D2 SPORTS NETWORK » Central Oklahoma

Wrestling down to Final 12

admin — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 06:25:00 +0000

The No. 16 University of Central Missouri Mules wrestling squad qualified six for nationals Sunday in the NCAA-II Super Region 2 Tournament in Kirksville, Mo. The Mules finished tied for second as a team with 99 points as well.

The top four finishers in each weight class qualified for the 2009 NCAA-II Championships, March 13-14 in Houston, Texas.

Grant Baker (133) was the top Mules finisher, taking second. Cory Bloodgood (141), William Forrest (149), and Travis Barbarick (184) each finished third. Denis Ryzhov (157) and Cody Beck (285) finished fourth.

Top-ranked Nebraska-Omaha took the region title with 162.5 points, while UCM tied with No. 7 Central Oklahoma for second, finishing ahead of No. 8 Wisconsin-Parkside in fourth with 86.5 points.

For his efforts, Mules head coach Robin Ersland was named Co-Region 2 Coach of the Year, along with UNO head coach Mike Denny.

ALL QUALIFIERS

–Courtesy UCM Athletics

UNK’s Dlagnev is D2′s Top Wrestler

admin — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 18:40:00 +0000

Nebraska-Kearney heavyweight Tervel Dlagnev has been named the 2007-08 NCAA Division II Wrestler of the Year after an undefeated season capped by a national finals victory that catapulted the Lopers to their first-ever team title.

Dlagnev becomes the inaugural winner of the award, sponsored by the NCAA Division II Wrestling Coaches’ Association and voted on by eight regional representatives from around the country. Each of the four regions nominated a candidate, with West Region nominee Dlagnev receiving seven first-place votes and finishing with 31 points to beat runner-up Kyle Evans of Central Oklahoma and the Midwest Region. Minnesota State-Mankato’s Jason Rhoten was the North Region representative and Dan Scanlan of Limestone the East nominee.

Dlagnev, a native of Arlington, Texas, went a perfect 38-0 this season with 16 falls, six major decisions and five technical falls. He captured his second straight national championship with a 4-1 finals win over Central Oklahoma’s Dustin Finn that enabled UNK to edge MSU-Mankato by a mere half-point for the team crown.

A four-time West Region champion, Dlagnev finished with a school-record 167 wins. He put together a phenomenal 167-19 career record that included 55 falls, 38 major decisions and 10 technical falls and he was 87-1 his last two years. Dlagnev became just the fourth four-time All-American in UNK history with national tournament finishes of sixth-second-first-first. Also a four-time Wrestling Coaches All-Academic pick, Dlagnev was selected for the 2008 NWCA All-Star Classic and will continue his wrestling career on the international level.

He was a fourth-place finisher in the Senior Men’s Freestyle Division at the U.S. National Championships in 2007 and won the prestigious Sunkist Kids International Open last fall. Dlagnev will be heading to Las Vegas on April 23-26 ( ASICS U.S. National Champions) and then again on June 12-15 (Olympic Team Trials).

NATIONAL CHAMPIONS SPOTLIGHT

admin — Sat, 05 May 2007 17:54:00 +0000

THE UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL OKLAHOMA took home its seventh D2 Wrestling title in March and denied the University of Nebraska-Omaha their fourth consecutive trophy. In dominating fashion, the Bronchos held an insurmountable lead over runner-up, University of Nebraska-Kearney, going into the finals. Defending champion, UNO, was third, while Minnesota State-Mankato and Adams State rounded out the standings after the finals. Going into the NCAA Finals, UCO was ranked #3 but used a strong showing of their 8 All-Americans to secure the schools 15th National Wrestling Title (8 NAIA). Head Coach David James was named D2 Coach of the Year.