EDMOND – Gabe Johnson joined elite company in leading Central Oklahoma to its sixth consecutive NCAA Division II Super Regional IV Tournament championship Sunday at Hamilton Field House.
Johnson became just the fourth four-time regional champion in UCO's rich history by capturing the 157-pound crown and the No. 2-ranked Bronchos also got title-winning efforts from 125 Eli Kirk, 133 Jason Henschel and 174 Hunter Jump in finishing the one-day, 11-team tourney with 156 points.
No. 13 Central Missouri came in second with 132 points, followed by No. 10 McKendree (112), Indianapolis (108.5) and Maryville (89.5).
It took a top three finish to earn a spot in the national tournament, with UCO getting runner-up efforts from 141 Josh Taylor and 165 Bryce Dauphin along with clutch third-place showings from 149 Bam West and 184 Branson Britten to finish with eight qualifiers. Garrett Wells took fourth at 197 and Ryan Nichols sixth at heavyweight.
"It was a long, tough day and I thought we battled hard," said head coach Todd Steidley, who was named Super Regional IV Coach of the Year for the fifth time. "I'm proud of our guys. This is probably the toughest regional in the country and we came out with eight qualifiers.
"Our goal is always to get all 10 guys in so it's disappointing when we don't do that, but we've got a good group moving on and I'm excited about our chances in the national tournament."
The NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships are set for March 13-14 in Sioux Falls, S.D. as the Bronchos take aim at their 18th national championship. UCO finished fifth last year after winning back-to-back titles in 2023 and '24.
Johnson capped off a 4-0 run to his fourth regional title with a 14-8 finals win over Nicolas Zamora of Maryville. The top-ranked senior star bolted to a 10-1 first period lead behind two takedowns and a near-fall and made it 11-1 in the second with a quick escape before Zamora got two final-minute takedowns.
Johnson breezed into the finals in dominating fashion, outscoring three outmanned opponents a combined 49-1 with a trio of technical falls. He needed just 1:55 in a 15-0 first-round romp and took only 1:50 in a 17-0 quarterfinal drubbing before cruising 17-1 in the semis.
The two-time defending national champion stretched his winning streak to 32 in a row in joining Cole Province (2001-04), Kyle Evans (2005-08) and Heath Gray (2019-22) as UCO's only four-time regional champs.
Jump became Central's ninth three-time regional winner with a 6-3 finals triumph over defending national champion Cole Ritter of Maryville.
The third-ranked senior trailed 3-1 after the first period but escaped early in the second and struck for a quick takedown to take a 5-3 lead and tacked on a riding time point after a scoreless third stanza to claim the title.
Jump prevailed 5-3 in a tough first-round bout, had four takedowns in a 14-2 major decision in the quarterfinals and posted a 6-0 shutout in the semis before earning his 16th straight win in the finals.
Kirk and Henschel both earned their first regional titles in earning national tournament berths.
The 12th-ranked Kirk upended No. 11 Nathan Smith of Indianapolis 10-1 in the gold medal match to cap a 3-0 day. Kirk had takedowns in each period and added a riding time point for third straight bonus-point win.
Kirk followed a first-round bye with an 16-1 drubbing that took just 2:31 of the opening period, then used a riding time point at the end of regulation to finish off an 18-3 semifinal technical fall behind a four-takedown attack.
Dauphin opened with a pair of easy wins before pulling out a late thriller in guaranteeing himself a national tournament bid. The senior needed just 2:26 to notch a first-round fall, followed with an 11-2 major decision and then avenged a dual loss to Central Missouri's Gage Bernall with a 3-2 semifinal victory on a takedown with 30 seconds left.
A second-period takedown was the difference in the finals as the 12th-ranked Dauphin fell to No. 3 Sam Richardson of McKendree 4-2.
West dropped a 5-4 quarterfinal decision on a riding time point before rebounding with three clutch consolation wins to claim third and punch his ticket to the national tournament.
The junior started that journey with a 39-second fall, used a pair of takedowns to get past UCM's Trey Dillow 7-4 in the consolation semifinals and then claimed the bronze medal with a 5-0 shutout.
Britten had five takedowns and five near-falls in outscoring his first two foes 35-1 for back-to-back technical falls before dropping a last-second 3-2 decision to McKendree's sixth-ranked Darion Johnson.
The fifth-ranked senior bounced back in impressive fashion with two easy consolation wins to earn a national tournament berth. Britten started with an 18-1 technical fall that ended in the first period, then piled up more than five minutes riding time in a 10-1 major decision to claim third.
Wells opened the tournament with two first-period pins before giving up a defensive fall while leading with one second remaining in a stunning semifinal loss. He rebounded with another fall in the consolation semifinals, but the third-ranked junior was denied a national tournament berth with a 7-3 loss in the third-place bout.
NCAA DIVISION II SUPER REGIONAL IV TOURNAMENT
TEAM SCORES: 1, Central Oklahoma 156; 2, Central Missouri 132; 3, McKendree 112; 4, Indianapolis 108.5; 5, Maryville 89.5; 6, Quincy 48.5; 7, Thomas More 41.5; 8, Newman 36.5; 9, Drury 36; 10, Ouachita Baptist 28.5; 11, Kentucky Wesleyan 1.
CHAMPIONSHIP FINALS
125 – Eli Kirk, UCO, major dec. Nathan Smith, Indianapolis, 10-1.
133 – Jason Henschel, UCO, dec. Thaddeus Long, McKendree, 9-6.
141 – James Wright, Central Missouri, dec. Josh Taylor, UCO, 4-2.
157 – Gabe Johnson, UCO, dec. Nicolas Zamora, Maryville, 14-8.
165 – Sam Richardson, McKendree, dec. Bryce Dauphin, UCO, 4-2.
174 - Hunter Jump, UCO, dec. Cole Ritter, Maryville, 6-3.
CONSOLATION FINALS
149 – Bam West, UCO, dec. Matt Ellis, Thomas More, 5-0.
184 – Branson Britten, UCO, major dec. Callan Ivy, Quincy, 11-1
197 – Ethan Farnell, Indy, dec. Garrett Wells, UCO, 7-3.
FIFTH PLACE
Hvy – Jonovan Smith, Maryville, dec. Ryan Nichols, UCO, 6-3.
CHAMPIONSHIP PIGTAILS
157 – Johnson, UCO, technical fall Joe Beck, Drury, 15-0 (1:55).
165 – Dauphin, UCO, pinned Jayden Ford, Newman, 2:26.
174 – Jump, UCO, dec. Jeremiah Halter, Drury, 5-3.
184 – Britten, UCO, technical fall Nathan Brower, Drury, 18-0 (4:03).
197 – Wells, UCO, pinned Drayden McKerrow, Kentucky Wesleyan, 0:48.
CHAMPIONSHIP QUARTERFINALS
125 – Kirk, UCO, technical fall Kaden Rios, Quincy, 16-1 (2:31).
133 – Henschel, UCO, technical fall Je'Andre Allen, Quincy, 17-0 (6:59).
141 – Taylor, UCO, pinned Iziah Tusler, Ouachita Baptist, 4:37.
149 – Mason Knight, Drury, dec. West, UCO, 5-4.
157 – Johnson, UCO, technical fall Hunter Isaacs, Thomas More, 17-0 (1:50).
165 – Dauphin, UCO, major dec. Logan Farnell, Indy, 11-2.
174 – Jump, UCO, major dec. MacAllista Chamber, Quincy, 14-2.
184 – Britten, UCO, technical fall Chris Mapp, Newman, 17-1 (3:54).
197 – Wells, UCO, pinned Owen Gardner, Drury, 1:24.
Hvy – Nichols, UCO, pinned Hunter Tennison, Drury, 6:29.
CHAMPIONSHIP SEMIFINALS
125 – Kirk, UCO, technical fall Elijah Almarinez, Maryville, 18-3 (7:00).
133 – Henschel, UCO, major dec. Drew Stanfield, Central Missouri, 8-0.
141 – Taylor, UCO, dec. Cole Thomas, Thomas More, 5-1.
157 – Johnson, UCO, technical fall Michael Ortega, Indy, 17-1 (6:35).
165 – Dauphin, UCO, dec. Gage Bernall, Central Missouri, 3-2.
174 – Jump, UCO, dec. Anthony Erickson, Central Missouri, 6-0.
184 – Darion Johnson, McKendree, dec. Britten, UCO, 3-2.
197 – Jeremiah Larson, Maryville, pinned Wells, 6:59.
Hvy – Cole Gray, Indy, major dec. Nichols, UCO, 14-2.
CONSOLATION QUARTERFINALS
149 – West, UCO, pinned Leo Buchneit, Maryville, 0:39.
CONSOLATION SEMIFINALS
149 – West, UCO, dec. Trey Dillow, Central Missouri, 7-4
184 – Britten, UCO, technical fall Christian Chavez, Indy, 18-1 (2:40).
197 – Wells, UCO, pinned Cayden Byrd, Ouachita Baptist, 6:22.
Hvy – Caleb Wunsch, Newman, dec. Nichols, UCO, 7-3.
