claimed the NWCA Division II National Duals championship for the first time in 20 years, went undefeated in duals (13-0) and captured its second straight Super Regional IV crown.

Now the Bronchos are ready to bid for the program's 16th national championship – and the first since 2007 – behind eight individual qualifiers, seven of which are seeded in the top five at their weight.

"Our guys have worked hard all year and this is what we've been preparing for," head coach Todd Steidley said. "They've been incredibly consistent. It's going to be a big challenge this weekend, but we're ready.

"It should be a great tournament and several teams have a chance. We can't worry about what other people are doing. Our goal is wrestle hard for seven minutes every time we step on the mat and not look past the guy in front of us.

"Bonus points will be big and bouncing back if something doesn't go our way is vital. I like the guys we have, they've paid their dues to get to this point. We're excited to see how it plays out."

ABOUT THE TOURNAMENT: St. Cloud State has won the last three national tournaments – the 2020 event was canceled by the coronavirus pandemic – and five of the last six.

Top-ranked Nebraska-Kearney has the most individual qualifiers with nine, all of whom are seeded in the top six at their weight.

UCO, No. 4 West Liberty, No. 8 Augustana and No. 11 Gannon have the second-most qualifiers with eight, while St. Cloud and No. 5 Indianapolis have seven each.

There are 18 individuals at each of the 10 weights for a total of 180 qualifiers.

UCO IN THE NATIONAL TOURNAMENT: The Bronchos have long had one of the most successful programs in the nation, having claimed 15 national championships --  eight in NAIA (1979, '81, '82, '84, '85, '86, '87 and '89) and seven since joining NCAA Division II in 1990 (1992, '93, '94, '95, '02, '03 and '07).

UCO has also had eight national runner-up finishes in four different divisions – AAU (1935), NCAA Division I (1936), NAIA (1974 and '88) and NCAA Division II (1990, '91, '96 and '00).

Central has had 37 top-four national tournament finishes in its 68-year history, including 33 in the last 49 years. The Bronchos came in sixth last year.


Here's a look at each of Central's eight national qualifiers.

125 Paxton Rosen, Jr. – Seeded second with 25-4 record that includes 14 bonus wins (six falls, four tech falls, four majors) … Takes 11-match winning streak into nationals and faces Jaxson Rohman of Augustana in the first round … Is 19-3 against Division II competition this season, including 3-2 mark against opponents in the bracket … Qualified for nationals by winning his second straight regional title, beating McKendree's Christian Mejia 4-3 in finals … Won the Dan Harris Open, took second at the Lindenwood Open and was fourth at the Midwest Classic … Earned All-America honors last year with sixth-place national tournament finish, ending 9-3 in COVID-shortened season.

133 Tanner Cole, Jr. – Seeded No. 1 with 19-2 record and has nine bonus wins (four majors, three tech falls, two falls) … Riding 11-match winning streak and will meet Lake Erie's Corey Gamet in first round of national tournament … Has 14-0 record against Division II competition this season, including 3-0 vs. national tourney qualifiers … Captured Super Regional IV title with 3-1 finals win over Lindenwood's Tanner Hitchcock … Runner-up in both the Dan Harris and Lindenwood opens and missed Midwest Classic to illness … Finished fourth in regional tournament in both 2019 and '20 at 125 pounds in just missing qualifying for nationals, then made it at 133 last year with runner-up showing … Placed third at national meet in 2021 to earn All-America honors … Has 55-17 career record.

149 Brik Filippo, Jr. – Seeded No. 2 with 25-2 record, including 10 bonus wins (four majors, three falls, three tech falls) … Is riding a 12-match winning streak and meets West Liberty's Jordan Watters in the first round at nationals … Has 20-1 record against Division II competition, including 5-1 mark vs. individuals in his bracket … Qualified for national meet with championship effort at Super Regional IV Tournament, beating Indianapolis' Logan Bailey 5-4 in the finals … Won the Dan Harris Open to start the season and was runner-up at both the Lindenwood Open and Midwest Classic … Just missed national tournament berth with fourth-place regional finish in 2019, then took third the next year to qualify before international pandemic canceled the national meet … Has 68-19 career record.

157 Ty Lucas, Jr. – Has 18-3 record with seven bonus wins (four majors, three tech falls) … Seeded fifth and will meet either Chance Esmont of Ashland or Mason Boutain of San Francisco State in the first round … 13-3 against Division II opponents this season, including 2-3 vs. opponents in his bracket … Qualified for nationals with regional runner-up finish, falling to Central Missouri's John Ridle 2-0 in the finals … Lindenwood Open champion this season … Won regional title last year and placed fifth at national tournament to earn All-America honors for second straight year … Took sixth at regional in 2019, then was runner-up in '20 and was named an All-American by the NWCA after the national tournament was canceled … Has 65-20 career record.

174 Alex Kauffman, Jr. – Has team-high 27 wins (27-5) with 13 bonus wins (eight falls, five majors) … Faces second-seeded Cade Mueller of Augustana in the first round … Made debut at 174 in the regional and qualified with third-place finish, going 3-1 in the tournament … Went 24-3 at 184 and 0-1 at 197 this season … Won titles at the Dan Harris and Golden Norsemen opens this season while finishing third at the Viking and Lindenwood opens and the Midwest Classic – all of those at 184 … Went 5-1 at the Midwest, beating two ranked opponents while filling in for injured Heath Gray … Has 16-4 record against Division II competition … Lost 5-1 decision to No. 2 Noah Ryan of St. Cloud State in only match at 197 … Junior college All-American at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M.

184 Heath Gray, Sr. – No. 2 seed looking to become the 11th four-time All-American and 17th two-time national champion in school history … Set to take on Glenville State's Cole Houser in first round of nationals … Missed significant part of the season after suffering early injury and is 12-1 with eight bonus wins (seven majors, one tech fall) … Had 50-match winning streak snapped with 3-2 loss to Nebraska-Kearney's Billy Higgins – seeded third at nationals – in final match before the regional … Is 11-1 against Division II competition, including 3-1 vs. opponents in the bracket … Became just the third four-time regional champion in school history two weeks ago, beating McKendree's Dan Filipek 2-1 in the finals … Placed sixth in regional at 174 in 2017 while at Newman before transferring to UCO … Regional champion and third-place national finisher in 2019 … Took regional title again the next season, then was named Division II Wrestler of the Year and an All-American by the NWCA after the national tournament was canceled … Captured third regional crown in 2021 with 4-1 finals victory over Filipek … Beat West Liberty's Connor Craig – the No. 1 seed in this year's tourney – 3-2 in last year's national finals … Has sensational 90-4 record at UCO, a record for career winning percentage (95.7) … Owns 115-17 career collegiate record.

197 Dalton Abney, So. – Seeded No. 1 and unbeaten at 22-0 with 13 bonus wins (nine falls, four majors) … Will face Bryce Walker of North Carolina-Pembroke in Friday's first round … Has 19-0 record vs. Division II competition, including 7-0 against opponents in the national bracket … Captured Super Regional IV title in dominating fashion with first-period fall, 11-1 major decision and 6-0 finals shutout … Won Midwest Classic crown in only regular season tournament, with his finals win clinching the team title for UCO … Regional runner-up in both 2020 and '21, falling in the finals to McKendree's Ryan Vasbinder both times … Named All-American by the NWCA in 2020 after the national tournament was canceled and national runner-up last year, dropping 1-0 finals decision to Vasbinder … Owns 45-4 career record, including 26 bonus wins (19 falls, six majors, one tech fall).

Hvy Shawn Streck, So. – Joined the Bronchos at the semester break and has had an immediate impact in limited action … Is seeded third with 9-0 record, having scored three falls and four major decisions … Opens national tourney against Limestone's Juan Holmes in the only preliminary match for the Bronchos … All nine wins are over Division II opponents, including three against individuals in the national bracket … Overwhelmed the field in winning Super Regional IV crown, scoring three major decisions by a combined 49-15 margin … Won 30 matches and was Division I national qualifier at Purdue in 2018 as a redshirt freshman … Hadn't competed since until coming to UCO.

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Players Mentioned

Dalton Abney

Dalton Abney

6' 1"
Redshirt Freshman
197
Tanner Cole

Tanner Cole

5' 6"
Sophomore
Brik Filippo

Brik Filippo

5' 8"
Sophomore
149
Heath Gray

Heath Gray

5' 11"
Junior
184
Ty Lucas

Ty Lucas

5' 9"
Sophomore
157
Paxton Rosen

Paxton Rosen

5' 3"
Junior
Alex Kauffman

Alex Kauffman

5' 10"
Junior
Shawn Streck

Shawn Streck

6' 1"
Sophomore
285