UCO wrestling clinches second straight NCAA Division II national title
UCO wrestling clinches second straight national title
Dalton Abney moved into the 197-pound finals for the fourth straight year and was joined by a trio of teammates as top-ranked Central Oklahoma broke away from a tight team battle to wrap up its second consecutive NCAA Division II wrestling national championship on Saturday afternoon in Wichita, Kansas.
Gabe Johnson (157), Anthony DesVigne (174) and Shawn Streck (Hvy) advanced to Saturday night's finals at Hartman Area, while Hunter Jump (165) placed third, Dylan Brown (149) fourth and Garrett Wells (184) sixth.
The Bronchos finished the marathon third session with 102 points in clinching the 17th title in the program’s illustrious history. No. 2 Lander is second headed to the finals with 82.5 points, followed by No. 4 Nebraska-Kearney (76.5), No. 5 McKendree (69) and No. 3 St. Cloud State (64).
“We’ve preached consistency in everything we do and it showed up this weekend,” UCO coach Todd Steidley said. “Every day we strive to get better and improve and I feel like we’ve done that."
Abney, who became UCO’s first-ever five-time All-American Friday, made the finals with a 6-3 triumph over unseeded Logan Kvien of McKendree.
Abney lost a 1-0 finals decision in 2021 before claiming shutout wins the last two years over the same opponent he had Saturday night, Indianapolis’ Derek Blubaugh.
More: Relive OU softball's run to three straight WCWS titles with our 'Crimson Empire' book
OU softball scores dozen before recording an out at Texas Tech
No. 1 OU softball scored a dozen before an out was recorded Saturday, and the Sooners blasted Texas Tech 15-2 in five innings in Lubbock to clinch the series.
The Sooners (26-1, 5-0 Big 12) have won eight consecutive games.
During OU’s 12-run first, Tiare Jennings ripped a two-run double to tie Sydney Romero for the Sooners’ career record.
Jennings was far from the only OU hitter doing work in the first inning.
Jayda Coleman and Ella Parker started the game with back-to-back singles. After Kasidi Pickering drew a walk, Cydney Sanders drove in a run with a single, Jennings followed with her double and Alyssa Brito walked to load the bases again.
Riley Ludlam followed with an RBI walk before Avery Hodge and Rylie Boone delivered back-to-back RBI singles to drive Maddie Kuehl from the game.
Coleman drew an RBI walk, Parker followed with a two-run single and Pickering blasted a three-run homer to put the Sooners ahead 12-0.
OU didn’t score again until adding three more in the fifth.
Parker finished 3 for 4 with three runs and three RBIs while Pickering, the other freshman in the Sooners’ lineup, was 1 for 2 with two runs and three RBIs.
More: What makes Oklahoma State softball's Rosie Davis so good? 'She's 100% fearless'
Cowgirls top Knights with six-run sixth inning
The fourth-ranked Oklahoma State softball team scored six runs in the sixth inning to defeat UCF, 10-4, Saturday afternoon at Cowgirl Stadium.
A two-run home run from Caroline Wang got the Cowgirls (22-3, 4-1 Big 12) started in the first inning. It was her seventh home run of the year and 42nd of her career.
A third-inning sacrifice fly from Karli Godwin and a fourth-inning home run from Micaela Wark extended the OSU lead to 4-0, but a pair of two-run homers from the Knights in the fifth evened the score at four.
The Cowgirls erupted in the sixth, starting with a pinch-hit RBI single from Katie Lott. Rosie Davis then scored on a wild pitch. A sacrifice fly from Megan Bloodworth scored pinch runner Scotland David. Macy Graf and Edwards then recorded back-to-back RBI doubles to put the game out of reach. An RBI groundout from Claire Timm brought Edwards home to cap the scoring at 10-4.
More: Big 12 softball power rankings: Cydney Sanders has OU rolling again, back in top spot
Extra points
OU BASEBALL: The Sooners snapped No. 12 TCU's 17-game home win streak Friday night with a 7-3 victory, giving coach Skip Johnson his 200th win with OU. Michael Snyder hit a two-run home run for the Sooners (11-6, 4-0 Big 12) in the fourth inning. The Sooners took the lead for good with a four-run seventh inning.
OSU BASEBALL: Oklahoma State opened Big 12 play with a 13-2 loss at UCF on Friday night. The Knights outhit OSU 14-5 in the contest as the Cowboys fell to 11-7 overall, while the Knights improved to 11-4 and 1-3 in conference play.Ian Daugherty led OSU with a 2-for-3 night at the plate that saw him drive in both Cowboy runs.
—Staff and wire reports
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: UCO wrestling clinches second straight NCAA Division II national title
