EDMOND (Oct. 29) – Dylan Brown, Zane Coleman and Garrett Wells all registered bonus-point wins to power the Bronze team to a 26-23 win over the Blue in Central Oklahoma's intrasquad dual Sunday afternoon at Hamilton Field House.
Brown scored a technical fall at 157 pounds, while Coleman (174) and Wells (184) both had first-period pins. Each team won six matches in the 12-bout dual, with the Bronze's bonus wins the difference.
None of UCO's returning starters competed in the dual, which featured 12 freshmen and redshirt freshmen as the Bronchos got a good look at their future. Members of last year's national championship team were presented their rings in a ceremony before the dual.
"I saw some good things from a lot of different guys," head coach Todd Steidley said. "Our guys have been wrestling each other for a while now and that makes it tough sometimes because they know each other so well, but I thought everybody competed hard."
UCO opens the season for real Wednesday, traveling to Little Rock, Ark. For a 7 p.m. neutral-site meeting with Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association rival Ouachita Baptist.
Eli Kirk used a late rally to put the Bronze on top in the opening match, scoring seven points in the final 10 seconds with a takedown – worth three points under new rules instituted this season – and four-point near-fall for a 10-8 win over Guy Clevenger.
The Blue went ahead 7-6 in the second of two matches at 141 on Shaun Muse's 18-6 major decision. Muse racked up five takedowns in the match, three in the first period and two more in the third.
Antonio George eked out a 5-4 victory at 149 on a takedown with 10 seconds left to put the Bronze back in front and Brown followed with his 17-1 technical fall to make it 14-7. Brown had three takedowns and a pair of four-point near-falls in ending the match 56 seconds into the second period.
The Blue answered with two straight wins of their own at 165 to regain a 16-14 lead as Kaleb Owens used a third-period takedown for a 4-1 win and Hunter Jump scored a second period fall.
Coleman struck for a pin at the 1:58 mark to put the Bronze back ahead 20-16 and Wells followed a Blue win with a fall just 1:58 into the match to clinch it for the Bronze.
Bronze 26, Blue 23
125 – Eli Kirk, Bronze, dec. Guy Clevenger, 10-8.
125 – Aden Sanders, Bronze, dec. Riley Kuder, 5-4.
141 – Ryder Ramsey, Blue, dec. Josh Taylor, 4-2.
141 – Shaun Muse, Blue, major dec. Dailey Jennings, 18-6.
149 – Antonio George, Bronze, dec. Bam West, 5-4.
157 – Dylan Brown, Bronze, tech. fall Aidan Boline, 17-1.
165 – Kaleb Owen, Blue, dec. Jose Flores, 4-1.
165 – Hunter Jump, Blue, pinned Bryce Dauphin, 3:32.
174 – Zane Coleman, Bronze, pinned Barrett Haemker, 2:10.
174 – Tucker Waitman, Blue, dec. Jaxon Randall, 7-6.
184 – Garrett Wells, Bronze, pinned Kohner Gallagher, 1:58.
197 – Emmanuel Skillings, Blue, major dec. Kohl Owen, 11-3.