Wrestling 2/12/2023 5:39:00 PM

Bronchos Top UNK For MIAA Title

EDMOND (Feb. 12) – Studd Morris electrified the boisterous Hamilton Field House crowd in the opening match, Shawn Streck had fans on their feet again in the finale and top-ranked Central Oklahoma took down No. 3 Nebraska-Kearney 21-13 Sunday afternoon.

Morris jump-started the Bronchos with a first-period fall at 125 pounds, while Streck prevailed in a No. 1 vs. No. 2 showdown at heavyweight to seal the verdict as UCO captured its third straight Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association title.

The Bronchos also got big wins from 141 Nate Keim, 157 Gabe Johnson, 165 Ty Lucas and 197 Emmanuel Skillings in finishing the dual season 13-1. UCO pushed its home winning streak to 17 straight in beating the Lopers for the fourth straight time.

"It was a tough dual like we knew it would be," said head coach Todd Steidley, whose team won for the 32nd time in 33 matches. "I was proud of the way our guys battled. We didn't wrestle our best, but we competed hard at every weight.

"We won a couple of matches that could have gone either way and lost a couple like that as well. Studd gave us a big boost right off the bat, Emmanuel came up with a big win at the end and Shawn finished it off the right way."

Morris came out firing in the opening match, striking for four takedowns in the first two minutes before turning Bishop Murray and getting the fall at the 2:19 mark. It was the seventh straight win for the ninth-ranked Morris, who improved to 28-5 on the season.

UNK pulled off an upset at 133, but Keim answered back with a methodical 7-1 decision at 141. The eighth-ranked senior had two takedowns and nearly five minutes riding time in winning for the seventh straight time.

The Lopers earned another close win at 149, then UCO took the next two weights to take a 15-6 lead.

Third-ranked Gabe Johnson had no trouble at 157, cruising 10-3 behind a four-takedown attack for his seventh consecutive win. T. Lucas followed with his 80th career victory, controlling Briar Reisz the entire third period to close out a 5-2 decision

UNK won two straight to pull within 15-13 and set the stage for a dramatic finish, but Skillings and Streck were up to the challenge.

Skillings – wrestling in place of injured national champion Dalton Abney for the seventh straight dual – prevailed 4-3 in thrilling fashion. The redshirt freshman took the lead on a takedown with 31 seconds left, then kept Jackson Kinsella on the mat the rest of the way.

Streck capped the dual with an impressive 8-3 victory, once again bringing fans to their feet. The second-ranked Streck had two first-period takedowns in taking a 4-2 lead over No. 1 Lee Herrington, then tacked on a third takedown late in the final period in staying perfect (19-0) on the season.

"It was a great way to end the regular season," Steidley said. "Now it's time to turn the page and get ready for what we've been building for all year. We're going to work hard these next two weeks and our guys are excited about being home for the regional."

The Bronchos have two weeks off before hosting the NCAA Division II Super Regional IV Tournament on Feb. 26. The top-three placers at each weight from that 11-team meet advance to the NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships, set for March 10-11 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

UCO 21, Nebraska-Kearney 13
125 – Studd Morris, UCO, pinned Bishop Murray, 2:19.
133 – Joseph Airola, UNK, dec. Dylan Lucas, 4-2.
141 – Nate Keim, UCO, dec. Daniel DeRosier, 7-1.
149 – John Burger, UNK, dec. Antonio George, 6-5.
157 – Gabe Johnson, UCO, dec. Teontae Wilson, 10-3.
165 – Ty Lucas, UCO, dec. Briar Reisz, 5-2.
174 – Austin Eldredge, UNK, major dec. Anthony DesVigne, 10-2.
184 – Billy Higgins, UNK, dec. Alex Kauffman, 3-1.
197 – Emmanuel Skillings, UCO, dec. Jackson Kinsella, 4-3.
Hvy – Shawn Streck, UCO, dec. Lee Herrington, 8-3.

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Players Mentioned

Dalton Abney: 6' 1"; Junior; 197

Anthony DesVigne: 5' 11"; Junior

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

Shawn Streck: 6' 1"; Junior; 285

Dylan Lucas: 5' 6"; Sophomore

Players Mentioned

Dalton Abney
: 6' 1"; Junior; 197

Anthony DesVigne
: 5' 11"; Junior

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

Shawn Streck
: 6' 1"; Junior; 285

Dylan Lucas
: 5' 6"; Sophomore