UCO wrestlers are tops in USA

There’s strength in numbers and Central Oklahoma certainly proved that old adage correct in breaking a long drought at the NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships Saturday afternoon at Alliant Energy Powerhouse.

The top-ranked Bronchos placed nine of their tournament-high 10 qualifiers in the top seven and that superior depth was more than enough to propel UCO to its first national title since 2007.

Central entered Saturday with a 6.5point lead over No. 2 Lander, then went 14-5 in the all-important consolation rounds to pull away from the field. The Bronchos finished the morning session with a unsurmountable 35-point cushion over Bearcats (113-78) to clinch their 16th championship.

Dalton Abney (197) and Shawn Streck (Hvy) will compete in Saturday night’s finals. UCO also got third-place finishes from 133 Dylan Lucas, 141 Nate Keim and 165 Ty Lucas, while 184 Alex Kauffman took fifth, 149 Brik Filippo sixth and 157 Gabe Johnson and 174 Anthony DesVigne seventh.

“It’s long overdue,” said seventh-year head coach Todd Steidley. “Our guys have really, really worked hard and it hasn’t sunk in yet. We’re all so excited and we still have two big matches tonight in the championship finals.

“I’m so proud of our guys and not just the 10 guys who wrestled here. It's all the guys in our room, the UCO community, the booster club. It doesn’t just happen with 10 guys, it takes a team and a family and that’s what we preach and that’s what we are.”

Abney will go for his second straight national title after pulling out an overtime victory in Saturday morning’s semifinals. The top-seeded junior and No. 4 Dominic Murphy of St. Cloud State were deadlocked 2-2 after regu-