Bronchos Pin Truman
Courtesy: UCO Media Relations
Release: 02/09/2008

KIRKSVILLE, Mo. (Feb. 9) – No. 6-ranked Central Oklahoma left two senior standouts home and still had no trouble disposing of Truman State here Saturday afternoon, scoring four first-period falls en route to a 39-7 rout.

The Bronchos, who were without banged-up 141-pounder Kyle Evans and 157-pounder Jason Leavitt, got opening-period pins from 133 Tim Elliott, 141 Trey Branscum, 149 Colby Robinson and 174 Daniel Morrison in winning eight of the 10 matches against the Bulldogs.

Branscum stepped in for Evans and needed just 1:44 to record his second fall of the season, while Brent Sarette filled in for Leavitt and secured a 10-6 win.

UCO improved to 12-6 with the win and returns home next week to complete the dual season, hosting Central Missouri on Thursday and McKendree on Saturday. Match-time both days is 7 p.m. at Hamilton Field House.

“We took care of business and that was good to see, especially with getting four quick falls,” UCO coach David James said. “We decided to leave a couple of guys home to heal up and Trey and Brent did a good job stepping in for us.”

Elliott improved to 15-2 with his 10th bonus-point win with a 1:34 fall, Robinson took 1:44 to record his sixth fall of the season and Morrison ended a six-match losing streak with a fall in 1:01.

Jarrett Edison added an 18-2 technical fall at 197, Heath Jolley an easy 10-4 win at 184 and heavyweight a 3-0 shutout for the Bronchos.

UCO 39, Truman State 7
125: Rob Nahlik, TSU, major dec. Nick Rice, 9-0.
133: Tim Elliott, UCO, pinned Kaz Hastimotto, 1:34.
141: Trey Branscum, UCO, pinned Mitchell Bainbridge, 1:44.
149: Colby Robinson, UCO, pinned Steve Kueny, 1:44.
157: Brent Sarette, UCO, dec. Andy Bader, 10-6.
165: Blake Peterson, TSU, dec. Paul Mayfield, 7-3.
174: Daniel Morrison, UCO, pinned Dean Schultz, 1:01
184: Heath Jolley, UCO, dec. Bryan Isbell, 10-4.
197: Jarrett Edison, UCO, tech. fall Warren Galloway, 18-2.
285: Dustin Finn, UCO, dec. John Horman, 3-0.

EDMOND (Feb. 14) – Heavyweight Dustin Finn pulled out a 5-3 double-overtime victory in the final match to cap a dual-ending rally that lifted No. 6-ranked Central Oklahoma past upstart Central Missouri 21-15 Thursday night at Hamilton Field House.

The unranked Mules took a 15-10 lead with a fall at 174 pounds, but the defending national champion Bronchos got back-to-back 11-1 major decisions from Heath Jolley and Jarrett Edison to take an 18-15 lead and Finn’s dramatic win kept UCO in front.

The Bronchos improved to 13-6 with the win and stayed perfect (30-0) against UCM, though the outcome was in doubt until Finn’s winning takedown nine seconds into the second sudden death overtime period.

“We made some silly mistakes in a lot of matches that hurt us, but give credit to Central Missouri because they kept coming at us,” UCO coach David James said. “Heath and Jarrett did a nice job getting bonus wins that we had to have and Dustin came through in a pressure situation with a big takedown.”

UCM surged in front of the back-and-forth dual when Travis Barbarick pinned Daniel Morrison at 4:26 of their 174-pound bout to give the Mules a 15-10 lead, with the Bronchos coming back to win the final three matches.

Jolley started UCO’s rally with an 11-1 major decision over Jeremy Hudson, using an early five-point move to take control and adding another near-fall late in the opening period for an 8-0 lead after the first three minutes.

Edison then put the Bronchos in front with his 11-1 rout, getting the last of his four takedowns with 12 seconds remaining to clinch the bonus-point win.

The fourth-ranked Finn and Cody Beck battled in a showdown of big men in the final match, trading escapes for a 1-1 deadlock after regulation. Neither scored in the first one-minute sudden death period, then Beck got a reverse early in the first tiebreaker only to see Finn tie it with a pair of escapes.

Finn finally ended the match early in the second sudden death period, getting behind Beck and tripping him to the mat for the winning takedown.

UCO’s other three wins came from 133 Tim Elliott, 149 Colby Robinson and 165 Cody Rowell.

Elliott had a pair of four-point moves in a 15-4 major decision, while Robinson racked up over four minutes riding time in an easy 7-1 win and Rowell used a penalty point and riding time point for a 7-5 triumph.

The Bronchos wrap up the dual and home schedule Saturday, hosting NAIA’s No. 3-ranked McKendree at 7 p.m.

A group that provides support to the U.S. military will be at that match to raise money for troops overseas. The Edmond Chapter of the Blue Star Mothers is an organization made up of mothers who have sons and daughters serving in the military and their primary goal is to raise money for care packages to send to soldiers serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.

UCO 21, Central Missouri 15
125: Byron Clark, UCM, dec. Nick Rice, 8-4.
133: Tim Elliott, UCO, major dec. Marcus Walker, 15-4.
141: Cory Bloodgood, UCM, dec. Trey Branscum, 12-5.
149: Colby Robinson, UCO, dec. Grant Baker, 7-1.
157: Vince Bertucci, UCM, dec. Jason Leavitt, 4-2.
165: Cody Rowell, UCO, dec. Willie Ressel, 7-5.
174: Travis Barbarick, UCM, pinned Daniel Morrison, 4:26.
184: Heath Jolley, UCO, major dec. Jeremy Hudson, 11-1.
197: Jarrett Edison, UCO, major dec. Kevin Domian, 11-1.
285: Dustin Finn, UCO, dec. Cody Beck, 5-3 (2SV).

Down To The Wire

Courtesy: UCO Media Relations
Release: 02/16/2008

EDMOND (Feb. 16) – Jarrett Edison and Dustin Finn pulled out one-point wins in the final two matches to rally Central Oklahoma past McKendree 22-18 Saturday night at Hamilton Field House in a battle of small-college wrestling powers.

The Bronchos, ranked sixth in NCAA Division II, jumped out to a 13-0 lead after the first three weights only to see the NAIA No. 3-rated Bearcats win four of the next five matches – one by fall, one by injury default – to grab an 18-16 lead.

Edison put UCO back on top with a 5-4 win at 197 pounds and, for the second straight dual, Finn kept the Bronchos there with an overtime victory.

“We had a little fire to us early on and got out to a great start,” said UCO coach David James, who team finished 14-6. “A couple of things went against us and we didn’t respond, but Jarrett and Dustin bailed us out at the end.

The defending national champion Bronchos don’t return to action until going to Indianapolis for the Midwest Regional on March 1.

Tim Elliott scored a second-period fall at 133, taking Wade Lowe to his back and scoring his fifth pin of the season at the 4:04 mark.

The Bearcats rallied again, winning at 174 and picking up an injury default at 184 to surge in front 18-16 before Edison and Finn provided the late heroics.

Edison gave up an early takedown to Adam Hicks, but came back with an escape and takedown of his own to lead 3-2 after the opening period. The two traded escapes and a penalty point tied it 4-4 with 40 seconds left in the match, but Edison pulled out the win with a riding time point.

The defending national champion Bronchos don’t return to action until going to Indianapolis for the Midwest Regional on March 1.
UCO 22, McKendree 18

125: Nick Rice, UCO, major dec. A.J. Ciccarelli, 13-3.
133: Tim Elliott, UCO, pinned Wade Lowe, 4:04.
141: Kyle Evans, UCO, dec. Kyle Jahn, 6-1.
149: Jermaine Waye, MC, dec. Brent Sarette, 9-8.
157: Aaron Winning, MC, pinned Jason Leavitt, 0:29.
165: Paul Mayfield, UCO, dec. Kyle Reid, 10-4.
174: Josh Bryant, MC, dec. Daniel Morrison, 6-4.
184: Tanner Wolk, MC, by injury default over Heath Jolley, 5:35.
197: Jarrett Edison, UCO, dec. Adam Hicks, 5-4.
285: Dustin Finn, UCO, dec. Dan Moore, 2-1 (TB).

I just want to take this time to compliment Tim Elliott on his transition to UCO. He is doing great. He is wrestling very well, doing well in the classroom, is always an inspiration to the team and I am so proud of this KS boy, I cannot stop singing his praises. The used his picture this week with the story. The team is traveling to Indianapolis right now and Coach Ed and I are leaving tomorrow for the Regional Tourney. Good Luck Bronchos!!!!!!!!!!!

Ms. Jenni

Bronchos Aim For 18th Title
Edmond (Feb. 27) -- No. 6-ranked Central Oklahoma begins its quest for a second straight NCAA Division II national championship Saturday when the Bronchos travel to Indianapolis, Ind. for the Midwest Regional.

First-round action in the nine-team tournament begins at 9 a.m. (Oklahoma time) at Nicoson Hall on the University of Indianapolis campus and the one-day event runs straight through.

Championship semifinal matches are set to start at noon, the consolation semifinals at 2 p.m. and the placement matches at 3:30.

The 3:30 p.m. placement matches will be webcast live on UCO’s athletic department website at http://www.bronchosports.com.

The top-four individuals at all 10 weights qualify for the NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships, set for March 14-15 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Three other regionals are also being held this weekend -- the East at Pittsburgh-Johnstown, the West at New Mexico Highlands and the North at Minnesota State-Mankato.

ABOUT THE REGIONAL: The Bronchos have dominated the Midwest Regional since joining Division II in 1989-90, having won the team title 17 times in 18 years.

UCO claimed 15 straight regional crowns from 1990-04, then finished third in 2005 before winning again the past two seasons.

Joining the Bronchos in the tournament will be five other top-20 teams -- No. 9 Ashland, No. 13 Findlay, No. 16 Indianapolis, No. 18 Wisconsin-Parkside and No. 20 Central Missouri -- along with Carson-Newman, Southern Illinois-Edwardsville and Truman State.

UCO won last year’s regional by 51.5 points over second-place Wisconsin-Parkside, qualifying all 10 individuals en route to winning its 16th national title.

UCO LINEUP: UCO’s lineup for this weekend.

125 - Nick Rice, Fr. (5-14); 133 - Tim Elliott, Jr. (17-2); 141 - Kyle Evans, Sr. (25-2); 149 - Colby Robinson, So. (22-11); 157 - Brent Sarette, Sr. (12-9); 165 - Jason Leavitt, Sr. (19-13); 174 - Daniel Morrison, So. (9-13); 184 - Heath Jolley, Sr. (23-14); 197 - Jarrett Edison, RS Fr. (27-12); 285 - Dustin Finn, So. (22-5).

BRONCHOS IN THE REGIONAL: Only four of UCO’s 10 wrestlers have previous Midwest Regional experience -- seniors Kyle Evans, Jason Leavitt and Heath Jolley and sophomore 174 Daniel Morrison.

Evans is 9-0 with five bonus-point wins in winning the last three regional titles at 141, while Leavitt is 6-2 with third-place finishes the past two years at 157, Jolley is 5-2 with finishes of fourth and first at 197 the last two years and Morrison was 2-2 in finishing fourth last season.

Evans is looking to become just the second UCO wrestler to win four Midwest Regional crowns, joining current assistant coach Cole Province

ABOUT THE BRONCHOS: UCO has six individuals in the latest NCAA Division II rankings, with Evans leading the way as the No. 1 pick at 141.

Sophomore heavyweight Dustin Finn is fourth, while junior 133 Tim Elliott is sixth and Jolley, sophomore 149 Colby Robinson and redshirt freshman 197 Jarrett Edison are all seventh.

Evans has won 15 straight and tops the Bronchos with a 25-2 record that includes 15 bonus-point wins, with both his losses to ranked Division I wrestlers.

Evans ranks 11th on UCO’s career win list with a 118-20 record and has won 86 of his last 90 matches.

Elliott is 17-2 with 12 bonus-point wins, while Finn is 22-5 with a team-high 11 falls.

The Bronchos have three others with at least 20 wins -- Edison (27-12), Jolley (23-14) and Robinson (22-11).

Leavitt (78) and Jolley (73) have also won at least 73 matches in their three-year careers with the Bronchos.


ABOUT THE COACH: In his 26th year at the UCO helm is David James, who has directed the Bronchos to 17 Midwest Regional crowns, 12 national championships (seven Division II, five NAIA) and five runner-up finishes.

James won his seventh national Coach of the Year award last season and has a 307-105-4 career dual record.

Regional Champs

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (Feb. 29) – Kyle Evans rolled to his fourth consecutive individual title and Central Oklahoma crowned three champions in capturing the NCAA Division II Midwest Regional crown here Saturday afternoon.



Evans won by technical fall three straight times at 141 pounds to join assistant coach Cole Province as UCO’s only four-time Midwest Regional champions, while the Bronchos took the team title for the 18th time in 19 years.



No. 6-ranked UCO also got gold medal efforts from 184 Heath Jolley and heavyweight Dustin Finn, with 133 Tim Elliott, 149 Colby Robinson and 197 Jarrett Edison all finishing second. Those six advance to the NCAA Division II Championships in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on March 14-15, where the Bronchos will try to defending their national championship.



UCO finished with 116 points, 15 ahead of runner-up Ashland. Central Missouri was third in the nine-team tournament with 97.5 points, followed by host Indianapolis (95.5) and Wisconsin-Parkside and Findlay (91).



“We battled hard and it’s kind of a bittersweet feeling,” UCO coach David James said. “Obviously I’m happy the team won, but only qualifying six is a disappointment. I thought we could get another spot or two and it didn’t happen. And we had our chances, so that left a bitter taste.



“But I like the six we’ve got and I’m not going to concede anything. I like the way those six guys wrestled today and we’ll go see what we can do with them at the national tournament.”



Evans, the defending national champion and ranked No. 1 again this year, wasn’t tested in overwhelming three straight opponents. The senior star outscored those three by a combined 58-11 in collecting three consecutive technical falls, capped by a 21-6 rout of Ashland’s Kyle Kanaga in the finals.



Evans, who improved to 28-2 on the year, has won 89 of his last 93 matches and moved into ninth place on UCO’s career win list with a 121-20 record.



Jolley, who won the regional at 197 last year en route to a fifth-place national tournament finish, won three matches in taking the 184 crown. He gave up an early takedown in the finals to Hiram Smith of Findlay, came back to take a 4-2 lead into the third period and then turned Smith for a fall in 5:36.



Finn went 4-0 on the day, opening with two first-period falls and a 10-1 major decision before clipping Indianapolis’ Lynn Panko 5-2 in the title bout. He broke a 2-2 tie with an escape 30 seconds into the final period and then clinched it on a takedown with 10 seconds remaining.



The sixth-ranked Elliott moved into the finals with a pair of falls, including a 4:39 pin of No. 4 Craig DeGreef of Wisconsin-Parkside in the semifinals. He dropped a 15-6 major decision to Indy’s second-rated Shane Perkey in the finals, with Perkey using a 10-point third period to break open what was a tight 5-4 match.



Robinson also had an easy time making the finals, scoring a 16-0 technical fall and 10-0 major decision before falling to Ashland’s Marcus Gordon 5-3.



Edison posted 18-6 and 11-1 major decisions to charge into the title match before losing 13-5 to Ashland’s Josh Ohl.



NCAA Division II Midwest Wrestling Regional

Team Standings: 1, Central Oklahoma 116. 2, Ashland 101. 3, Central Missouri 97.5. 4, Indianapolis 95.5. 5, Wisconsin-Parkside and Findlay 91. 7, Carson-Newman 45.5. 8, Truman State 35. 9, Southern Illinois-Edwardsville 24.5.



Championship Finals

133: Shane Perkey, UI, major dec. Tim Elliott, UCO, 15-6.

141: Kyle Evans, UCO, tech. fall Kyle Kanaga, AU, 21-6.

149: Marcus Gordon, AU, dec. Colby Robinson, UCO, 5-3.

184: Heath Jolley, UCO, pinned Hiram Smith, FU, 5:36.

197: Josh Ohl, AU, major dec. Jarrett Edison, UCO, 13-5.

285: Dustin Finn, UCO, dec. Lynn Panko, UI, 5-2.



Fifth Place

165: Justin Ransom, C-N, by default over Jason Leavitt, UCO.

174: Justin Ferguson, AU, dec. Daniel Morrison, UCO, 8-3.



Championship First Round

174: Morrison, UCO, dec. Kevin Flinn, UI, 8-5.

285: Finn, UCO, pinned Brian Brooks, SIUE, 2:53.



Championship Quarterfinals

125: Rob Nahlik, TSU, tech. fall Nick Rice, UCO, 19-3.

133: Elliott, UCO, pinned Dan Mandara, AU, 2:05.

141: Evans, UCO, tech. fall Mitcehll Bainbridge, TSU, 18-1.

149: Robinson, UCO, tech. fall Kyle Cunningham, SIUE, 16-0.

157: Eric Pretto, SIUE, dec. Brent Sarette, UCO, 6-4.

165: Justin Shannon, FU, dec. Leavitt, UCO, 3-1.

174: Morrison, UCO, dec. Dan Midget, SIUE, 11-4.

184: Jolley, UCO, major dec. Keith Smith, UI, 12-2.

197: Edison, UCO, major dec. Chris Flaugher, SIUE, 18-6.

285: Finn, UCO, pinned Sean Shanahan, UWP, 2:15.



Championship Semifinals

133: Elliott, UCO, pinned Craig DeGreef, UWP, 5:39.

141: Evans, UCO, tech. fall Cory Bloodgood, UCM, 19-4.

149: Robinson, UCO, major dec. Chad Woods, UI, 10-0.

174: Jeff Havelka, Findlay, pinned Morrison, UCO, 7:28 (SV).

184: Jolley, UCO, dec. Jeremy Hudson, UCM, 2-0.

197: Edison, UCO, major dec. Curtis Hines, UWP, 11-1.

285: Finn, UCO, major dec. Tom Minwell, C-N, 10-1.



Consolation First Round

157: Sarette, UCO, dec. Andy Bader, TSU, 11-4.



Consolation Quarterfinals

125: Caleb Hulse, UCM, dec. Rice, UCO, 11-5.

157: Eddie Stefonek, UWP, major dec. Sarette, 13-2.

165: Leavitt, UCO, pinned Blake Reed, SIUE, 0:55.



Consolation Semifinals

165: Jesse Sheets, UCM, pinned Leavitt, UCO, 4:37.

174: Flinn, UI, dec. Morrison, UCO, 10-7.