EDMOND – No. 7 Central Oklahoma makes its home debut Saturday when the Bronchos host No. 11 McKendree in a 1 p.m. showdown at Hamilton Field House. 
 
UCO is 2-1 on the young season, while the Bearcats from Lebanon, Illinois are 1-1. 
 
The two teams have a short but spirited rivalry that started during the 2007-08 season. McKendree leads the series 5-4 and six of those nine meetings have been decided by four points or less, including UCO's 19-18 road win last year. 
 
"We always have great duals with McKendree and I expect the same thing this time," head coach Todd Steidley said. "They're well coached and have a veteran team with a lot of experienced guys in the lineup, so it should be quite a battle. 
 
"Our guys know how good this team is and they're excited about the challenge. And we're looking forward to being at home in front of our fans, which is always a plus." 
 
The Bronchos are riding a 26-match home winning streak that dates back to a 19-15 loss to Nebraska-Kearney on Feb 3, 2019. 

UCO doesn't wrestle again after Saturday until hosting MIAA foe Newman at 7 p.m. Dec. 3. 
 
ABOUT THE BRONCHOS: UCO posted a 28-12 road win over No. 12 Augustana Sunday in its last outing. The Bronchos won seven of the 10 matches, picking up three bonus-point wins. 
 
Central has seven individuals ranked in the top 15 at their respective weight, led by No. 1 Gabe Johnson at 157 pounds. Jason Henschel is fourth at 133, while 197 Garrett Wells is sixth, 141 Dylan Lucas ninth, 174 Hunter Jump 14th, 184 Branson Britten 14th and Hvy Judson Rowland 14th.  
 
Johnson, Henschel and Wells are all 3-0 to lead the Bronchos. 
 
Johnson has two first-period falls along with an 8-4 win in UCO's dual loss to Division I Little Rock in pushing his winning streak to 16 in a row. The two-time defending national champion has won 44 of his last 45 matches and has a 94-16 career record with 49 bonus-point wins. 
 
Henschel knocked off 133's previously top-ranked Jimmy Anderson of Ouachita Baptist 10-5 in his debut with the Bronchos and has followed with 22-6 and 17-0 technical falls in his last two outings.
 
Wells has outscored his first three opponents a combined 37-3, with those three points coming on escapes. He blanked his first two foes (13-0 and 5-0) before claiming a 19-3 technical fall in the Augustana dual. 
 
ABOUT THE BEARCATS: McKendree opened its dual season with a 29-13 loss to No. 3 Wisconsin-Parkside before beating Central Missouri 25-18 in its last outing. 
 
The Bearcats have one returning All-American in 141 Ronan Schuelke, who has finished third and seventh the last two years. Zeke Waltz (174) and Logan Kvien (197) are returning national qualifiers. 
 
Thaddeus Long was a two-time NAIA national finalist at Life, winning the title last season. He spent his first three years at UCO, redshirting in 2019-20 and earning an additional year of eligibility in 2020-21 due to the CoVID epidemic. 
 
PROBABLE LINEUPS: Here's a look at the probable starters for Saturday's dual, with UCO wrestler listed first. The dual will feature four matches between ranked individuals – 133, 174, 184 and 197. 
 
125 – Guy Clevenger, Jr. (2-1) vs. Jason Strope, Sr. (0-1); 133 – No. 4 Jason Henschel, Sr. (3-0) vs. No. 7 Thaddeus Long, Sr. (2-0); 141 – Josh Taylor, Jr. (1-0) or Shaun Muse, Jr. (2-1) vs. No. 6 Ronan Schuelke, Sr. (7-0); 149 – Bam West, Jr. (1-2) vs. Caleb Lavine, Fr. (1-4); 157 – No. 1 Gabe Johnson, Sr. (3-0) vs. Cale Hoskinson, Sr. (6-3); 165 – Bryce Dauphin, Sr. (1-2) or Brady Benham, So. (5-1); 174 – No. 14 Hunter Jump, Sr. (1-2) vs. No. 15 Zeke Waltz, Sr. (5-3); 184 – No. 14 Branson Britten, Sr. (2-1) vs. No. 6 Darion Johnson, Jr. (5-1); 197 – No. 6 Garrett Wells, Jr. (3-0) vs. No. 5 Logan Kvien, Sr. (2-0); Hvy – No. 14 Judson Rowland, Jr. (1-0) vs. Carter Sparks, Fr. (3-3).