Recap of last weekend's Division II college wrestling action
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Craig Sesker (USA Wrestling)
02/20/2002
By Craig Sesker/TheMat.com Top-ranked Central Oklahoma continues to roll. The Bronchos head into the postseason as the clear favorite to win the Division II national championship after it ended the regular season with a 36-7 dual win over Southern Illinois-Edwardsville on Friday at home. Nathan Gomez (157) and Muhammed Lawal (197) both won by fall for Central Oklahoma. Second-ranked North Dakota State, the two-time defending national champion, turned in an impressive end to the regular season by posting a 31-7 home win over No. 6 Augustana on Saturday. In the featured matchup at 174, No. 1 Todd Fuller of North Dakota State and No. 2 Tom Meester of Augustana finished regulation and the first overtime tied 1-1. Fuller, the two-time defending national champion, then won it in the tiebreaker. The Bison won 8 of 10 matches. Third-ranked Nebraska-Omaha came back from tough losses to Central Oklahoma and No. 9 Nebraska-Kearney to pound Southwest State (Minn.) 41-6 on Friday in Omaha. Daniel Vech (184) and Chad Wallace (197) each won by fall for the Mavericks, who won 9 of 10 bouts. Fifth-ranked Minnesota State won twice on the road last week, beating Northern Colorado 24-14 on Thursday and Adams State 21-20 on Friday. Four qualifying meets for the Division II national tournament are scheduled for next weekend. Nationals are scheduled for March 8-9 in Kenosha, Wis.