Three Central Oklahoma Wrestlers Elected to D2 Wrestling Hall of Fame

Former Central Oklahoma wrestling greats Jerry Best, Mark Cunningham and Brian Melchiori have been selected for induction into the NCAA Division II Wrestling Hall of Fame. Attached is a story on their selection along with b/w mug shots from when they wrestled at UCO.

PARKSIDE, Wis. (Feb. 22) -- Three former Central Oklahoma wrestling greats who combined to capture six national championships and win 260 career matches have been selected for induction into the NCAA Division II Wrestling Hall of Fame, it was announced Monday.

Elected for the elite honor were Jerry Best, who won three straight national titles for the Bronchos in the mid-1990s; Mark Cunningham, a four-time All-American who claimed one national crown from 1993-97; and Brian Melchiori, who won back-to-back national titles in his two years at UCO in 1994 and '95.

Those three and five other individuals who make up the 14th class of inductees will be honored at the Division II Wrestling Hall of Fame Ceremony on Thursday, March 11 at 7 p.m. at Anthony's Steakhouse in Omaha, Neb. on the eve of the NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships that will be hosted by Nebraska-Omaha. Tickets for the banquet are $30 and can be reserved by contacting Geri Backora (402-554-2506 or gbakora@unomaha.edu).

Best, Cunningham and Melchiori will bring to 10 the number of UCO athletes and coaches in the NCAA Division II Wrestling Hall of Fame. Earlier inductees are current head coach David James along with former standouts Keith Cunningham (Mark's brother), Todd Drake, Mike Keim, Howard Moore, Wes White and Randy Zellner.

Best, who went a perfect 127-0 and won four state titles at Chandler High School, started his college career at Oklahoma State before transferring to UCO at the semester break of his sophomore season. He went on to enjoy a sensational career with the Bronchos at 142 pounds, finishing with a 77-13 record that included 34 bonus-point wins.

Jerry went 18-4 during the second semester of the 1993-94 season, falling in the finals of the Midwest Regional to Minnesota-Duluth's Ron McClure in what would be his only loss to an NCAA Division II opponent before rolling to the national championship two weeks later to help UCO claim its third straight team title.

Best came back as a junior in 1994-95 to repeat as national champion, overcoming a mid-season injury that knocked him out of action for more than a month to post a 24-5 record. He easily captured the Midwest Regional crown and then had a pair of technical falls en route to capturing his second title as UCO ran away with the team championship.

Jerry capped his career with a sensational senior season in 1995-96, going 35-4 with 21 bonus-point wins. He was named Midwest Regional Wrestler of the Year after taking that title in dominating fashion and cruised to his third straight national championship despite battling a painful shoulder injury.

Best finished with more than 300 takedowns for his three-year UCO career and ended up with a 40-1 record against Division II opponents.

A 1996 graduate of UCO, Best spend one season as a graduate assistant coach for the Bronchos before entering the high school ranks. He is currently the head wrestling coach at Allen High School in Allen, Texas, where he lives with his wife, Kerry.

A product of Tulsa Union High School, Cunningham placed in the NCAA Division II national tournament at three different weight classes during his career and is one of 10 four-time All-Americans at UCO.

Mark redshirted his first year at UCO and then started at 150 pounds during the 1993-94 season. He finished 26-18 with 11 bonus-point wins and won the Midwest Regional championship before earning All-America honors with a sixth-place national finish after entering the tournament unseeded to help the Bronchos take the team title.

Cunningham moved up to 158 pounds the next season and went 31-11 with 15 bonus-point wins, winning two regular-season tournaments and then taking the Midwest Regional crown to earn the No. 2 seed for the national tournament. He advanced to the finals before dropping a 4-3 decision to No. 1 Gene Hanemann of St. Cloud State in helping UCO win its fourth straight team title.

Mark stayed at 158 pounds in 1995-96 and put together a 29-9 campaign with 15 bonus-point wins, capping the season with a national championship. Seeded sixth in the national tournament after a runner-up finish in the Midwest Regional, Cunningham won four straight matches and claimed the title with an 8-6 finals upset of top-seeded Danny Giammo of Carson-Newman as UCO finished a close second in the team race.

Cunningham went up to 167 pounds for his senior season in 1996-97 and earned All-America honors for the fourth straight time despite battling an assortment of injuries most of the year. Mark went 27-11 with 16 bonus-point wins, taking second in the Midwest Regional before finishing seventh in the national tournament.

Mark finished his career with a 113-49 record that included 57 bonus-point wins and he ranks 13th on UCO's all-time win list.

A high school coach for several years after graduating UCO, Mark is now a successful insurance agent in Tulsa. He and his wife, Shelly, have two daughters -- Taylor and Reece.

Melchiori enjoyed a tremendous two-year career at UCO in winning back-to-back national championships and helping lead the Bronchos to consecutive team titles.

A four-time state placer at Field Kindley High School in Coffeyville, Kan., Brian was a two-year starter at Labette (Kan.) Community College before transferring to UCO and seeing his career take off.

Melchiori put together a 29-11 record with 13 falls at 126 pounds in 1993-94, qualifying for the national tournament with a runner-up finish in the Midwest Regional before rolling to the national title. Brian had two falls and a 12-4 major decision in making the finals before capturing the championship with a first-period pin of top-ranked and unbeaten Chris Nelson of Northern Colorado to earn the tournament's Outstanding Wrestler award as UCO ran away with its third straight team title.

Melchiori put together a dominating senior campaign at 126 pounds in 1994-95, going 41-5 -- the fifth-most single-season wins in school history -- with 18 bonus-point victories, including 12 falls. He won the prestigious Las Vegas Invitational and three other regular season tournament titles before claiming the Midwest Regional crown and repeating as national champion with another finals fall to again lead UCO to the team title.

Brian went 8-0 with five falls and two major decisions in two national tournament appearances, scoring 46 team points for the Bronchos. He finished 70-16 in his two-year UCO career with 35 bonus-point wins, including 25 falls.

Melchiori earned his degree from UCO and served as a graduate assistant coach for the Bronchos for one season before entering the high school coaching ranks. He is currently the head wrestling coach at Independence High School in Independence, Kan. Brian and his wife, Emily, have four children -- Baylor, Camdyn, Brennan and Lynnli.
Central Oklahoma Wrestling Routs Newman

EDMOND (Feb. 12) - Cody Rowell and Ed Jackson racked up easy bonus-point wins and No. 13-ranked Central Oklahoma received four forfeits in overpowering Newman 42-3 Friday night at Hamilton Field House.

The Bronchos won nine of the 10 matches - and five of the six actually contested - in their final dual of the season to finish 8-5. UCO now prepares for the NCAA Division II Super Regional Two Tournament, set for Feb. 28 in Warrensburg, Mo.

Cody Rowell had a 17-2 technical fall at 174 pounds and Jackson a 15-5 major decision at 157 to pace the Bronchos, who also got narrow wins from 141 Michael Walkup, 165 Derrick Adkins and 184 Tanner Keck. Picking up forfeits were 125 Casy Rowell, 133 Scott Berens, 197 Jarrett Edison and heavyweight Dustin Finn.

"Once again we did some good things, but we were still too sloppy," UCO coach David James said. "We've just got a lot of work to do to get ready for the regional."

Forfeits in the first two weights gave UCO a quick 12-0 lead and Walkup won the first match on the mat at 141 when he pulled out a 2-1 tiebreaker decision over Brent Fisher, scoring the winning escape with 26 seconds left.

Newman picked up its lone win at 149 as Mitch Arnold upset No. 7-ranked Colby Robinson, but it was all Bronchos after that.

Jackson posted seven takedowns in his rout and then Adkins edged Austin Workman 3-2 on a takedown with 27 seconds remaining in the 165-pound bout. Cody Rowell had four near-falls and three takedowns in recording his second-period technical fall before Keck pulled out a wild 12-10 win at 184 on a reverse with 24 seconds left.

The Bronchos then ended the romp with back-to-back forfeits and Kenny Meredith finished the night with a 21-6 technical fall in an exhibition match at 184.

UCO 42, Newman 3
125 - Casy Rowell, UCO, won by forfeit.
133 - Scott Berens, UCO, won by forfeit.
141 - Michael Walkup, UCO, dec. Brent Fisher, 2-1 (TB).
149 - Mitch Arnold, NU, dec. Colby Robinson, 6-5.
157 - Ed Jackson, UCO, major dec. Ryan Spencer, 15-5.
165 - Derrick Adkins, UCO, dec. Austin Workman, 3-2.
174 - Cody Rowell, UCO, tech. fall Blake Fullbright, 17-2 (4:16).
184 - Tanner Keck, UCO, dec. Tyler Hasenbank, 12-10.
197 - Jarrett Edison, UCO, won by forfeit.
Hvy - Dustin Finn, UCO, won by forfeit.

Exhibition
184 - Kenny Meredith, UCO, tech. fall Jacob Weaver, 21-6 (6:45).
Central Oklahoma Tops Central Missouri on the Mat

EDMOND (Feb. 4) - Falls by Austin Standage and Tanner Keck powered No. 13-ranked Central Oklahoma to a 28-19 triumph over Central Missouri Thursday night at Hamilton Field House.

Keck's pin at 184 pounds pushed a slim 18-13 lead to a 24-13 bulge and Jarrett Edison followed with a major decision at 197 to wrap up the win before the Mules scored a fall in the final match.

The Bronchos improved to 7-5 on the year and stayed perfect against UCM, upping their series advantage to 32-0.

"Austin and Tanner had two big falls for us," UCO coach David James said. "We looked sluggish at a lot of weights and didn't wrestle very smart in some situations, but we're making progress and just need to keep moving forward."

The Bronchos took six of the 10 weights, with 133 Trison Graham and 165 Derrick Adkins pulling out narrow decisions in addition to the bonus-point wins by Standage, Keck and Edison and a forfeit victory by 125 Casy Rowell.

Graham claimed a 5-4 win over Marcus Walker on a takedown with just two seconds left in the match as UCO jumped out to a 9-0 lead, but the Mules earned a major decision at 141 to pull within 9-4.

Standage bumped the lead to 15-4 with his fall at 149, reversing Brandon Russow midway through the second period to take a 4-3 lead before turning him over and getting the pin at the 4:36 mark.

UCM's Denis Ryzhov edged Eden Bernstein 7-6 at 157 on a takedown with four seconds left and the eighth-ranked Adkins followed with a 2-0 win at 165 on the strength of a first-period takedown.

The Mules made it 18-13 with a fall at 174 and Phil Witt took an early 2-0 lead over Keck in the next match, but the freshman reversed Witt to his back with 40 seconds left in the opening period and finished it 19 seconds later.

Edison then put the dual away, racking up five takedowns and more than four minutes riding time in a 13-1 rout.

UCO returns to action at the Missouri Valley Open Saturday and then ends the dual season next Friday, Feb. 12, by hosting Newman.

Central Oklahoma 28, Central Missouri 19
125 -- Casy Rowell, UCO, won by forfeit.
133 -- Trison Graham, UCO, dec. Marcus Walker, 5-4.
141 -- Cory Bloodgood, UCM, major dec. Trey Branscum, 12-4.
149 -- Austin Standage, UCO, pinned Brandon Russow, 4:36.
157 -- Denis Ryzhov, UCM, dec. Eden Bernstein, 7-6.
165 -- Derrick Adkins, UCO, dec. Bryan Click, 2-0.
174 -- Matt Bailes, UCM, pinned Cody Rowell, 1:46.
184 -- Tanner Keck, UCO, pinned Phil Witt, 2:39.
197 -- Jarrett Edison, UCO, major dec. Doug Thompson, 13-1.
Heavyweight -- Brandon Hayes, UCM, pinned Keegan Hulsey, 1:59.
Central Oklahoma Dropped a 27-10 Decision to Oklahoma

EDMOND (Nov. 11) - Two newcomers to the lineup and a veteran earned wins for Central Oklahoma as the Bronchos dropped a 27-10 decision to Oklahoma Wednesday night at Hamilton Field House.

Rookie Casy Rowell and redshirt freshman Trison Graham prevailed in the first two weights to stake UCO to a quick 7-0 lead, but the No. 18-ranked Sooners took the next seven matches to clinch the dual before senior All-American Dustin Finn capped the night on a good note with an exciting overtime triumph.

It was the dual opener for the Bronchos, ranked sixth in Division II.

"I thought we had some guys really battle hard tonight," UCO head coach David James said. "Casy and Trison are two young guys who give you everything they've got and they both wrestled smart matches and Dustin did a great job.

"We could have obviously done better at some weights, but overall it wasn't a bad night and I think we learned some things that will benefit us in the long run."

Rowell opened the match with an impressive 8-0 major decision over Justin Forrest at 125 pounds, scoring three takedowns and racking up nearly five minutes riding time en route to the rout that gave UCO a 4-0 lead.

Graham followed with an 8-5 victory at 133, using a pair of second-period takedowns to break a scoreless tie and take a 5-1 lead. Graham upped his lead to 7-2 with another takedown midway through the final period and coasted in.

The Sooners then showed their strength, recording a fall and three major decisions in winning the next seven bouts to open up a 27-7 lead.

That didn't faze Finn in the final match as the senior heavyweight edged Nathan Fernandez 7-5 to avenge an 8-4 loss in last Sunday's OCU Open.

Finn led 3-1 after two periods and appeared to have the match wrapped up when he made it 5-2 on a takedown with 28 seconds left, but Fernandez escaped at 0:12 and then took Finn down with just one second left to tie it and force overtime.

A two-time national runner-up ranked No. 1 this year, Finn finally prevailed on a takedown 36 seconds into the one-minute sudden-victory period.

The Bronchos return to action Saturday at the Central Missouri Open and then go to Oklahoma City University for a dual next Tuesday.

125: Casy Rowell, UCO, major dec. Justin Forrest, 8-0.
133: Trison Graham, UCO, dec. Alex Ekstrom, 8-5.
141: Zack Bailey, OU, major dec. Scott Berens, 18-4.
149: Kyle Terry, OU, major dec. Austin Standage, 14-3.
157: Chad Terry, OU, dec. Eden Bernstein, 12-5.
165: Derek Peperas, OU, dec. Derrick Adkins, 4-2.
174: Jeff James, OU, major dec. Cody Rowell, 23-10.
184: Erich Schmidtke, OU, dec. Kenny Meredith, 5-0.
197: Eric Lapotsky, OU, pinned Jarrett Edison, 6:20.
Hvy: Dustin Finn, UCO, dec. Nathan Fernandez, 7-5 (SV).
Central Oklahoma Intrasquad Dual

EDMOND (Oct. 28) - Redshirt freshman Trison Graham upset a returning All-American for the Bronze team, but the Blue won three overtime matches to pull out a 22-19 victory in Central Oklahoma's intrasquad dual Wednesday night at Hamilton Field House.

Graham knocked off senior All-American and No. 5-ranked Scott Berens 6-4 at 133 pounds to give the Bronze a 7-4 lead after three matches, with the Blue coming back to win six of the next seven bouts to grab a 22-10 lead en route to the win.

The Blue got overtime victories from Mike Walkup at 141, Austin Standage at 149 and Tanner Keck at 165 in building its big lead before the Bronze made it close by claiming the last two matches, including a fall by Mikey Morgan.

It was the first of two intrasquad duals for the No. 6-ranked Bronchos, who will hold another Blue-Bronze battle next Thursday in Norman. UCO opens the season on Nov. 8 at the Oklahoma City University Open.

"I saw a lot of good things, especially from some of our young guys, but we obviously have a lot of work ahead of us," said 28-year head coach David James. "It was good for us to get out of the room and compete in front of a crowd, because some guys wrestle better in those situations."

Freshman Casy Rowell started the dual with a 13-4 major decision to give the Blue a quick 4-0 lead, but Seth Johnson followed with a 12-2 rout for the Bronze to tie it.

Graham then pulled off his upset of Berens, getting a reverse in the final minute of the match to take a 5-4 lead and controlling Berens the rest of the way to add a riding time point for the 6-4 victory.

Walkup used two third-period takedowns to draw even with Tyson Bernardi at 6-6 and force overtime, then won it with another takedown 30 seconds into the sudden-victory period.

Standage prevailed 5-3 over Chris Watson on a takedown just six seconds into the first OT and Keck earned a 3-2 win over Derrick Adkins with an escape in the second tiebreaker.

Blue 22, Bronze 19
125: Casy Rowell, Blue, major dec. Nick Rice, 13-4.
125: Seth Johnson, Bronze, major dec. Andrew Schmauch, 12-2.
133: Trison Graham, Bronze, dec. Scott Berens, 6-4.
141: Mike Walkup, Blue, dec. Tyson Bernardi, 8-6 (SV).
149: Colby Robinson, Bronze, dec. Ryan Rosales, 4-0.
149: Austin Standage, Blue, dec. Chris Watson, 5-3 (SV).
157: Kelly Henderson, Blue, dec. Justin Suskey, 7-2.
157: Eden Berstein, Blue, dec. Joe Snedden, 5-1.
165: Tanner Keck, Blue, dec. Derrick Adkins, 2-1 (TB).
174: Cody Rowell, Blue, dec. Brennan Ochoa, 5-3.
174: Mikey Morgan, Bronze, pinned Rance Rue, 4:37.
184: Daniel Morrison, Bronze, dec. Kenny Meredith, 3-2.
All-staters Harris, Reed Among Oklahoma City Wrestling Recruits

OKLAHOMA CITY - Oklahoma City University has added two all-staters and two transfers among seven recruits to its men's wrestling program.

All-staters Kevin Harris of Del City, Okla., and Michael Reed of Ardmore, Okla., and transfers Bryce Dicus from Nebraska-Kearney and Tucker Rutherford from Neosho County (Kan.), as well as state runner-up Marvin Lewis of Bartlesville, Okla., Gregory Daniels of Midwest City, Okla., and Allen Lea of Webbers Falls, Okla., will join the Stars for 2009-10.

Harris finished his senior year with a record of 33-6 and third in state. Harris took third place at state as a junior and was on the academic all-state team as a sophomore. Harris has been named Oklahoma Coaches Association all-state and all-Mid-State Conference.
At OCU, Harris could compete at 141 pounds.

"Harris comes from a high school program that is rich in Oklahoma wrestling tradition," said OCU coach Archie Randall. "He will provide competition for the returning national qualifier Jeremy Garner."

Reed finished his senior year with a record of 38-3. Reed was named all-state and all-area as well. Reed is expected to wrestle at 285 for OCU.

"Reed will have the opportunity to train with two-time national qualifier and all-American Corey Johnson during his first year as a redshirt," Randall said.

Daniels was a member of the state champion wrestling program as a junior and sophomore. Daniels finished fourth in the state tournament in as a freshman and was a state qualifier as a sophomore.

"Daniels is a product of the Midwest City wrestling program," said Randall. "He was injured in his last season, but he will be another athlete to compete for the 133 vacancy."
Lea of Webbers Falls High School (Okla.) was named all-conference three times. Lea is projected as a 133-pounder for the Stars.

"Lea will be one of the several wrestlers who will make a run at replacing three-time national qualifier Justin Blumer," said Randall.

Lewis finished as Class 5A state runner-up at 171 pounds with a 34-6 record as a senior. Lewis went 61-13 in his junior and senior seasons.

Dicus is a transfer from Nebraska-Kearney. Dicus was a four-time district champion and a regional champion. Dicus, of Catoosa, Okla., was a Greco-Roman state champion and a freestyle runner-up.

"Dicus will transfer in at 125 and will be one of several wrestlers who will help to fill the void we had at that weight last year," Randall said.

Rutherford will transfer to OCU from Neosho County to further his wrestling career. Rutherford, of Jay, Okla., finished his high-school career with a record of 36-6 and was named all-state. Rutherford was also three-time all-conference and all-district, as well as the state runner-up.

"Rutherford will come in at 149 and is expected to strengthen the weight class, which has two returning national qualifiers," said Randall.

OCU hosts the Junior National Duals featuring top junior wrestlers from around the nation on June 24-28 at Abe Lemons Arena.
Division II Wrestler of the Year

EDMOND, Okla. -- Unbeaten 157-pounder Todd Meneely of Nebraska-Omaha has been selected as the 2008-09 NCAA Division II Wrestler of the Year after winning his third straight national championship this season.

Meneely is the second winner of the award, sponsored by the NCAA Division II Wrestling Coaches' Association and voted on by eight regional representatives from around the country. Nebraska-Kearney heavyweight Tervel Dlagnev took the inaugural award last year.

Each of the four regions nominated a candidate, with Super Region Two nominee Meneely finishing with 28 points to edge out runner-up Cy Wainwright of Newberry and Super Region One by one point. Minnesota State-Mankato's Tommy Abbott was the Super Region Three representative and Arsenia Barksdale of Adams State the Super Region Four nominee.

Meneely, a native of Omaha, went a perfect 27-0 this season with 10 falls, seven major decisions and three technical falls. He was only scored on offensively three times (three takedowns) and won five tournament titles this year.

A three-time regional champion, Meneely captured the Division II national title at 149 pounds in 2007 and '08 before moving up to 157 this season and winning a third consecutive crown March 13-14 in Houston, Texas. He finished with a 85-5 career record in three years with the Mavericks.

Meneely was the driving force behind a UNO team that went undefeated in duals and ran away with the national team championship this season. He was named the Outstanding Wrestler at the NWCA Division II National Duals in January.

A four-time state champion at Skutt Catholic High School in Omaha, Meneely was a Freestyle and Greco Junior National champion in 2002.