Wrestling 3/19/2024 10:55:00 AM Mike Kirk

UCO Wrestling Fans Included Heavy Alumni Presence

Joining the hundreds of Central Oklahoma wrestling fans who streamed into Hartman Arena in Wichita, Kan. last weekend to support the Bronchos in their quest for a second straight NCAA Division II national title was a strong contingent of alumni.

Some of the program's all-time greats were among the dozens of former wrestlers in attendance, with nearly 40 All-Americans from five decades represented. Four-time national champion Cole Province was there. So were two-time winners Benny Coleman, Keith Cunningham, Shawn Silvis and Heath Gray.

UCO added to its already rich history by capturing its 17th championship, with each of the 16 previous winning teams represented.

Danny Cruse and Jeff Robinett from 1979. Jimmy Filippo and Jeff Gowens from 1989. Cunningham, Todd Drake, Mike Keim and Randy Zellner from 1993. Province, Silvis and Chris Saferite from 2002. Jared Hess and Jason Leavitt from 2007. Nate Keim, Brik Filippo and Alex Kauffman from 2023.

It was an amazing scene as the clearly heavily-invested alumni cheered enthusiastically during the action and had plenty of fun between sessions while catching up with former teammates. It was a family reunion of sorts.

"It was very humbling and honoring to see so many of our past guys there," said head coach Todd Steidley, himself a two-time All-American (1987-88) for the Bronchos. "I saw some older guys and guys who graduated last year together and to see them commingling and having a great time was just overwhelming.

"It just shows how special the program is. We stress Broncho wrestling family and that's what it is. People may go 20 years without seeing each other and they pick right back up where they left off. UCO is just special."

Zellner echoes that sentiment. A four-time All-American with one individual title to his credit, Zellner helped the Bronchos to three straight team titles (1992-93-94) and has been a fixture at home duals along with making several national tournament trips since graduating.

"I'm a Broncho, a Broncho for life," said Zellner, who joins 2018 national champion Eli Hale in announcing UCO's home dual webcasts. "These are my brothers. Some of these guys I don't see much, but we pick right back up when we get together. There were a lot of stories being told and a lot of memories shared. We all come together to celebrate the program and the tradition."

"It's fun to come back and support. I got chills up there in the stands watching our guys wrestle, just being proud of 'em for what they were doing and finding out the stories behind them."

Robinett earned All-America honors three times, helped the Bronchos to their first championship in 1979 and has been a regular at home duals since his career ended. He was one of 13 UCO Athletics Hall of Fame members in the stands, making the trip with former teammates Cruse and John Stroble.

"It's UCO, it's my team," Robinett said. "I just feel dedicated to my school and felt I needed to go support them. It was a lot of fun. It was great to see us win and I'm proud of 'em.

"I don't like when people say 'that was my last year and I'm done.' I had a fun four years there and it's my university. Going back is what I do. And I get to see a lot of the guys I wrestled with."

The Bronchos had plenty of other fans as well, filling nearly two sections in the stands and having easily three times as many supporters as any other team.

"I thought we would have a big crowd, but with it being spring break I wasn't sure," Steidley said. "But our fans showed up and everybody was engaged. The atmosphere was awesome.

"That doesn't happen without Stan (Vice President for Athletics Stan Wagnon) and his administration, so I can't think them enough. And 99 percent of schools don't have their president (Todd Lamb) show up, which I'm so thankful for. I hope our guys don't take that support for granted."

And leading UCO's impressive fan base was the alumni group that showed how invested they still are in the program, whether it's been one year or 40-plus years since they put on a Broncho singlet.

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Players Mentioned

Brik Filippo: 5' 8"; Senior; 149

Alex Kauffman: 5' 10"; Senior

Nate Keim: 5' 7"; Senior; 141

Players Mentioned

Brik Filippo
: 5' 8"; Senior; 149

Alex Kauffman
: 5' 10"; Senior

Nate Keim
: 5' 7"; Senior; 141