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 were 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.