UCO Heads To Midwest Duals

Central Oklahoma makes its next-to-last road trip of the regular season Saturday when the top-ranked Bronchos travel to Kearney, Neb. for the Midwest Duals.

UCO, 7-1 on the season and winners of 26 of its last 27 duals, takes on Western Colorado (6-3) at 9 a.m. before facing No. 22 Chadron State (4-5) at 10:30 a.m. at the Buffalo County Fairgrounds.

"Western and Chadron have solid teams, so both of them will test us," head coach Todd Steidley said. "We can't overlook anybody and hopefully our guys will come out ready to go.

"We only have a few duals left and need to focus on finishing the season strong. There's still a lot of work to do to get where we want to be and this weekend is another step in that process."

The Bronchos have four duals remaining, with three of those at home UCO has home dates with No. 14 Fort Hays State (Jan. 26), No. 6 Adams State (Feb. 3) and No. 2 Nebraska-Kearney (Feb. 12) along with a Jan. 29 trip to Central Missouri.

Central will also host the NCAA Division II Super Regional IV Tournament Feb. 26 at Hamilton Field House. The top-three placers at each of the 10 weights advance from the regional to the NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships, set for March 10-11 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

UCO LINEUP: Here's a look at Central's probable lineup for Saturday's duals.
125 – Studd Morris, Jr. (22-5); 133 – Dylan Lucas, So. (15-3); 141 – Nate Keim, Sr. (17-6); 149 – Brik Filippo, Sr. (17-6); 157 – Gabe Johnson, RS Fr. (21-5); 165 – Ty Lucas, Sr. (13-7); 174 – Anthony DesVigne, Jr. (20-5); 184 – Alex Kauffman, Sr. (4-1); 197 – Emmanuel Skillings, RS Fr. (1-0); Hvy – Shawn Streck, Jr. (16-0).

ABOUT THE BRONCHOS: UCO blanked Colorado State-Pueblo 36-0 last Sunday in its first home dual in more than two months. The Bronchos held a 21-1 takedown advantage in the dual.

Redshirt freshman Garrett Steidley filled in at 133 for starter Dylan Lucas and recorded the lone fall, getting the pin at the 2:50 mark. UCO also got major decisions from 125 Studd Morris, 174 Anthony DesVigne and Hvy Shawn Streck.

Streck improved to 16-0 on the season with a 14-5 rout behind a six-takedown attack, giving him 30 takedowns in his last five matches. He's recorded 12 bonus-point wins (six falls, five majors, one technical fall).

Morris (22-5), 157 Gabe Johnson (21-5) and DesVigne (20-5) have all reached the 20-win mark this season. Morris and DesVigne have 10 bonus wins apiece, while Johnson has six.

Senior Brik Filippo needs two more victories to reach the 90-win mark for his career. He enters the weekend with an 88-27 record.

Seniors Nate Keim (84-37) and Ty Lucas (79-29) are also close to the 90-win plateau for their careers.

ABOUT THE OPPONENTS: UCO has a 19-5 series lead over Western Colorado and won 40-9 last year in the Midwest Duals. The teams first met during the 1972-73 season and the Mountaineers' last victory was a 26-18 decision in 2017-18.

Western has two individuals in the rankings – No. 5 Jason Hanenberg (149) and 174 Cole Hernandez (174).

The Bronchos have never lost to Chadron State, holding a 15-0 lead in a series that started during the 1985-86 season. The teams haven't met since a 20-18 UCO win in the 2017 Midwest Duals.

The Eagles have three ranked individuals – No. 3 Quentrevion Campbell (133), No. 10 Ethan Leake (141) and No. 12 Quade Smith (125).

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Players Mentioned

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

Emmanuel Skillings: 6' 1"; Redshirt Freshman

Garrett Steidley: 5' 5"; Redshirt Freshman

Shawn Streck: 6' 1"; Junior; 285

Players Mentioned

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

Emmanuel Skillings
: 6' 1"; Redshirt Freshman

Garrett Steidley
: 5' 5"; Redshirt Freshman

Shawn Streck
: 6' 1"; Junior; 285