ARKADELPHIA, Ark.- The Ouachita wrestling program, only in its second year of existence, is preparing to host only their second home meet in the history of the program on Saturday. Last year, the Tigers hosted a meet against Central Baptist College from Conway. This year, they host their first NCAA opponent and a very prestigious one at that.
Ouachita will be playing host to the University of Central Oklahoma on Saturday, a program that has been in existence for many years and has had success on a national level. The Bronchos have developed a winning formula since the formation of their program in 1979, winning 15 national championships, including eight at the NAIA level and seven as a NCAA Division II program. The program at UCO has seen 224 All-Americans and 62 national champions during its history, providing stiff competition and a good measurement of where the program at Ouachita currently stands.
“It's a big challenge, wrestling a team like Central OK,” said head coach Kevin Ward. “There are no holes in their lineup, so I expect 10 tough matches. We are going to have to be able to find a way to win close matches, if we even want to give ourselves a chance to score some team points. They are the #6 team in the country, so we are definitely expecting a tough dual meet.”
Ouachita has participated in a number of meets so far this season, four of which were duals. The Tigers are currently 2-2 in duals, including a dominating 41-6 victory over Central Baptist and a win over Truman University. The Tigers have also participated in a number of tournaments, placing a number of wrestlers against some of the toughest competition that Division II, and even Division I, have to offer.
The Tigers' match against the Bronchos will take place at 2 p.m. on Saturday at Bill Vining Arena on the campus of Ouachita Baptist University. The meet is sure to be full of exciting match-ups, as the Tigers look to make their mark against one of the best teams in the country.
“I think our team looks forward to matches like this, I know I do,” commented Ward. “I'm excited to have a team as tough as UCO coming to our place, and I hope we can have a good crowd. We talk about trying to move this program forward all the time and there is no better way to do that than to face the toughest competition in the country. That's what we are getting on Saturday.”
-Josh Fink, Sports Information Director
