EDMOND – No. 19 Central Oklahoma makes its season debut Sunday when the Bronchos host New Mexico Highlands for a 2 p.m. dual at Hamilton Field House.
It's the first of six home duals for UCO, which enters its 74th season riding a school-record 33-match home winning streak.
"We're excited about getting started," said Todd Steidley, who has a sensational 130-14 dual record entering his 11th year at the helm. "Our guys have been working hard. We're going to have a bunch of new faces in the lineup, but they're ready to show what they can do.
"Highlands is a solid team that will challenge us. I just want our guys to go out, wrestle hard for seven minutes and keep trying to score points."
UCO, which will send a contingent of back-ups to the Viking Open in Poteau, Okla. Saturday, has back just four starters from last year's 16-1 team that finished fourth in the NCAA Division II national tournament.
Junior Eli Kirk is the only returning All-American, going 16-3 with 12 bonus-point wins last season in winning a regional title and finishing fourth nationally at 125 pounds. He's moving up to 133 this season and is questionable for Sunday's dual.
UCO's other returners are 149 national qualifier Bam West, 197 Garrett Wells and Hvy Ryan Nichols.
West will miss Sunday's match to injury, while either Wells or Nichols will go at 197. Wells enters his senior season with 75 career wins and earned All-America honors in 2024 and '25.
Senior Paul Sharp is a two-year letterman set to go at heavyweight and junior Cameron Johnson is at 174 after going 17-6 with 11 bonus wins in a back-up role last season.
The rest of the lineup is made up of underclassmen all set to make their starting debuts – redshirt freshmen 125 Devon Miller, 149 Cole Mayfield and 174/184 Cooper Zickefoose and sophomores 141 Hunter Hollingsworth, 157 Landyn Sommer and 165 Brady Benham.
New Mexico Highlands is led by returning 165 All-American Ivan Smith, who went 32-6 last year. The Cowboys from Las Vegas, New Mexico are set to meet Oklahoma City and Drury Saturday afternoon at OCU before taking on UCO.
The Bronchos have a 10-0 lead in the series.
UCO is back home next Sunday to host No. 16 Augustana at 2 p.m.
