Gray closes career with second title
Chandler’s Heath Gray won his second national championship and led his University of Oklahoma wrestling team to a runnerup finish in the NCAA Division II national tournament in St. Louis last week.
Wrestling at 187 pounds, Gray beat West Liberty’s Connor Craig, 4-3, in the finals. It was second finals win over Craig.
Gray had a first-period takedown and a third-period reverse in the finals while giving up three escapes.
His teammate, Dalton Abney, won the national championship at 197 pounds.
Gray finished his UCO career with a record of 94-4 and was 16-1 this season.
He was a four-time All-American and holds the highest career winning percentage in UCO history.
“The main thing is being under the big lights,” he said. “You get to the big tournament and it’s a weight off my shoulders and I can just go wrestle.
“I love the huge atmosphere. It’s what we’ve been working for all year.
“It sucks we got second, but those things happen. I got a title and, more importantly, Dalton Abney got a title”
Gray is a 2015 graduate of Chandler High School. In addition to winning the national championship in 2021, he was also the National Wrestling Coaches Association wrestler of the year for NCAA Division II.
He was granted an extra of eligibility because of the COVID pandemic.
“Heath and Dalton both wrestled great and deserved to be national champions,” said UCO coach Todd Steidly. “They prepared hard all season for this moment. Their dedicated paid off.”