Top-ranked UCO Hosts No. 14 Central Missouri Sunday

Bronchos Will Honor Eight Seniors During the Alumni Day Dual

EDMOND – There's a lot at stake Sunday afternoon when top-ranked Central Oklahoma hosts No. 14 Central Missouri for a 2 p.m. showdown at Hamilton Field House in the final dual of the season.

The Bronchos will be looking to nail down their sixth consecutive MIAA title while putting a 30-match league winning streak on the line in addition to celebrating Senior and Alumni Day. The 1985-86 NAIA national championship team will also be honored during a short halftime ceremony.

UCO is 15-1 overall and 4-0 in the conference, having won 14 straight duals. The Mules from Warrensburg, Missouri are 8-5 and 2-1 heading into a Saturday afternoon road meeting with Newman.

"It's going to be a tough dual," head coach Todd Steidley said. "Central Missouri is a good team that matches up with us well and our guys will need to be ready to go.

"We're looking forward to celebrating our seniors and welcoming back the many great wrestlers who have been a part of the program. It should be a fun day."

Eight seniors will be recognized before the dual – Branson Britten, Bryce Dauphin, Jason Henschel, Gabe Johnson, Hunter Jump, Seth Sarasua, Emmanuel Skillings and Josh Taylor.

A reception for former wrestlers, coaches, managers and trainers will be held in the upstairs balcony of Hamilton Field House from 12:30-2 p.m. and again after the dual.

The Bronchos will be back home in two weeks to host the NCAA Division II Super Regional IV Tournament on Sunday, March 1. The top-three finishers at each weight in that 11-team event advance to the NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships, set for March 13-14 in Sioux Falls, S.D.

THE LINEUPS: Here's a look at the probable starters for both teams, with UCO wrestler listed first (NWCA ranking in parenthesis:

125 – No. 13 Eli Kirk, So. (7-1) vs. Karim Allal, Jr.
133 – No. 1 Jason Henschel, Sr. (14-1) vs. Drew Stanfield, Jr.
141 – No. 8 Josh Taylor, Sr. (9-4) vs. No. 10 James Wright, Jr.
149 – No. 12 Cole Mayfield, Fr. (21-5) or Bam West, Jr. (5-5) vs. Trey Dillow, RS Fr.
157 – No. 1 Gabe Johnson, Sr. (14-0) vs. Ayden Dolt, Jr.
165 – No. 10 Bryce Dauphin, Sr. (10-9) vs. No. 5 Gage Bernall, Sr.
174 – No. 4 Hunter Jump, Sr. (17-4) vs. Anthony Erickson, Sr.
184 – No. 3 Branson Britten, Sr. (18-3) vs. No. 1 Damon Ashworth, Sr.
197 – No. 3 Garrett Wells, Jr. (17-2) or Seth Sarasua, Sr. (16-5) vs. Ayden Flores, RS Fr.
Hvy – Ryan Nichols, So. (7-6) or Emmanuel Skillings, Sr. (9-2) vs. No. 14 Torin Forsyth, So.

ABOUT THE BRONCHOS: UCO clinched at least a share of its sixth straight MIAA crown last weekend with road wins over No. 2 Nebraska-Kearney (21-18) and Fort Hays State (35-9).

Fourth-ranked Hunter Jump led the way at 174, scoring a huge third-period fall over No. 8 Otgonbayar Batsuuri in the UNK win and adding an 18-1 technical fall in the FHSU rout. Only two other starters wrestled both duals, with 184 Branson Britten and Hvy Ryan Nichols both going 1-1 for the weekend.

Two-time national champion Gabe Johnson also had a big fall in the UNK victory as he stayed unbeaten (14-0) while stretching his winning streak to 27 in a row. Johnson – who is 24-1 at home for his brilliant career – now ranks 19th on UCO's all-time wins list with a 105-16 record that includes 57 bonus-point wins.

Jump has seven bonus victories in an 11-match winning streak and is 17-4 on the season. He's 84-27 for his career with 45 bonus wins, including a 13-1 career mark at home.

The third-ranked Wells prevailed in a tense 1-0 showdown over No. 4 Jackson Kinsella at 197 in the UNK victory. The two-time All-American is 17-2 on the season and 71-19 for his career.

UCO also got wins from 125 Eli Kirk and 133 Jason Henschel against the Lopers. Kirk is now 7-1, while Henschel is 14-1 with 10 bonus wins.

The 1985-86 team that will be honored during halftime edged out Southern Oregon by 7.25 points to capture UCO's third straight NAIA national title. The Bronchos finished with six All-Americans – 142 Joe Starzenski (champion), 126 Billy Reid (runner-up), 150 Stoney Wright (runner-up), 142 Kevin Freeman (third), 167 Howard Seay (fifth) and 158 Jack O'Connor (sixth).

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Players Mentioned

Bryce Dauphin: 5' 9"; Senior

Jason Henschel: 5' 10"; Senior

Gabe Johnson: 5' 8"; Senior

Hunter Jump: 6' 2"; Senior

Eli Kirk: 5' 6"; Sophomore

Seth Sarasua: 6' 0"; Senior

Emmanuel Skillings: 6' 1"; Senior

Josh Taylor: 5' 7"; Junior

Garrett Wells: 5' 11"; Junior

Bam West: 5' 7"; Junior

Players Mentioned

Bryce Dauphin
: 5' 9"; Senior

Jason Henschel
: 5' 10"; Senior

Gabe Johnson
: 5' 8"; Senior

Hunter Jump
: 6' 2"; Senior

Eli Kirk
: 5' 6"; Sophomore

Seth Sarasua
: 6' 0"; Senior

Emmanuel Skillings
: 6' 1"; Senior

Josh Taylor
: 5' 7"; Junior

Garrett Wells
: 5' 11"; Junior

Bam West
: 5' 7"; Junior