OKLAHOMA CITY – Oklahoma City University brought back two all-Americans and conference champions with its sights on additional accolades in the upcoming men's wrestling season.
Four of OCU's nine wrestlers who earned spots in the 2022 NAIA Championships return for 2022-23. The Stars host home duals against Jarvis Christian (Texas) and Schreiner (Texas) at approximately 1 p.m. Sunday at Abe Lemons Arena.
Last season, Oklahoma City's Cade Manion took fourth place at 141 pounds, while Keegan Luton collected seventh at 149 to become all-Americans in the NAIA Championships. The Stars snared a least one all-American honor for the 11th year in a row while finishing 17th in the team standings.
Six OCU individuals who placed in the Sooner Athletic Conference Championships and contributed to the Stars' second league title in three years return.
TOP RETURNERS
• Manion, a sophomore from Edmond, Okla., fell short in the 141-pound third-place match 4-3 to Shea Ruffridge from Grand View (Iowa). Manion (14-6 last season) became the 141-pound conference champion. Luton and Manion gave OCU eight freshmen who have snagged all-American acclaim in program history
• Luton, a sophomore from Mustang, Okla., defeated Missouri Baptist's Steven Weathers 9-2 in the 149-pound seventh-place bout. Luton took SAC freshman of the year after becoming the 149-pound conference champion. Luton completed his freshman season 29-6
• Cooper Mahaffey, a junior from Yukon, Okla., nabbed second place in the conference tournament at 125 pounds. Mahaffey went 17-16 in 2021-22
• Kolbe Madron at 165 and Drake Vannoy at 157 came in third place in the league tournament at their respective weights. Casey Goss picked up fourth at 125 in the SAC Championships
NEW FACES
• Moses Torres arrived at OCU after wrestling for Wayland Baptist (Texas) as a freshman. Torres reached the NAIA Championships after finishing third at 141 in the SAC Championships
• Hayden Brown, a freshman from Tuttle, Okla., came in second place at 152 pounds in the Class 4A state tournament as a high school senior. He contributed to Tuttle taking the 4A team state championship and dual state title
• Skyler Bean, a freshman from Tuttle, Okla., hauled in third place at 160 pounds in the 4A state tournament as a prep senior competing for Bridge Creek
• Mannix Faworski, a freshman from Winnebago, Ill., posted a third-place showing at 182 pounds in the Illinois state tournament
PRESEASON BUZZ
• OCU stood just outside the NAIA top 20 among the teams receiving votes in the preseason national rankings
• Five Stars snagged spots in the national individual rankings. Luton highlighted Oklahoma City by being ranked fifth among the NAIA's 149-pound ratings. Other Stars ranked were Vannoy (14th at 157), Mahaffey (No. 19 at 133), Kitchingham (No. 21 at 197) and Goss (25th at 125)
MEET THE COACH
• Justin Ensign guided the Stars to a 17th-place national finish with two all-Americans and nine national qualifiers in his first season with Oklahoma City. OCU (7-1 in duals) had a spot in the three national polls with a high ranking of No. 11
• Ensign became SAC coach of the year after directing Oklahoma City to the conference championship behind four individual SAC champions
• Ensign previously spent 11 years at Central Missouri, mentoring 10 national-tournament qualifiers and 17 all-region performers, including two-time national champion Frank Cagnina, who captured the 2014 and '15 149-pound NCAA Division II championships and Central Region wrestler of the year. Central Missouri posted two top-20 national team finishes, including its finest finish (11th) in 2014-15 under Ensign
MARK YOUR CALENDAR
• OCU will compete in home duals Wednesday against Texas Wesleyan and Jan. 17 vs. Wayland Baptist (Texas)
• The Stars will vie for league titles and national-tournament bids Feb. 18 at Abe Lemons Arena in the American Midwest Conference-SAC Championships. The SAC will combine with four teams from the AMC for the postseason tournament
• The NAIA Championships take place around 175 miles away from OCU at the Hartman Arena in Park City, Kan.
