University of Missouri, Columbia Columbia, MO

 

Missouri Tigers stand at 11-2 on the year after three victories on Sunday

COLUMBIA, Mo. - The No. 15 Missouri wrestling team improved to 11-2 on the season, as they swept the quad meet hosted by Southern Illinois-Edwardsville. The Tigers scored victory against Eastern Michigan, SIUE and Truman State, shutting out the latter two opponents and winning 28 of the 30 matches on the day.

Missouri opened up the afternoon with a 25-6 victory over Eastern Michigan. No. 3 Alan Waters got the Tigers off on the right foot with a 15-4 major decision over Jared Germaine, which was followed by a 6-2 win by No. 10 Nathan McCormick against Andrew Novak. It was McCormick's first action since Dec. 18, as he put the Tigers up 7-0 after two.

Eastern Michigan got on the board with a 7-4 win by Corey Phillips against Mizzou's Nicholas Hucke, but the Tigers would go on to win the next three contests by decision, extending their lead to 16-3. Kyle Bradley and Drake Houdashelt picked up shutout victories, winning 5-0 and 2-0, respectively, while Zach Toal knocked off Lester France, 6-2. The Eagles scored a win at 174 pounds to make it 16-6, but Mizzou would win the last three matches to close out the dual.

Junior Mike Larson returned to action with a 5-4 victory over Mike Curby. Larson trailed 4-1 early in the first but hit a reversal late in the period to cut the lead to 4-3. Larson escaped in the second and rode out Curby in the third to gain the riding time point and give him the win. No. 11 Brent Haynes defeated Nick Whitenburg by a 10-3 final, while heavyweight Devin Mellon defeated Wes Schroeder by a 6-4 final. Mellon reversed Schroeder in the second period to take a 2-0 lead and hit a pair of third period takedowns to clinch the match.

Against SIU-Edwardsville, Mizzou scored bonus points in seven of the 10 matches, shutting out the Cougars by a 42-0 final. After a forfeit at 125, McCormick defeated Brendan Murphy, 9-4. Hucke then earned his first dual win of the season, shutting out Dillon Pousson by a 2-0 score. Bradley scored a major decision, while Houdashelt won by a technical fall in the second period, putting Mizzou up 21-0 halfway through the match.

Toal made it 25-0 after a major decision victory, and senior Dorian Henderson defeated Deshoun White, 8-6, at 174 pounds. Larson then picked up a major decision of his own, defeating Cole Brandt by a 16-5 margin. Junior Clarence Neely stepped in at 197 and defeated Cole Rogers, 16-7, for his first dual win of the year, making it 36-0. The Cougars forfeited at heavyweight to close out the match.

Missouri kept it going against Truman State, scoring bonus point wins in all 10 contests on their way to a 52-0 victory. The win is the fourth-highest margin of victory in program history and is the eighth time ever that a Tiger squad has scored more than 50 points in a single dual.

The Tigers got wins by fall by McCormick at 133 and Neely at 197. Waters, Toal, Henderson and Mellon all scored technical falls, while Bradley and Houadshelt each defeated their opponents by major decision. Hucke and Larson won their matches by forfeit.

Mizzou returns home next weekend for a pair of Big 12 duals, starting with No. 1 Oklahoma State on Saturday, Feb. 4 at Noon CT. Admission to the matchup between the Tigers and Cowboys is free to the public and the first two fans will receive gold rally towels. On Sunday, Missouri will go up against No. 11 Oklahoma. Action gets underway at 1 p.m. Stay tuned to mutigers.com for more information.

Missouri- Tigers will wrestle three duals on Sunday, Jan. 29

After a week off, the Missouri wrestling squad returns to action this Sunday, Jan. 29 with a quad-meet hosted by Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville in Edwardsville, Ill. The Tigers will open the day with Eastern Michigan at 1 p.m. before meeting SIUE at approximately 2:45 p.m. Mizzou will close the day with a matchup against fellow in-state school Truman State at 4:30 p.m.

In the latest NWCA/USA Today Division I Coaches Poll, the Tigers rank in at 15th in the nation. Mizzou also has all 10 starters ranked in the top-33 of the initial NCAA Coaches Rankings. Mizzou also has eight of their 10 grapplers ranked in the top-20 of Intermat's latest poll.

SCOUTING EASTERN MICHIGAN
Eastern Michigan enters this weekend with an 11-4 record on the season and are riding a four match winning streak. They are 4-1 at home, 3-1 on the road and 4-2 at neutral sites. They started the season with six wins in their first seven contests, including victories over Michigan State and Bucknell. In their last four matches they've defeated Clarion University, Indiana Tech, Olivet and Northern Illinois.

The Eagles have four seniors in their projected lineup, led by Andrew Novak at 133 pounds, who is 15-6 on the season. Sophomore Jared Germaine boasts a 19-6 record at 125 pounds, while junior Aaron Sulzer is 17-6 on the year at 157. EMU is led by head coach Derek DelPorto, who is in his seventh season as head coach of the Eagles.

SCOUTING SIU-EDWARDSVILLE
Southern Illinois-Edwardsville is currently 3-9 on the season, but stand at 2-1 in their home arena. The Cougars dropped their first five contests of the season before defeating Truman State in December. They opened 2012 with a 26-16 victory over Anderson (S.C.), and knocked off Central Missouri on Jan. 12. At 125 pounds, Patrick Myers is 9-4 on the season with a major decision, while Brendan Murphy, who has wrestled at 133 and 141 pounds, is currently 8-2 with two falls and a major. Head Coach David Ray is in his fourth season as head coach at SIUE.

SCOUTING TRUMAN STATE
Truman State is currently looking to snap a seven match losing streak after winning their first two contests of the season. The opened the year with wins over Central Baptist College and Hannibal-LaGrange College, putting them at 2-7 on the season. At 141 pounds, Alex Maus has posted a 17-9 record, while brother Ryan Maus is 19-6 at 149 pounds. Devon Fenstermaker has won 15 contests this year and is projected to start at 157 pounds for Truman State. They are led by head coach David Schutter, who is in his 21st season as the Bulldogs' head coach.

WHAT'S NEXT
Next weekend, Missouri will return home for the first time in over a month and a half, when they host a pair of Big 12 duals. On Saturday, Feb. 4, the Tigers will go against No. 1 Oklahoma State, beginning at Noon CT. The following day, Feb. 5, Mizzou and No. 10 Oklahoma will go heads up, starting at 1 p.m. CT.

WATERS EARNS SECOND woW HONOR
For the second time this season, sophomore Alan Waters has been named as the Big 12 Wrestler of the Week, as announced on Jan. 17. Waters was recognized with the award back on Dec. 12, 2011, while junior Brent Haynes won the award last week. This is the first time that Mizzou has had three Wrestler of the Week winners since the 2006-07 season.

Waters was a perfect 3-0 at the Virginia Duals this past weekend, helping the Tigers reach the championship bout. He opened things up with a 4-2 victory over No. 19 Trent Sprinkle of North Dakota State, as Mizzou went on to win 24-9. In the semifinals against Edinboro, Waters defeated Kory Mines by a 6-2 score, helping the Tigers pull out a 19-16 victory. Despite the team loss in the championship to Kent State, Waters scored his second win of the year over No. 4 Nic Bedelyon. The two battled into overtime, with Waters scoring the decisive takedown in sudden victory. Waters is now 3-0 all-time against Bedelyon.

MISSOURI FINISHES IN SECOND AT VIRGINIA DUALS
The Missouri wrestling team saw their seven dual winning streak come to an end on Saturday night, as they fell by an 18-14 final to No. 22 Kent State in the championship of the Virginia Duals. The Golden Flashes won six of the 10 matches, overcoming two wins by major decision by the Tigers. The Tigers claimed victories over North Dakota State and No. 23 Edinboro earlier in the tournament to move into the finals.

Against Kent State, No. 3 Alan Waters scored his third career victory - second of the season - over No. 4 Nic Bedelyon with a 7-5 win in sudden victory. However, Kent State would claim the next three victories to take a 9-3 lead. Drake Houdashelt scored a major decision and Zach Toal picked up a late third period win to regain the lead at 10-9, but Kent State won three of the last four contests to take the dual.

Missouri got into the finals with a 19-16 win over No. 23 Edinboro, overcoming an early 12-3 deficit. Waters got the win at 125 to start the match, but a fall and two decisions put the Fighting Scots up after four matches. However, the Tigers got back into it with four straight wins, including a major decision by Drake Houdashelt at 157 and a win by Dorian Henderson, who was wrestling up to 184, to go up 16-12. Edinboro managed to even the match with a major decision win at 197, bringing the contest down to heavyweight. Redshirt freshman Devin Mellon won by riding time in the third tiebreaker round, giving MU the win.

The Tigers kicked off the Virginia Duals with a 24-9 victory over North Dakota State. Waters defeated No. 19 Trent Sprinkle, while Eric Wilson defeated Justin Solberg in overtime to put MU up 6-0. It was 9-6 at the midway point, but the Tigers would go on to win four of the last five contests to separate themselves from the Bison. Patrick Wright won by maojr decision at 174, while Brent Haynes scored a technical fall at 197.

FOLLOW MIZZOU WRESTLING ON FACEBOOK AND TWITTER
If you're on Facebook or Twitter, make sure to follow the official University of Missouri Wrestling team to get exclusive updates, pictures, video content and live results throughout the entire season. Head to facebook.com/MizzouWrestling or twitter.com/MizzouWrestling and follow us today.

Mizzou 125 pounder went 3-0 with two wins over ranked opponents at the Virginia Duals

COLUMBIA, Mo. - For the second time this season, sophomore Alan Waters has been named as the Big 12 Wrestler of the Week, as announced Tuesday afternoon by the league office. Waters was recognized with the award back on Dec. 12, 2011, while junior Brent Haynes won the award last week. This is the first time that Mizzou has had three Wrestler of the Week winners since the 2006-07 season.

Waters was a perfect 3-0 at the Virginia Duals this past weekend, helping the Tigers reach the championship bout. He opened things up with a 4-2 victory over No. 19 Trent Sprinkle of North Dakota State, as Mizzou went on to win 24-9. In the semifinals against Edinboro, Waters defeated Kory Mines by a 6-2 score, helping the Tigers pull out a 19-16 victory. Despite the team loss in the championship to Kent State, Waters scored his second win of the year over No. 4 Nic Bedelyon. The two battled into overtime, with Waters scoring the decisive takedown in sudden victory. Waters is now 3-0 all-time against Bedelyon.

This season, Waters is 17-1 overall and 8-0 in duals. He is 6-1 on the year against top-20 wrestlers and has won 12 of his 17 matches with bonus points.

Waters and the Tigers have a week off before returning to action on Sunday, Jan. 29. Missouri will travel to Edwardsville, Ill., for a quad-meet against Eastern Michigan, SIU-Edwardsville and Truman State, beginning at 1 p.m. CT.

Tigers fall to No. 22 Kent State in finals by an 18-14 score

HAMPTON, Va. - The No. 9 Missouri Tigers saw their seven dual winning streak come to an end on Saturday night, as they fell by an 18-14 final to No. 22 Kent State in the championship of the Virginia Duals. The Golden Flashes won six of the 10 matches, overcoming two wins by major decision by the Tigers.

Once again, No. 3 Alan Waters got the best of No. 4 Nic Bedelyon, winning 7-5 in sudden victory. Waters got the first takedown and scored a reversal in the second period to take the lead, but Bedelyon hit a late takedown to even the match. In sudden victory, Waters picked up the takedown to improve to 3-0 in his career against Bedelyon and put the Tigers up 3-0.

However, Kent State would take a 9-3 lead by winning the next three contests. Stevie Mitcheff knocked off Eric Wilson by a 4-3 decision, fighting off a last second takedown attempt by Wilson. At 141, No. 9 Tyler Small shutout Nicholas Hucke, 5-0, while No. 14 Ian Miller defeated No. 20 Kyle Bradley, 7-3.

Missouri was able to take the lead with wins at 157 and 165. No. 17 Drake Houdashelt scored his second major decision of the day, avenging a loss earlier in the season to Mallie Shuster with a 13-4 win. After surrendering the first takedown, Houdashelt built a 4-2 lead after two periods. Shuster took Houdashelt down to start the third, evening the score, but Houdashelt escaped, scored a takedown and turned Shuster to the mat for a three point near fall late in the match to secure bonus points.

Sophomore Zach Toal hit a takedown with six seconds left to win at 165 pounds, putting Missouri on top by a 10-9 score. Kent State's Ross Tice controlled most of the match, leading 3-0 after two periods while building riding time. Toal escaped and took Tice down to even things up at 3-3, but Tice was able to escape while still controlling riding time. He looked as if he would hold on to win, but Toal hit his takedown and burned off Tice's riding time advantage to get the win.

Kent State regained the lead with wins in the next two contests. At 174, Brandonn Johnson upset No. 10 Patrick Wright by a 4-1 score, while Casey Newberg defeated Dorian Henderson, 6-1, at 184 pounds.

Junior Brent Haynes trimmed the lead to 15-14 with a major decision, defeating Ryan Buckner by an 8-0 final. Haynes scored takedowns in each period and built up several minutes of riding time as he won his 15th match of the season.

Coming down to the final match of the night, No. 16 Brendan Barlow defeated Devin Mellon by a 3-2 decision, avenging a loss from December and giving Kent State the victory. Barlow's second period takedown proved to be the difference maker, as Mellon was never able to get Barlow to the mat.

Missouri will be off next week and will be back in action on Sunday, Jan. 29, as they head to Edwardsville, Ill., for a quad-meet. The Tigers will face Eastern Michigan, SIU-Edwardsville and Truman State, beginning at 1 p.m. CT. For more information, stay tuned to mutigers.com.

Missouri- Tigers win five of last six matches, overcome 12-3 deficit

HAMPTON, Va. - The No. 9 Missouri wrestling squad (8-1) moved into the finals at the Virginia Duals with a come-from-behind victory over No. 23 Edinboro (4-2) on Saturday afternoon, winning 19-16 over the Fighting Scots. Mizzou trailed 12-3 after four matches but would win five of the last six bouts to move into Saturday night's finals. The Tigers will face a familiar foe in No. 22 Kent State.

No. 3 Alan Waters got the Tigers out on the right foot, defeating Kory Mines by a 6-2 decision. Mines got the first takedown but Waters got out and landed a takedown of his own to lead 3-2 after the first. He started in the second and escaped again, and landed another takedown in the third while riding Mines out to secure the riding time point. However, a first period win by fall at 133 and one point decisions at 141 and 149 for Edinboro put them up 12-3 after four contests.

Redshirt freshman Drake Houdashelt was able to swing the momentum in Missouri's favor with a 13-4 major decision at 157 pounds. Up 3-0 after two periods, Houdashelt scored four takedowns in the third to get crucial bonus points for the Tigers.

Houdashelt's win kicked off a string of four straight victories for Missouri. No. 20 Zach Toal followed up with a 9-6 decision over Jesse Swink, while No. 10 Patrick Wright shut out Chris Hunkra, 4-0, to give Missouri the 13-12 lead. Senior Dorian Henderson stepped in at 184 pounds and defeated Vic Avery by a 3-1 score to extend the Tiger lead to 16-12.

However, No. 2 Chris Honeycutt scored a 14-4 major decision victory over No. 11 Brent Haynes, evening the score at 16-16 going into the final contest. At heavyweight, Devin Mellon and Ernest James battled deep into overtime, remaining tied at 2-2 heading to the riding time tiebreaker round. Mellon started out bottom and got out almost instantly to take the 3-2 lead. James also escaped in his half of the tiebreaker, but Mellon was able to ride him out longer, giving him and the Tigers the victory.

The win advances Missouri into Saturday evening's championship round against No. 22 Kent State. The Tigers and Golden Flashes faced off in Ohio on Dec. 9, with Mizzou knocking off Kent State by a 34-12 final. Tonight's match will be streamed live at virginiaduals.org, with updates being posted on the Mizzou wrestling Twitter page, @MizzouWrestling.

Missouri- Bonus points at 174, 197 put match out of reach in favor of Tigers

HAMPTON, Va. - The top-seeded Missouri wrestling team opened up the Virginia Duals with a 24-9 victory over North Dakota State on Friday afternoon, moving them into Saturday's semifinal bout. The No. 9 Tigers received a first round bye, while North Dakota State advanced into the second round with a 30-9 win over Campbell. Mizzou is now 7-1 in duals this season.

The Tigers opened up a 6-0 lead with wins at 125 and 133 to start the dual. No. 3 Alan Waters picked up his fifth win over a top-20 opponent this season, defeating No. 19 Trent Sprinkle by a 4-2 decision. Sophomore Eric Wilson improved to 2-0 in duals on the year by defeating Justin Solberg 4-2 in sudden victory. The two were scoreless after two periods before Wilson got an escape after starting the third on bottom. Solberg then landed a takedown but was hit with a locked hands penalty in the process, evening the score at 2-2 at the end of regulation. Wilson hit a takedown in the one minute sudden death period to pull out the win.

North Dakota State got on the board with a decision at 141 pounds to make it 6-3 before No. 20 Kyle Bradley scored an 8-1 victory over Mark Erickson at 149. Bradley hit a takedown in each period, along with a third period escape and the riding time point to improve to 5-3 in duals this season. The Bison made it 9-6 with a 4-1 win at 157.

At 165, No. 20 Zach Toal landed takedowns in each of the first two periods and was able to score a reversal after starting the third on bottom, defeating Tyler Johnson by a 6-1 decision. No. 10 Patrick Wright picked up the first bonus points of the day at 174, defeating Kurtis Julson 15-3 for the major decision. Wright opened up with a first period takedown and a near fall, and escaped and took Julson down again in the second. In the third, Wright hit three takedowns to get the bonus points.

Making his first career dual start for Missouri, junior Clarence Neely took Mac Stoll to overtime but fell by a 5-4 final in tiebreakers. Tied 4-4 after regulation, Stoll was able to escape after starting the first tiebreaker on bottom. Stoll rode Neely out in the second half of the tiebreaker, giving him the win.

Mizzou wrapped up the day with a pair of wins at 197 and heavyweight. No. 11 Brent Haynes stayed hot, recording his sixth technical fall of the year with an 18-0 second period win over John Gusewelle. Haynes took Gusewelle down early and turned him to his back twice for six more first period points. In the second, Haynes escaped after starting down and hit another takedown. From there, he turned Gusewelle two more times to close out the match and put the Tigers up 21-9.

Redshirt freshman Devin Mellon defeated Evan Knutson by a 6-3 decision in the final bout of the afternoon. Mellon took Knutson down twice in the first period and picked up the riding time point, as he improved to 12-6 on the year.

Missouri moves on to face No. 23 Edinboro, the No. 4 seed in the tournament, tomorrow in the semifinals at 1 p.m. CT. The Tigers are 2-1 all-time against the Fighting Scots. Live video is provided for free courtesy of USA Wrestling, and a link can be found on the sidebar at mutigers.com. Missouri's official Twitter feed, @MizzouWrestling, will also tweet results and match updates.

Missouri will face winner of Campbell/North Dakota State at 2 p.m. CT on Friday

The No. 9 Missouri Tigers are set for their first of two dual tournaments, as they travel to Hampton, Va., for the 2012 Virginia Duals. Mizzou enters the 14-team tournament as the No. 1 seed and will receive a first round bye. Their first match will be at 2 p.m. CT on Friday, Jan. 13 against the winner of the Campbell vs. North Dakota State opening round dual. Regardless of the matchup, it will be a first for Missouri, as they have never faced Campbell or North Dakota State in a dual. This is the first time since 2005 that Missouri has wrestled at the Virginia Duals. In 2005, the Tigers finished in third place with Ben Askren being named as the tournament's Most Outstanding Wrestler.

With their fifth straight dual victory on Sunday, the Tigers moved back into the top-10 of the NWCA/USA Today Division I Coaches Poll, coming in at No. 9. It matches the highest ranking for the Tigers this year, as they opened the season at ninth and were also ranked No. 9 in the Week Two poll.

Live results for the tournament will be posted at trackwrestling.com and links can be found at mutigers.com on the sidebar of the wrestling page. USA Wrestling/TheMat.com/TheMat.TV will also provide a free live video webcast of the tournament, found at virginiaduals.org. Finally, the official Mizzou Wrestling Twitter account, @MizzouWrestling, will tweet match updates and results.

SCOUTING CAMPBELL
The Campbell Camels enter the Virginia Duals with an 8-9 overall record and a 2-1 mark in the Southern Conference this season. They have split their last six matches, scoring wins over SIU-Edwardsville, George Mason and Cleveland State while falling to Bloomsburg, North Carolina State and Appalachian State. They competed at the Southern Scuffle two weeks ago, finishing 18th with 21.5 points. John Weakley finished in eighth place at 197 pounds. Campbell is led by first year head coach Joe Boardwine. Missouri and Campbell have never faced each other.

SCOUTING NORTH DAKOTA STATE
North Dakota State earned the No. 8 seed at this weekend's Virginia Duals. For the season, the Bison stand at 1-2 in duals. Their lone victory came against South Dakota State, while their two losses have come to nationally-ranked opponents in Minnesota and Nebraska. The Bison have competed in two major tournaments this year, finishing13th out of 34 teams at the Las Vegas Invitational and tying for 16th out of 42 squads at the Midlands Championships.

First year head coach Roger Kish leads the Bison, taking over for Bucky Maughan, who retired after 47 years as head coach at NDSU. The Bison sent two grapplers to last year's NCAA Championships, with junior 125-pounder Trent Sprenkle, currently ranked 19th in the nation, serving as the team's lone returner. Also ranked for North Dakota State is Steven Monk at 157 pounds, who is currently ranked 11th. Mizzou and North Dakota State have never faced each other.

THE REST OF THE FIELD
The rest of the tournament is made up of 11 other squads, three of which are ranked in the top-25 of the latest NWCA/USA Today poll. Here's a quick look at the rest of the field:

* Rider: Rider earned the No. 5 seed in the tournament and is currently 4-4 on the season. They will face North Carolina in the opening round, with the winner facing the winner of Drexel/Edinboro. At 174 pounds, Jim Resnick is ranked 13th in the country. Mizzou is 2-1 all-time against Rider.

* North Carolina: The Tar Heels are 1-7 on the season and will face Rider in the first round, while the winner will wrestle the winner of Drexel/Edinboro. Evan Henderson is ranked 14th at 141 pounds, while Corey Mock is 19th at 157 pounds. Mizzou is 1-0 all-time against the Tar Heels.

* Drexel: The Dragons are 3-3 on the year and start the tournament with a matchup against No. 23 Edinboro. The winner is set to go against the winner of Rider/UNC. Junior Joe Booth is ranked 18th at 165 pounds, and sophomore Brandon Palik ranks 20th at 197. Mizzou is 1-0 all-time against Drexel.

* No. 23 Edinboro: The fourth seed in the tournament, the Fighting Scots will open against Drexel, with the winner facing the winner of Rider/UNC. Edinboro is 2-1 on the year and has four ranked wrestlers. Chris Honeycutt (197) is No. 2, A.J. Schopp (133) and David Habat (149) are sixth and Mitchell Port (141) is 20th. Mizzou is 2-1 against Edinboro all-time.

* No. 22 Kent State: The Golden Flashes are 4-4 on the season and earned the No. 3 seed in the tournament. They kick things off with The Citadel, with the winner of the dual scheduled to face either Buffalo or Bucknell. No. 4 Nic Bedelyon (125), No. 9 Tyler Small (141), No. 14 Ian Miller (149) and No. 16 Brendan Barlow (HWT) are all ranked for Kent State. Mizzou is 5-0 all-time against Kent State, which includes a 34-12 win earlier this season.

* The Citadel: With a record of 2-3, The Citadel's first match is against Kent State, with the winner facing Buffalo/Bucknell. Turtogtokh Luvsandorj is ranked No. 18 at 174 pounds. Missouri is 1-0 all-time against The Citadel.

* Buffalo: Buffalo is 2-9 on the season and will face Bucknell in the first round, with the winner to take on the winner of Kent State/The Citadel. Mizzou is 1-0 all-time against Buffalo.

* Bucknell: The Bison are 2-6 on the season but have won two of their last three contests. They will face Buffalo to start the tournament with the winner moving on to battle the winner of Kent State/The Citadel. Missouri is 2-0 all-time against Bucknell.

* Old Dominion: Earning the No. 7 seed, the Monarchs sit at .500 on the year with a record of 4-4. ODU will wrestle Arizona State in the first round, with the winner advancing to take on Rutgers. Te Edwards is the 17th ranked 174 pounder in the country. The Tigers are 6-0-1 all-time against the Monarchs.

* Arizona State: The Sun Devils are receiving votes in the latest NWCA/USA Today poll and currently stand at 5-5 on the year. They'll compete against Old Dominion to start the tournament, while the winner will wrestle Rutgers in the second round. Heavyweight Levi Cooper is ranked 10th in the country according to Intermat. Mizzou is 1-2-1 all-time against ASU.

* No. 20 Rutgers: The Scarlet Knights earned the other first round bye as they are the second seed in the tournament. They will compete against the winner of Old Dominion/Arizona State in the second round. Rutgers is currently 8-1 on the year and has won six straight duals. At 149 pounds, Mario Mason is ranked fifth in the nation, while Scott Winston ranks 10th at 165. Junior Greg Zannetti comes in at 16th at 174 pounds. Mizzou is 0-1 all-time against Rutgers.

LAST TIME AT THE VIRGINIA DUALS
Missouri hasn't competed at the Virginia Duals since 2005, when the 12th-ranked Tigers finished in third place after going 5-1 over the span of two days. The Tigers won their first match by a 41-3 final over The Citadel but fell in the second round, 19-16, to Chattanooga. They wrestled back to third place with wins over North Carolina (25-13), Rider (37-9), Edinboro (27-12) and Cal State Bakersfield (31-14). Ben Askren was named Most Outstanding Wrestler after going 6-0 with five wins by fall.

WHAT'S NEXT
Following the Virginia Duals, Missouri will have a week off before returning to action on Sunday, Jan. 29. The Tigers will travel to Edwardsville, Ill., for a quad meet against Eastern Michigan, Southern Illinois-Edwardsville and Truman State. Action gets underway between Mizzou and Eastern michigan at 1 p.m. CT.

HAYNES CLAIMS BIG 12 WEEKLY HONOR
After a first place finish at the Southern Scuffle and a dominating 22-7 win over Iowa State's Cole Shafer in Sunday's dual, Missouri's Brent Haynes has been named as the Big 12 Wrestler of the Week, announced Monday, Jan. 9. It is the first career honor for Haynes and the second time this year that Mizzou has earned the award, as sophomore Alan Waters was recognized on Dec. 11. This is the first time since the 2008-09 campaign that the Tigers have had multiple winners in the same year. The Tiger junior didn't allow a single point between Dec. 18 through Jan. 2.

NO. 11 TIGERS DEFEAT IOWA STATE, 24-11
The No. 11 Missouri wrestling team won their fifth straight dual on Sunday afternoon, improving to 6-1 on the year and 2-1 in the Big 12 with a 24-11 victory over Iowa State at Hilton Coliseum. The win marks the second time in program history that the Tigers have defeated the Cyclones twice in one season, having done so in 2005-06 with 21-18 and 16-15 wins. Missouri has won four of their last five against Iowa State.

Starting at 125 pounds, No. 3 Alan Waters earned his second win over No. 12 Ryak Finch this season, shutting the Cyclone out with a 4-0 win. Sophomore Eric Wilson made his first dual start since Feb. 14, 2010 and scored a 9-3 win at 133 pounds to give Missouri the 6-0 lead. Iowa State took the 141 pound match to cut the deficit in half, but No. 20 Kyle Bradley knocked off Luke Swalla by a 5-2 score to make it 9-3. No. 17 Drake Houdashelt defeated Michael Moreno by major decision for the second time this season to give the Tigers a commanding lead at the midway point.

Iowa State got back into it with a 20-2 technical fall win by No. 5 Andrew Sorenson at 165 pounds, but three straight victories clinched the match for the Tigers. Patrick Wright and No. 16 Mike Larson each pulled out overtime wins, with Larson's coming over No. 11 Boaz Beard for his first win over a ranked opponent this season. Brent Haynes put the match out of reach with a 22-7 technical fall over Cole Shafer at 197 pounds.

FOLLOW MIZZOU WRESTLING ON FACEBOOK AND TWITTER
If you're on Facebook or Twitter, make sure to follow the official University of Missouri Wrestling team to get exclusive updates, pictures, video content and live results throughout the entire season. Head to facebook.com/MizzouWrestling or twitter.com/MizzouWrestling and follow us today.

Mizzou's 197-pounder earns first career Wrestler of the Week award

COLUMBIA, Mo. - After a first place finish at the Southern Scuffle and a dominating 22-7 win over Iowa State's Cole Shafer in Sunday's dual, Missouri's Brent Haynes has been named as the Big 12 Wrestler of the Week, announced Monday. It is the first career honor for Haynes and the second time this year that Mizzou has earned the award, as sophomore Alan Waters was recognized on Dec. 11. This is the first time since the 2008-09 campaign that the Tigers have had multiple winners in the same year.

Haynes opened 2012 by finishing in first place at the Southern Scuffle, hosted by UTC in Chattanooga, Tenn. He started the tournament with back-to-back first period falls, pinning Ryan Malo of Virginia in 2:08 and Navy's Colynn Cook in 1:00. In the quarterfinals, Haynes dominated No. 4 Matt Powless of Indiana, scoring a 15-0 technical fall to move into the final four. From there, Haynes knocked off No. 2 Sonny Yohn of Minnesota by a 6-0 decision to advance to the championship. He was scheduled to take on his third straight top-four grappler in No. 1 Cam Simaz (Cornell), but an injury to Simaz forced him to forfeit to Haynes. The Tiger junior didn't allow a single point at the tournament.

The two-time NCAA qualifier kept the momentum going at Sunday's dual against Iowa State, where he picked up a technical fall win over Shafer, his second technical fall victory over the Cyclone grappler this season. Scoring three reversals and six near falls, Haynes defeated Shafer by a 22-7 final in 6:29. Back in December, Haynes knocked off Shafer 15-0 in Columbia. Haynes hasn't allowed a point since his match on Dec. 9 at Kent State.

Haynes and the Tigers (6-1) head east this weekend for the Virginia Duals, where they'll compete with 13 other squads in the tournament. Missouri received the No. 1 seed and a first round bye. They will face the winner of Campbell/North Dakota State at 2 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 13. For more information, stay tuned to mutigers.com.

Missouri- Tigers defeat Cyclones twice in one season for second time in program history

AMES, Iowa - The No. 11 Missouri wrestling team won their fifth straight dual on Sunday afternoon, improving to 6-1 on the year and 2-1 in the Big 12 with a 24-11 victory over Iowa State at Hilton Coliseum. The win marks the second time in program history that the Tigers have defeated the Cyclones twice in one season, having done so in 2005-06 with 21-18 and 16-15 wins. Missouri has won four of their last five against Iowa State.

Starting at 125 pounds, No. 3 Alan Waters earned his second win over No. 12 Ryak Finch this year, shutting the Cyclone out with a 4-0 win. Waters hit a late first period takedown to take the early 2-0 lead and added a point when Finch was hit for an illegal hold. A third period escape for Waters closed out the scoring, as he improved to 14-1 on the season and 5-0 in duals.

Making his first dual start since Feb. 14, 2010, sophomore Eric Wilson put the Tigers up 6-0 with a 9-3 decision over RJ Hallman. Wilson went up 2-0 with a takedown midway through the first period and showed impressive skills on top, riding out Hallman for the rest of the period. Hallman chose down to start the second and reversed Wilson to even the score, but Wilson quickly escaped to go up 3-2. Hallman took a deep shot late in the period but Wilson fought it off and turned it into his score, extending his advantage to 5-2. He'd hit a third period takedown to go with riding time, giving him the victory.

Iowa State made it 6-3 with a 9-2 decision by Luke Goettl over Nicholas Hucke at 141 pounds, but Missouri bounced back with a 5-2 win by No. 20 Kyle Bradley over Luke Swalla. Bradley led 3-2 after the first period, as he took Swalla down to start the match. Swalla scored a reversal to even things up, but Bradley was able to escape before the period ended. Bradley would escape in the second and added a riding time point, putting the Tigers up 9-3.

Missouri was able to cushion their lead with the first bonus point victory of the day, as No. 17 Drake Houdashelt scored an 11-1 major decision over Michael Moreno to make it a 13-3 advantage for the Tigers. After a scoreless first, Houdashelt scored a two point near fall and rode Moreno out in the second. In the third, Houdashelt escaped in six seconds and took Moreno down to take a 5-0 lead. With 10 seconds left, Houdashelt hit another escape and was able to get three back points with one second left on the clock, giving him the major decision.

Iowa State was able to get back in it with a 20-2 technical fall win by No. 5 Andrew Sorenson at 165 pounds over Jordan Gagliano to make it 14-8, but the Tigers won the next three matches - two in overtime and one by technical fall - to clinch the match. Iowa State pulled out the win at heavyweight, as Matt Gibson exacted revenge on Devin Mellon with a 5-0 win.

At 174 pounds, Patrick Wright won his first dual start of the season with a 4-2 victory over Mikey England in the second tiebreaker. Tied 1-1 late in the third, Wright was in deep on a shot but couldn't finish, sending the match to overtime. Wright escaped in 10 seconds to take a 2-1 lead into the second half of the tiebreaker, but England returned the favor to even the score. With short time remaining, England had a leg on Wright but the Tiger was able to circle around and finish the takedown with just one second left on the clock.

Junior Mike Larson, ranked 16th, and No. 11 Boaz Beard, also battled into the second tiebreaker after being tied 2-2 after three periods. Larson was able to ride Beard out in the first tiebreaker, and escaped in four seconds to go ahead 3-2. Twelve seconds later, Larson hit a takedown to ice the match, giving him the 5-2 win and his first victory over a ranked opponent this season.

Brent Haynes won his seventh straight match and scored his fifth technical fall of the season, defeating Cole Shafer by a 22-7 score in 6:29. Haynes scored a takedown, three near falls and a reversal in the first period to build an 11-5 advantage. He extended that lead in the second period, as he reversed Shafer after starting down and hit a pair of two-point near falls, going ahead 17-5. In the third, Shafer took Haynes down to make it 17-7, but Haynes reversed Shafer for a third time and put him to his back for three more points. It was the second time this season that Haynes defeated Shafer by technical fall, winning 15-0 in Columbia last month.

Missouri heads to their second major tournament of the season next weekend, as they travel to the Virginia Duals. Joining the Tigers in Virginia Beach will be 13 other teams, including No. 20 Rutgers, No. 22 Kent State and No. 24 Edinboro. Action gets underway on Friday, Jan. 13 and runs through Saturday, Jan. 14. For more information, stay tuned to mutigers.com.

Missouri won 31-10 over Iowa State on Dec. 18 in Columbia

Missouri prepares for their first dual of 2012 as they are set to head to Ames, Iowa for a rematch against the Iowa State Cyclones. Action will get started at 2 p.m. CT on Sunday, Jan. 8 from Hilton Coliseum. The Tigers (5-1, 1-1 Big 12) and the Cyclones (1-8, 0-3 Big 12), faced off on Dec. 18 in Columbia, with Missouri pulling out a dominating 31-10 win.

Iowa State will run a live blog at Cyclones.com. The official Mizzou Wrestling Twitter account, @MizzouWrestling, will tweet match results. Live video will be available for CloneZone subscribers, also at Cyclones.com

SCOUTING IOWA STATE
Iowa State is coming off their first dual win of the season, as they topped Arizona State by a 25-14 score on Jan. 3. The Cyclones won four of their six matches with bonus points. At the end of December, the Cyclones posted an eighth place finish at the Midlands Championships, scoring 62.5 points. Iowa State placed five wrestlers in the top-eight of their classes, led by heavyweight Matt Gibson, who took third.

The Cyclones have four wrestlers ranked in the top-20 of Intermat's latest individual rankings. Senior Andrew Sorenson is ranked fifth at 165 pounds and is 17-1 on the season. Boaz Beard sits at 11th at 184 pounds and is 6-1 this year, while redshirt freshman Ryak Finch is the 12th-ranked 125 pounder with a 9-3 record. Gibson now sits at 18th at heavyweight after improving to 13-6 on the season.

LAST TIME THEY MET
Mizzou pulled out a 31-10 win on Dec. 18 over the Cyclones, winning seven of the 10 matches. Mike Larson and Kyle Bradley scored wins by fall, while Brent Haynes registered a technical fall at 197 pounds. Devin Mellon pulled out a 3-2 decision over Gibson, while Alan Waters overcame an early 4-1 deficit to Finch, coming back to win by a 13-4 major. Also scoring a major decision was Drake Houdashelt at 157 pounds. Iowa State opened the match with an upset at 174 pounds, as then-No. 7 Chris Spangler defeated then-No. 3 Dorian Henderson, 7-4. Sorenson scored a major decision over Zach Toal, while Luke Goettl pulled out a 6-5 win over Brandon Wiest at 141 pounds.

MATCHUPS TO WATCH
* 125: No. 3 Alan Waters (MU) vs. No. 12 Ryak Finch (ISU) - Finch had upset on his mind in Columbia, as he took Waters down twice in the first period to build a 4-2 lead. However, Waters showed his ability on top, scoring back points to take the lead that eventually turned into a 13-4 major decision.
* 184: No. 16 Mike Larson (MU) vs. No. 11 Boaz Beard (ISU) - Beard didn't wrestle in the dual in Columbia, as Larson went up against Mikey England, who is set to wrestle at 174 pounds this time around. Beard is 6-1 on the season, while Larson stands at 13-3. Larson is looking for his first win over a ranked opponent this year, as he stands at 0-3.
* HWT: Devin Mellon (MU) vs. No. 18 Matt Gibson (ISU) - Mellon got the best of Gibson back in December, pulling out a 3-2 decision over the Cyclone grappler. However, Gibson has been hot lately, going 5-2 since that loss to Mellon and moving up to No. 18 in the country.

WHAT'S NEXT
Missouri will head to their second major tournament of the year, as they travel east to the Virginia Duals. Joining the Tigers will be 13 other teams, including No. 20 Rutgers, No. 22 Kent State and No. 24 Edinboro. Other teams in the field include Arizona State, Bucknell, Buffalo, Campbell, Drexel, North Carolina, North Dakota State, Old Dominion, Rider, Rutgers and The Citadel.

HAYNES WINS TITLE, TIGERS FINISH THIRD AT SCUFFLE
The University of Missouri wrestling squad wrapped up the Southern Scuffle on Monday, finishing in third place in the team standings with 136.0 points. Penn State took home the title, scoring 191.5 points, while Minnesota (177.5 points) finished in second. Rounding out the top five were Cornell (130.0 points) and Oregon State (103.0 points).

Missouri had two finalists heading into Monday evening's championship round. Brent Haynes was scheduled to go up against his third top-four wrestler of the weekend in No. 1 Cam Simaz of Cornell, but an injury to Simaz forced him to injury default, awarding Haynes the 197 pound championship. Waters dropped his first match of the year in the championship, losing 1-0 to No. 1 Zach Sanders (Minnesota). The bout was scoreless after two periods, with Waters choosing down to start the third. Sanders would ride Waters out to secure the riding time point and give him the victory.

Along with Waters and Haynes, eight other Tigers placed in the top-eight of their respective classes. Redshirt freshman Drake Houdashelt took third at 157 pounds, while junior Nicholas Hucke (141), sophomore Kyle Bradley (149) and senior Patrick Wright (174) each finished in fourth. Placing fifth at 174 pounds was senior Dorian Henderson, while sophomore Zach Toal took sixth at 165. At 184 pounds, juniors Mike Larson and Clarence Neely finished seventh and eighth, respectively.

FOLLOW MIZZOU WRESTLING ON FACEBOOK AND TWITTER
If you're on Facebook or Twitter, make sure to follow the official University of Missouri Wrestling team to get exclusive updates, pictures, video content and live results throughout the entire season. Head to facebook.com/MizzouWrestling or twitter.com/MizzouWrestling and follow us today.

Missouri- Haynes Wins Title, Tigers Finish Third At Southern Scuffle

Waters earns runner-up honors, eight other Tigers place

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - The University of Missouri wrestling squad wrapped up the Southern Scuffle on Monday, finishing in third place in the team standings with 136.0 points. Penn State took home the title, scoring 191.5 points, while Minnesota (177.5 points) finished in second. Rounding out the top five were Cornell (130.0 points) and Oregon State (103.0 points).

Missouri had two finalists heading into Monday evening's championship round. Sophomore Alan Waters was in the finals at 125 pounds, while junior Brent Haynes was in the 197 pound championship. Waters punched his ticket to the championship match with a 3-2 decision over No. 7 Frank Perrelli of Cornell in the semis, while Haynes continued his impressive run through the bracket with a 6-0 win over No. 2 Sonny Yohn of Minnesota, putting Haynes in the finals.

In the finals, Haynes was scheduled to go up against his third top-four wrestler of the weekend in No. 1 Cam Simaz of Cornell, but an injury to Simaz forced him to injury default, awarding Haynes the 197 pound championship.

Waters dropped his first match of the year in the championship, losing 1-0 to No. 1 Zach Sanders (Minnesota). The bout was scoreless after two periods, with Waters choosing down to start the third. Sanders would ride Waters out to secure the riding time point and give him the victory.

Along with Waters and Haynes, eight other Tigers placed in the top-eight of their respective classes. Redshirt freshman Drake Houdashelt took third at 157 pounds, while junior Nicholas Hucke (141), sophomore Kyle Bradley (149) and senior Patrick Wright (174) each finished in fourth. Placing fifth at 174 pounds was senior Dorian Henderson, while sophomore Zach Toal took sixth at 165. At 184 pounds, juniors Mike Larson and Clarence Neely finished seventh and eighth, respectively.

The Tigers will now prepare for their first dual of 2012, as they will travel to Ames, Iowa for a rematch with the Iowa State Cyclones on Sunday, Jan. 8 at 2 p.m. CT. Missouri and Iowa State faced off a few weeks ago in Columbia, with the Tigers posting a dominating 31-10 win. For more information, stay tuned to mutigers.com

Team Standings
1. Penn State - 191.5 pts.
2. Minnesota - 177.5 pts.
3. Missouri - 136.0 pts.
4. Cornell - 130.0 pts.
5. Oregon State - 103.0 pts.
6. Virginia - 82.0 pts.
7. Chattanooga - 79.0 pts.
8. Appalachian State - 63.5 pts.
9. Hofstra - 58.0 pts.
10. Ohio - 57.0 pts.

Missouri Sits In Third After Day One At Scuffle

Five Mizzou wrestlers will wrestle in tomorrow's semifinals

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - The Mizzou wrestling wrapped up the first day at the 2012 Southern Scuffle in third place with 81.0 points. The Tigers sit ahead of No. 4 Cornell (79.0 points) and trail No. 5 Penn State (118.0 points) and No. 3 Minnesota (110.5 points).

Missouri still has five wrestlers remaining in the championship bracket, who will open tomorrow in the semifinals. No. 3 Alan Waters (125), Nicholas Hucke (141), No. 14 Kyle Bradley (149), Patrick Wright (174) and No. 19 Brent Haynes (197) went undefeated on Sunday and still remain in contention for their respective weight class's championship.

Both Waters and Haynes dominated on Sunday, as each Tiger won all three of their matches with bonus points. Waters opened up with a 14-1 major decision over Minnesota's Corey Hodowanic, and followed that with a pin in 3:45 over Buddy Scarborough of Old Dominion. In the quarterfinals, he shut out NC State's Coltin Frought with a 10-0 major decision. For the season, Waters is now 12-0, with all 12 victories by bonus points. The sophomore's win over Scarborough was the 50th win of his career. Waters will wrestle No. 7 Frank Perrelli (Cornell) tomorrow in the semifinals.

Haynes opened the day with back-to-back falls in his first two matches, pinning Ryan Malo (Virginia) in 2:08 and Colynn Cook (Navy) in 1:00. He then followed with an outstanding performance over No. 4 Matt Powless of Indiana, defeating the Hoosier grappler by a 15-0 technical fall. Haynes now has four pins and four technical falls this season. Haynes will face No. 2 Sonny Yohn of Minnesota tomorrow morning.

Hucke, who entered the tournament unseeded, advanced to the 141 pound semifinals with three straight decisions, including an upset of the No. 14 grappler in the country. He knocked off Seth Lange of Minnesota, 8-2, and then defeated Joseph Stanzione of Cornell by a 3-2 decision. To advance to the semifinals, Hucke defeated North Carolina's Evan Henderson, ranked 14th in the nation, by a 7-5 score. Hucke's opening match tomorrow will be against North Carolina State's Darius Little.

At 149, sophomore Kyle Bradley won all four of his matches to move into tomorrow's semifinals. In the pigtail round, Bradley pinned Cole Dodd (Chattanooga) in 2:39 for his fourth consecutive victory by fall. After a 4-3 decision over Brennan Brumley (Old Dominion), Bradley defeated Lex Ozias of Virginia Tech by a 10-2 major decision. Bradley defeated Duke's Marcus Cain, 5-3, to move into the semifinals, where he'll face No. 11 Dylan Ness of Minnesota.

Senior Patrick Wright is also in the semifinals after winning four straight matches by decision. He started the day with an 8-2 victory against Jake Johnson (Appalachian State), and then knocked off Austin Gabel (Virginia Tech), 2-1. After a 5-2 win over Army's Ryan Tompkins, Wright pulled out another 2-1 win, this time over No. 17 Turtogtokh Luvsandorj of The Citadel. In the semifinals, Wright will take on No. 2 Ed Ruth of Penn State tomorrow.

Six other Missouri wrestlers are still alive in the consolation round, and will open the day with wrestleback matches tomorrow morning. Redshirt freshman Drake Houdashelt (157), sophomores Zach Toal (165) and Jordan Gagliano (165), juniors Clarence Neely (184) and Mike Larson (184) and senior Dorian Henderson (174) will have the opportunity to place as high as third.

Action resumes tomorrow at 8 a.m. CT with the next round of consolation matches, with the championship semifinals and consolation quarterfinals scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. For more information, follow Mizzou Wrestling on Twitter (@MizzouWrestling) and check out the live bracket updates at trackwrestling.com.

Monday's Schedule
· 8 a.m. - Fourth Round Consolation
· 10 a.m. - Championship Semifinals and Consolation Quarterfinals
· Noon - Consolation Semifinals
· 1:30 p.m. - 3rd-8th Place Medal Matches
· 5 p.m. - Championship Finals

Team Standings
1. Penn State - 118.0 pts.
2. Minnesota - 110.5 pts.
3. Missouri - 81.0 pts.
4. Cornell - 79.0 pts.
5. Oregon State - 62.5 pts.

Tigers Open New Year at Southern Scuffle

TIGERS OPEN NEW YEAR AT SOUTHERN SCUFFLE

Mizzou returns to the Southern Scuffle for the first time since placing first in 2006

After a quick two week break for the holidays, the No. 11 Missouri wrestling team looks to continue their hot streak as they head to their first major tournament of the season. The Tigers, who have won four consecutive dual matches by a total of 63 points, will join 21 other squads at the 2012 Southern Scuffle, hosted by the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga. Action will take place on Sunday, Jan. 1 and Monday, Jan. 2.

Joining the Tigers at the tournament will be seven other teams ranked in the lastest NWCA Top 25 poll, including No. 3 Minnesota, No. 4 Cornell, No. 5 Penn State, No. 15 Virginia Tech, No. 16 Oregon State, No. 21 Virginia and No. 25 Hofstra. Last year, Cornell and Penn State tied for first place in the team standings at the Southern Scuffle.

Live results will be provided through trackwrestling.com, and fans can find a direct link to the results at mutigers.com. The official Mizzou Wrestling Twitter account, @MizzouWrestling, will also tweet results for those without computer access. For more information, visit thesouthernscuffle.com and mutigers.com.

A LOOK AT THE BRACKETS
Missouri will have 20 wrestlers competing across the 10 weight classes this weekend. Of those 20 grapplers, four Tigers earned the No. 2 seed in their respective class. Here's a look at who will be wrestling in what class, and what other ranked wrestlers make up those classes.

* 125: Missouri will have Boomer Boyd and Alan Waters at 125 pounds, with Waters earning the No. 2 seed in the class. Boyd is just one of six wrestlers at the weight to not earn a first round bye, so he will open up with a pigtail matchup against Daniel Gallagher of Chattanooga. Waters, the third ranked wrestler at 125 according to Intermat, will take on Corey Hodowanic of Minnesota in his first match. Other ranked wrestlers include No. 1 Zach Sanders (Minnesota), No. 7 Frank Perrelli (Cornell), No. 9 Matthew Snyder (Virginia), No. 12 Steve Bonanno (Hofstra) and No. 13 Nicholas Megaludis (Penn State).

* 133: Nathan McCormick grabbed the No. 2 seed at this weight, while Eric Wilson will also compete for Missouri at 133 pounds. Both wrestlers will have pigtail matches to open the tournament, with Wilson set to take on Cameron Throckmorton (North Carolina) and McCormick going up against Andrew Hammer of Ohio. No. 5 David Thorn (Minnesota) is the top seed, while No. 16 Garrett Drucker (Oregon State), No. 18 Aaron Kalil (Navy) and No. 20 Matthew Nelson (Virginia) are also in the field.

* 141: Brandon Wiest and Nicholas Hucke will compete in a field that features five of Intermat's top-20 wrestlers in the class. Both Tigers get byes into the round of 32, with Wiest set to face the winner of Luke Vaith (Hofstra) and Brent Jorge (Unattached). Hucke will take the winner of Undrakhb Khishignyam (The Citadel) and Seth Lange (Minnesota). The top two seeds in the weight class are No. 5 Mike Mangrum, who Wiest took to overtime back in November, and No. 14 Evan Henderson of North Carolina. Other ranked wrestlers include No. 10 Nick Dardanes (Minnesota), No. 15 Michael Nevinger (Cornell) and No. 19 Nick Nelson (Virginia).

* 149: Wrestling for Missouri will be No. 14 Kyle Bradley and Kellen Bounous, with Bradley coming in as the No. 2 overall seed at 149 pounds. Both grapplers open with pigtail matches, as Bounous is set to face Indiana's Taylor Walsh, while Bradley will face David Ivashchenko (The Citadel). Frank Molinaro of Penn State, the No. 1 ranked 149 pounder in the nation, earned the top seed, while No. 11 Dylan Ness (Minnesota), No. 18 Craig Eifert (Cornell) and No. 20 Scott Sakaguchi also join the field.

* 157: A pair of redshirt freshmen in Drake Houdashelt and Austin Lindsay will compete at 157 pounds for Missouri, with Houdashelt earning the No. 4 seed in the class. Both grapplers get byes into the round of 32. Houdashelt is scheduled to take on David Wesley of Virginia, while Lindsay will face No. 16 Roger Pena of Oregon State. Other top-20 grapplers include No. 1 and top-seeded Kyle Dake (Cornell) and Dylan Alton (Penn State), who is ranked 10th.

* 165: Mizzou will feature three wrestlers at 165 pounds, led by No. 12 Zach Toal, who picked up the fourth seed. Joining him will be Jordan Gagliano and Patrick Wright. All three Tigers earned byes into the round of 32. Toal is set to face Coleman Gracey (Army), while Gagliano will take on Nijel Jones (North Carolina). Wright's first match will be against Sheldon Brandenburg of Cleveland State. No. 1 David Taylor of Penn State highlights the weight as the top seed, while No. 3 Paul Gillespie (Hofstra), No. 10 Cody Yohn (Minnesota) and No. 20 Kyle Blevins are other top-20 wrestlers set to compete.

* 174: Four Tiger grapplers will wrestle at 174 pounds, with senior Dorian Henderson, who ranks seventh overall, comes in as Mizzou's fourth No. 2 seed. Juniors Todd Porter and Clarence Neely, along with redshirt freshman Johnny Eblen, are also in the field. Porter's first match will come in the round of 32 and he'll take on Levi Clemons of host Chattanooga in his first match. Eblen is scheduled to face No. 17 Turtogto Luvsandorj (The Citadel) in his opening contest, while Neely will face the winner of Adrin Taylor (Old Dominion) and No. 11 Logan Storley (Minnesota). Henderson will be the only Tiger in the class to wrestle a pigtail match, as he prepares to face Stephen Doty (Virginia) in the opening round. No. 2 Ed Ruth (Penn State) earned the No. 1 seed, while No. 14 Nick Purdue (Ohio) and No. 15 Te Edwards (Old Dominion) join Henderson, Storley and Luvsandorj as top-20 wrestlers in the class.

* 184: No. 17 Mike Larson will be the lone Tiger in a class that features seven of Intermat's top-20 grapplers. His first match will be against Ohio's Ryan Garringer in the round of 32. No. 4 Stephen Bosak of Cornell is the top seed, while No. 8 Kevin Steinhaus (Minnesota), No. 5 Quentin Wright (Penn State) and No. 10 Austin Trotman (Appalachian) are the 2-3-4 seeds, respectively. Also set to compete are No. 11 Jonathan Fausey (Virginia) and No. 15 Luke Rebertus (Navy).

* 197: Junior Brent Haynes, ranked 19th in the country, will open the tournament in the round of 32 with a matchup against Virginia's Ryan Malo. Three of the top four wrestlers in this class will be competing this weekend, as No. 1 Cam Simaz (Cornell), No. 2 Sonny Yohn (Minnesota) and No. 4 Matt Powless (Indiana) come in as the top-three seeds. Other top-20 wrestlers include No. 11 Morgan McIntosh (Penn State) and No. 13 Taylor Meeks of Oregon State.

* HWT: At heavyweight, redshirt freshman Devin Mellon prepares for a round of 32 matchup against Andrew Delaney of The Citadel. Just four ranked wrestlers are set to compete at 285 pounds, but those four wrestlers are all ranked in the top-eight according to Intermat. Earning the top seed was No. 7 Anthony Nelson of Minnesota, while No. 4 Clayton Jack of Oregon State comes in as the No. 2 seed. The third and fourth seeds are No. 8 Cameron Wade (Penn State) and No. 5 Jeremy Johnson (Ohio), respectively.

LAST TIME AT THE SCUFFLE
This will be Missouri's first appearance at the Southern Scuffle since 2006, when the Tigers took first place in the team standings with 179.5 points, just edging out Minnesota and their 176.0 points. Mizzou had two individual champions in brothers Ben Askren (174) and Max Askren (197). Ben pinned his way to the championship, recording five first period falls on his way to being named Most Outstanding Wrestler of the tournament. Max pinned three of his opponents, including Ohio State's J.D. Bergman in the finals, and won by decision in his other two matches. Raymond Jordan placed second at 184 pounds, while Ashtin Primus (141) and Nick Marable (165) both came in third.

WHAT'S NEXT
Mizzou returns to dual action next week with a rematch against the Iowa State Cyclones, this time in Ames. Action gets underway on Sunday, Jan. 8 at 2 p.m. CT.

NO. 12 TIGERS BLAST CYCLONES, 31-10
Scoring bonus points has been the theme for the Tiger wrestling team as of late, and Sunday afternoon was no different. No. 12 Missouri (5-1, 1-1 Big 12) won seven of the 10 matches against Iowa State in front of 1,239 fans, scoring bonus points in five of those wins to pace their 31-10 victory.

Iowa State took the early lead with an upset win at 174 pounds, as No. 7 Chris Spangler defeated No. 3 Dorian Henderson by a 7-4 decision. Missouri bounced back, however, with five straight victories to go ahead 21-3. Mike Larson scored a first period fall at 184 pounds, while Brent Haynes won by technical fall, 15-0. Devin Mellon defeated Matt Gibson at heavyweight, 3-2, and then Alan Waters scored a 13-4 major decision over No. 10 Ryak Finch before Nathan McCormick won his match by a 9-3 decision.

Mizzou also got bonus point wins from Kyle Bradley at 149, who scored a fall over Joe Cozart with just one second left on the clock, and from Drake Houdashelt at 157, who won by a 13-3 major decision.

FOLLOW MIZZOU WRESTLING ON FACEBOOK AND TWITTER
If you're on Facebook or Twitter, make sure to follow the official University of Missouri Wrestling team to get exclusive updates, pictures, video content and live results throughout the entire season. Head to facebook.com/MizzouWrestling or twitter.com/MizzouWrestling and follow us today.

Missouri wraps up 2011 with a Big 12 showdown against Cyclones

Coming off a dominating 34-12 win at No. 20 Kent State last Friday, the No. 12 Missouri wrestling team closes out the 2011-portion of their schedule with the Big 12 home opener, as Iowa State comes into town on Sunday, Dec. 18. Action will get underway at Noon CT from the Hearnes Center. For those who cannot attend, live results will be available for free at mutigers.com, while Mizzou Network subscribers can watch online at mizzounetwork.com

SCOUTING IOWA STATE
Iowa State has struggled a bit this season, as they enter the weekend still looking for their first dual win of the season. At 0-7 (0-2 Big 12), the Cyclones have gone through a tough schedule of squads that includes Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Iowa and Minnesota.

Overall, the Cyclones have four wrestlers ranked in the top-15 of Intermat's latest individual rankings, highlighed by No. 4 Andrew Sorenson at 165 pounds, who stands at 11-0 on the season. Joining him are No. 15 Ryak Finch at 125 pounds, who is 8-3, 174 pounder Chris Spangler, who is ranked seventh and stands at 4-1 on the season and No. 14 Boaz Beard, the squad's 184 pounder who is currently 5-1.

Head Coach Keith Jackson leads the way for Iowa State, who enters his third season at the helm of the Cyclone squad. Last year the team went 9-10 in duals, while finishing 20th at NCAA's, highlighted by National Champion Jon Reader at 174 pounds. Iowa State is 44-5-0 all-time against Missouri.

LAST TIME THEY MET
Missouri finished off their regular season last year with a 23-11 victory over Iowa State at the Hearnes Center to close the year at 15-9 in duals. The Tigers won four straight matches to close the dual, including two by major decision at 125 and 133 pounds, to overcome an 11-9 deficit.

MATCHUPS TO WATCH
*125: No. 3 Alan Waters (MU) vs. No. 10 Ryak Finch (ISU) - Finch, a redshirt freshman, is 8-3 this year as a starter and comes in at No. 10 at Intermat. Waters is on a roll right now, standing at 8-0 with all of his wins coming with bonus points. Finch has lost all three of his matches to ranked wrestlers.
*165: No. 12 Zach Toal (MU) vs. No. 4 Andrew Sorenson (ISU) - A pair of unbeatens go head-to-head at 165, as Sorenson, 11-0 on the year and ranked fourth, faces up against Toal, who is ranked 12th and sits at 9-0. Toal has won all of his dual matches against unranked opponents (according to Intermat) by decision, while Sorenson is coming off a victory over Minnesota's Cody Yohn, who was ranked eighth at the time. Sorenson beat Toal by a 7-3 decision last year in Columbia.
*174: No. 3 Dorian Henderson (MU) vs. No. 7 Chris Spangler (ISU) - Another top-10 matchup will come at 174 pounds, as Henderson, 8-1 on the year and ranked third, is set to face Spangler, the No. 7 wrestler in the class with a 4-1 record. Henderson's recorded pins in two of his dual matches, with his only defeat coming 3-0 against the No. 1 wrestler in the class. Spangler knocked off then-No. 10 Logan Storley of Minnesota last weekend, with his only defeat coming against then-No. 10 Te Edwards of Old Dominion earlier in the season. He's won four straight dual matches since that loss.

WHAT'S NEXT
The Tigers will get a few weeks off before opening the New Year at the Southern Scuffle. The 30-team invitational tournament will be held on Sunday, Jan. 1 and Monday, Jan. 2, and is hosted by the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga at McKenzie Arena.

WATERS NAMED BIG 12 WRESTLER OF THE WEEK
Mizzou sophomore Alan Waters was named Big 12 Wrestler of the Week, as announced Monday afternoon by the league office. It's the first career weekly honor for Missouri's 125 pounder, and the first honoree for the Tigers since Todd Schavrien won last December. Waters went 5-0 at the Kaufman-Brand Open last Sunday, Dec. 4, with four of his matches coming via first period falls. His fifth win, coming in the championship bout, was won by technical fall.

On Friday against No. 20 Kent State, Waters opened the dual with a dominating 12-1 major decision victory over No. 2 Nic Bedelyon. Waters opened the scoring with a takedown midway through the first period, and tilted Bedelyon to the mat twice for a pair of three point nearfalls to take a commanding 8-0 lead. After a scoreless second period, Waters worked an escape and another takedown to go with riding time.

MIZZOU PINS THEIR WAY PAST KENT STATE, 34-12
The No. 12 Missouri Tigers (4-1) scored a huge victory over No. 20 Kent State (2-3) on Friday night, blasting the Golden Flashes by a 34-12 final. No. 5 Alan Waters kicked off the evening with a major decision over No. 2 Nic Bedelyon, while Nathan McCormick, Kyle Bradley, Dorian Henderson and Mike Larson each pinned their opponents. McCormick and Henderson both recorded their falls in the first period, while Bradley and Larson earned their falls with under a minute left in each of their contests. Zach Toal defeated his opponent by a 5-2 decision, while redshirt freshman Devin Mellon upset No. 15 Brendan Barlow by a 5-3 score to close out the evening.

FOLLOW MIZZOU WRESTLING ON FACEBOOK AND TWITTER
If you're on Facebook or Twitter, make sure to follow the official University of Missouri Wrestling team to get exclusive updates, pictures, video content and live results throughout the entire season. Head to facebook.com/MizzouWrestling or twitter.com/MizzouWrestling and follow us today.

Five of Missouri's seven wins come with bonus points

COLUMBIA, Mo. - Scoring bonus points has been the theme for the Tiger wrestling team as of late, and Sunday afternoon was no different. No. 12 Missouri (5-1, 1-1 Big 12) won seven of the 10 matches against Iowa State in front of 1,239 fans, scoring bonus points in five of those wins to pace their 31-10 victory

Iowa State took the early lead at 174 pounds, as No. 7 Chris Spangler pulled the upset on No. 3 Dorian Henderson, winning 7-4. However, No. 19 Mike Larson registered a fall at 184 pounds to give the Tigers the 6-3 advantage. Larson took down Mikey England with 33 seconds left in the first period and quickly got him to his back, sticking him in 2:36.

Junior Brent Haynes extended that lead to 11-3 with a technical fall in the next match, shutting out Cole Shafer by a 15-0 score. Haynes hit a takedown and a two near fall in the first period, and scored a reversal a minute into the second. In the third, after Shafer chose neutral, Haynes landed a takedown and two three point near falls before the buzzer.

At heavyweight, Devin Mellon won his seventh straight match with a 3-2 victory over Matt Gibson. Mellon scored a takedown in the first and an escape in the third while surrendering just two escapes.

For the first time this year, Alan Waters found himself trailing in a match, as he was down 4-2 after giving up two takedowns in the first to No. 10 Ryak Finch. However, after starting the second on bottom, Waters reversed Finch to tie the score, then used his strong riding skills to turn Finch to his back for three points. In the third, Waters took Finch down with less than a minute left, and turned him again for another three with just seven seconds left to score a 13-4 major decision. Now 9-0 on the year, all of Waters' victories have come with bonus points.

No. 11 Nathan McCormick moved to 9-1 on the season and 5-1 in duals with a 9-5 victory over RJ Hallman at 133 pounds, pushing Mizzou's lead to 21-3. However, Iowa State broke Missouri's four-match winning streak at 141, with Luke Goettl pulling out a 6-5 win over Brandon Wiest. Wiest was deep on several shots in the third period, any of which would've given him the victory, but Goettl was able to fight him off and secure the win for the Cyclones.

At 149 pounds, Kyle Bradley registered his third straight win by fall, all of which have come with short time left in the match. Up 10-3 in the third and looking for the major decision, Bradley took Joe Cozart down to his back with eight seconds left, and was awarded the pin with just one second left on the timer. The win put Missouri up 27-6 and improved Bradley to 8-3 on the season, as he's riding an eight-match winning streak. Two weeks ago, Bradley pinned his opponent in the Kaufman-Brand Open finals with just 17 seconds left, while last week he stuck Ian Miller of Kent State with 35 seconds remaining.

Redshirt freshman Drake Houdashelt closed out the scoring for Missouri with a 13-3 major decision over Michael Moreno. Houdashelt scored three takedowns in the first two periods and scored two takedowns and two escapes in the third to go along with his riding time. At 165 pounds, No. 4 Andrew Sorenson won by major decision over No. 12 Zach Toal, 12-4.

The Tigers will have a week and a half off for the holidays before returning to action on Jan. 1-2 with their first major tournament of the season, as Missouri will head to Chattanooga, Tenn. for the Southern Scuffle. Other teams competing in the tournament include No. 3 Minnesota, No. 4 Cornell and No. 5 Penn State. For more information, stay tuned to mutigers.com.

Wt.
Result
MU
ISU
125
No. 3 Alan Waters (MU) major dec. No. 10 Ryak Finch (ISU), 13-4
18
3
133
No. 11 Nathan McCormick (MU) dec. RJ Hallman (ISU), 9-5
21
3
141
Luke Goettl (ISU) dec. Brandon Wiest (MU), 6-5
21
6
149
No. 14 Kyle Bradley (MU) fall Joe Cozart (ISU), 6:59
27
6
157
No. 18 Drake Houdashelt (MU) major dec. Michael Moreno (ISU), 13-3
31
6
165
No. 4 Andrew Sorenson (ISU) major dec. No. 12 Zach Toal (MU), 12-4
31
10
174
No. 7 Chris Spangler (ISU) dec. No. 3 Dorian Henderson (MU), 7-4
0
3
184
No. 19 Mike Larson (MU) fall Mikey England (ISU), 2:36
6
3
197
No. 18 Brent Haynes (MU) tech. fall Cole Shafer (ISU), 15-0 (7:00)
11
3
HWT
Devin Mellon (MU) dec. Matt Gibson (ISU), 3-2
14
3

Updated Records
Season
Dual
125
Alan Waters
9-0
4-0
133
Nathan McCormick
9-1
5-1
141
Brandon Wiest
6-6
2-4
149
Kyle Bradley
8-3
3-3
157
Drake Houdashelt
9-2
4-2
165
Zach Toal
9-1
5-1
174
Dorian Henderson
8-2
4-2
184
Mike Larson
9-1
5-1
197
Brent Haynes
7-3
3-3
HWT
Devin Mellon
8-3
3-3

Missouri Tiger sophomore earns first career Big 12 weekly honor

COLUMBIA, Mo. - Mizzou sophomore Alan Waters was named Big 12 Wrestler of the Week, as announced Monday afternoon by the league office. It's the first career weekly honor for Missouri's 125 pounder, and the first honoree for the Tigers since Todd Schavrien won last December.

Waters went 5-0 at the Kaufman-Brand Open last Sunday, Dec. 4, with four of his matches coming via first period falls. His fifth win, coming in the championship bout, was won by technical fall.

On Friday against No. 20 Kent State, Waters opened the dual with a dominating 12-1 major decision victory over No. 2 Nic Bedelyon. Waters opened the scoring with a takedown midway through the first period, and tilted Bedelyon to the mat twice for a pair of three point nearfalls to take a commanding 8-0 lead. After a scoreless second period, Waters worked an escape and another takedown to go with riding time.

The Kansas City, Mo., native is 8-0 on the season (3-0 in duals), with all eight victories coming with bonus points. On the year, Waters has one win by major decision, three wins by technical fall and four wins by pin. He ranks as high as No. 4 in the country.

Missouri returns home this weekend for a Big 12 matchup against the Iowa State Cyclones. Action from the Hearnes Center will get underway at Noon CT. For more information, stay tuned to mutigers.com or follow us on Twitter: @MizzouWrestling.

Missouri- Waters majors No. 2 Nic Bedelyon; four Tigers win by fall

COLUMBIA, Mo. - The No. 12 Missouri Tigers (4-1) scored a huge victory over No. 20 Kent State (2-3) on Friday night, blasting the Golden Flashes by a 34-12 final. No. 5 Alan Waters kicked off the evening with a major decision over No. 2 Nic Bedelyon, while four other Tigers won their matches via pin fall.

Opening at 125 pounds, Waters got the Tigers on the board in a huge way, knocking off No. 2 Nic Bedelyon by a 12-1 major decision to improve to 8-0 on the year and 3-0 in duals. About halfway through the first, Waters hit a takedown for the first points of the match. He'd turn Bedelyon to his back twice in the first period to take a commanding 8-0 lead. Waters rode Bedelyon out in the second, and then scored an escape and another takedown in the third. Bedelyon would get a late escape but nothing more, as riding time gave Waters the win to put the Tigers up 4-0.

Junior Nathan McCormick put Mizzou up 10-0 with a fall in the second match of the evening, pinning Steve Mitcheff in with 18 seconds left in the first period. Kent State was able to get on the board at 141 with a fall of their own, as No. 13 Tyler Small pinned Brandon Wiest in 4:03 to make it 10-6.

Kent State looked like they were going to chip into that Tiger lead some more, but a big comeback by No. 19 Kyle Bradley over No. 18 Ian Miller extended Missouri's advantage. Miller came out in a flurry, scoring three takedowns in the first period to take the early 6-2 lead. Bradley fought his way back in the second with an escape and a takedown, making it 6-5. In the third, Bradley took Miller down twice to gain his first lead of the match, and on the second takedown was able to turn Miller to his back and stick him for the pin in 6:16, extending Missouri's lead to 16-6.

The first decision of the evening came at 157, with Kent State's Mallie Shuster upsetting No. 15 Drake Houdashelt. Shuster hit a flurry of points in the first period to take a 7-3 lead, which paced his 10-5 victory and trimming the Mizzou lead to 16-9.

At 165, sophomore Zach Toal scored a 5-2 decision over Tommy Sasfy, extending the Tiger lead to 19-9. Toal struck first, hitting a takedown with 35 seconds left in the opening period to go ahead early. Sasfy scored a second period escape, but Toal opened the third with an escape of his own and hit another takedown to secure his victory.

Missouri got two more wins by fall at the 174 and 184 pound matches. At 174, No. 3 Dorian Henderson gave up a quick takedown off a scramble, but immediately reversed Brandonn Johnson into a cradle and stuck him in 1:18.

Junior Mike Larson scored a fall late in the third period over Kwan Bailey to extend the Tiger lead to 31-9. After a scoreless first period, Bailey chose down to start the second and Larson went to work, working two tilts for a total of five points. In the third, Larson escaped to go up 6-0, and hit another takedown to take the 8-0 advantage. With riding time locked late in the third period it appeared that Larson was going to take the major decision, but he was able to lock Bailey into a cradle and score the fall with 18 seconds left.

Kent State was able to pull an upset at 197, with Keith Witt earning a 2-0 decision over No. 12 Brent Haynes, but the Tigers returned the favor at heavyweight, as Devin Mellon knocked off No. 15 Brendan Barlow, 5-3. Mellon scored takedowns in the first and third period to aid his victory.

Missouri returns home to the Hearnes Center next Sunday, Dec. 18 for the team's first home conference dual of the season. The Tigers will take on the Iowa State Cyclones beginning at Noon CT. For more information, keep checking into mutigers.com and follow us on Twitter (@MizzouWrestling).

Wt.
Result
MU
KENT
125
No. 5 Alan Waters (MU) major dec. No. 2 Nic Bedelyon (KENT), 12-1
4
0
133
No. 13 Nathan McCormick (MU) fall Stevie Mitcheff (KENT), 2:42
10
0
141
No. 13 Tyler Small (KENT) fall Brandon Wiest (MU), 4:03
10
6
149
No. 19 Kyle Bradley (MU) fall No. 18 Ian Miller (KENT), 6:25
16
6
157
Mallie Shuster (KENT) dec. No. 15 Drake Houdashelt (MU), 10-5
16
9
165
No. 13 Zach Toal (MU) dec. Tommy Sasfy (KENT), 5-2
19
9
174
No. 3 Dorian Henderson (MU) fall Brandonn Johnson (KENT), 1:18
25
9
184
Mike Larson (MU) fall Kwan Bailey (KENT), 6:42
31
9
197
Keith Witt (KENT) dec. No. 12 Brent Haynes (MU), 2-0
31
12
HWT
Devin Mellon (MU) dec. No. 15 Brendan Barlow (KENT), 5-3
34
12

Updated Records
Season
Dual
125
Alan Waters
8-0
3-0
133
Nathan McCormick
8-1
4-1
141
Brandon Wiest
6-5
2-3
149
Kyle Bradley
7-3
2-3
157
Drake Houdashelt
8-2
3-2
165
Zach Toal
9-0
5-0
174
Dorian Henderson
8-1
4-1
184
Mike Larson
8-1
4-1
197
Brent Haynes
6-3
2-3
HWT
Devin Mellon
7-3
2-3

Missouri Wrestling- Fourteen Tigers in all recognized by Big 12 head coaches

COLUMBIA, Mo. - After a highly successful weekend at the Maryville Kaufman-Brand Open in St. Louis, the No. 12 Missouri wrestling team returns to dual action and concludes their month-long road trip with a match against No. 20 Kent State on Friday evening. The Tigers and Golden Flashes are scheduled to face off at 6:05 p.m. CT on Dec. 9 in Kent,Ohio. Live video will be available for free at mac-sports.com, while live results will be tweeted from Mizzou Wrestling's official Twitter account: @MizzouWrestling.

SCOUTING KENT STATE

The Kent State Golden Flashes enter this contest ranked No. 20 in the nation according to the NWCA/USA Today Division I Coaches Poll. Kent State is currently 2-2 on the dual season and are riding a two-match winning streak. They opened their season with a 19-17 loss to Nebraska and a 24-18 defeat at the hands of Illinois, but bounced back and defeated Navy, 24-15, and Edinboro by a 22-15 margin. They finished second at the Body Bar Invitational in mid-November and placed ninth out of 34 teams at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational last weekend.

Leading the way is senior 125 pounder Nic Bedelyon, who is 16-0 on the year and ranked No. 2 in the nation according to Intermat. The Kent State projected starting lineup features three other top-20 wrestlers in sophomore Tyler Small, ranked 13th at 141, freshman Ian Miller, the No. 18 149 pounder and No. 15 Brendan Barrow, the squad's heavyweight.

Kent State went 14-6 in duals last season and tied for first in the MAC with a 4-1 dual meet record. They placed 17th at NCAA's and return eight of their 10 starters and four of their six NCAA qualifiers. Jim Andrassy is their head coach, and he's in his ninth season at Kent State.

LAST TIME THEY MET

Missouri and Kent State met on Dec. 5, 2010 in Columbia, with the No. 16 Tigers pulling out a 19-15 win. Alan Waters, ranked No. 11 at the time, upset No. 5 Nic Bedelyon by a 3-1 score to improve to 19-0 on the season. Zach Toal knocked off Ross Tice, 7-4, Dorian Henderson defeated Brandonn Johnson, 5-4, and Mike Larson pulled out a 4-3 decision over Casey Newburg. All four Mizzou grapplers are expected to see the same opponents on Friday.

MATCHUPS TO WATCH

Both teams return many of their starters from last year's team, creating many rematches from last year's dual. Here are three of the more intriguing contests set for Friday evening.

*125: No. 5 Alan Waters (MU) vs. No. 2 Nic Bedelyon (KSU) - Waters pulled out a 3-1 decision last year in Columbia, using his strong riding skills to pull the upset on No. 5 Bedelyon. Late in the second period of a scoreless match, Waters was able to turn Bedelyon to his back for two nearfall points. Each wrestler would get a point of an escape, and Waters was able to avoid a late takedown attempt by Bedelyon to hold him off. A win for Waters on Friday would bump him into the top-three of the class and play a huge role in NCAA Championships seeding in March.

*141: Brandon Wiest (MU) vs. No. 13 Tyler Small (KSU) - Small competed at 133 last year, and upset No. 17 Nathan McCormick in last December's dual by an 8-6 score. This year, at 141, he's ranked 13th in the country and is 15-4 on the season. Wiest is 2-2 in duals this year, with both losses coming to top-10 wrestlers. In his last match against a ranked opponent, he took No. 5 Mike Mangrum of Oregon State to sudden victory before falling 7-5. A win for Wiest on Friday would be huge for his postseason resume.

*149: Kyle Bradley (MU) vs. No. 18 Ian Miller (KSU) - Miller enters the Kent State lineup as a true freshman and finds himself ranked No. 18 in the nation after a solid 11-2 start. He was the No. 2 recruit at 152 pounds coming out of high school and won the 149-pound title at the Body Bar Invitational a few weeks ago. Bradley, ranked 19th, finally got off the schneid in the team's last dual, getting an 8-0 win over Timmy Boone of Stanford. His other three losses have come against top-14 competition and all come by less than three points.

WHAT'S NEXT

Missouri will close out the 2011 portion of their schedule with a home dual meet against Big 12 Conference foe Iowa State. The Tigers and Cyclones will face off at Noon CT on Sunday, Dec. 18 at the Hearnes Center.

NINE TIGERS WIN TITLES AT KAUFMAN-BRAND OPEN

The University of Missouri wrestling team sent 34 of their grapplers to the Maryville Kaufman-Brand Open in St. Louis on Sunday, with 25 of those wrestlers finishing in the top-six of their respective weight classes. Of the 25 placers for Missouri, nine of them took home first place titles.

Alan Waters (125), Nathan McCormick (133), Kyle Bradley (149), Drake Houdashelt (157), Zach Toal (165), Dorian Henderson (174), Mike Larson (184), Brent Haynes (197) and Devin Mellon (HWT) each finished in first in their respective weight classes. Taking runner-up honors were Boomer Boyd (125), Jordan Gagliano (165), Patrick Wright (174) and Johnny Eblen (184), while Eric Wilson (133), Nicholas Hucke (141), Austin Lindsay (157), Ty Prazma (165), Todd Porter (174) and Justin Heberlie (197).

Also placing for Mizzou were: Brandon Wiest (4th, 141), Kellen Bounous (4th, 149), Cody Johnston (4th, 174), Dustin Williams (6th, 174), Clarence Neely (4th, 184) and Jake Glore (4th, HWT).

TIGERS BLAST NO. 25 STANFORD, 26-9

Four bonus point victories helped pace the No. 13 Missouri wrestling team's 26-9 win over No. 25 Stanford, giving the team' their second win of the weekend over a ranked opponent as they improve to 3-1 on the dual season. The Tigers opened the day with back-to-back major decision wins by Kyle Bradley and Drake Houdashelt. They won three of their next four matches to go up 17-3, and Alan Waters' technical fall at 125 put the match out of reach, making it 22-6. Brandon Wiest finished off the day just as the Tigers had started it, scoring one last major decision. Two of Missouri's three losses on the afternoon came to top-five grapplers, as Nathan McCormick dropped a 9-5 contest to No. 5 Ryan Mango, while Dorian Henderson fell to No. 1 Nick Amuchastegui, 3-0.

NO. 13 TIGERS DEFEAT NO. 17 OSU, 21-18

No. 5 Alan Waters scored a technical fall in his first match back from injury and Mike Larson won by major decision at 184 pounds to pace No. 13 Missouri's 21-18 victory over No. 17 Oregon State. The Tigers won six of the 10 matches to secure the match over the Beavers, who scored pins in the last two matches of the night to trim the lead. After Waters' technical fall, McCormick scored a decision to put the Tigers ahead 8-0. Oregon State won the next two matches to cut the lead to 8-6, but Missouri clinched the dual with four straight victories, including Larson's major at 184. Brent Haynes lost to a defensive pin and Devin Mellon was pinned by No. 8 Clayton Jack to close out the match, but it wasn't enough to overcome Mizzou's lead.

FOLLOW MIZZOU WRESTLING ON FACEBOOK AND TWITTER

If you're on Facebook or Twitter, make sure to follow the official University of Missouri Wrestling team to get exclusive updates, pictures, video content and live results throughout the entire season. Head to facebook.com/MizzouWrestling or twitter.com/MizzouWrestling and follow us today.

Missouri Wrestling Claims Nine Open Titles

P.O. Box 677
Columbia, MO 65205
<http://www.mutigers.com/>www.mutigers.com

(573) 882-3241 FAX (573) 882=4720


//FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE// Contact: Steven Keers / (573) 882-2531
December 5, 2011 keerss@missouri.edu

WRESTLING CLAIMS NINE OPEN TITLES

24 grapplers earn top-six finishes on the afternoon

COLUMBIA, Mo. - The University of Missouri wrestling team sent 34 of their grapplers to the Maryville Kaufman-Brand Open in St. Louis on Sunday, with 25 of those wrestlers finishing in the top-six of their respective weight classes. Of the 25 placers for Missouri, nine of them took home first place.

At 125 pounds, sophomore Alan Waters and freshman Boomer Boyd finished 1-2 in the standings. Waters advanced to the finals with four straight first period falls, the fastest coming in 34 seconds, while Boyd moved into the championship with decisions of 6-2, 4-3 and 7-0. In the finals, Waters defeated Boyd by a 22-6 technical fall. Waters is now 7-0 on the season with all seven victories by fall or technical fall.

Junior Nathan McCormick took home the championship at 133 pounds, pinning his way to the title. After a first round bye, McCormick pinned Brian Bitney (Missouri Valley) in 3:28, Allen Gassman (Baker) in 2:44 and Ryan Banning (Truman) in 6:22 to move into the finals, where he pinned Willie Essex (Missouri Valley) in 3:23. Eric Wilson finished in third in the class, bouncing back from a second round loss to win six straight contests in the wrestlebacks - one by major decision, one by medical forfeit, two by fall and one by technical fall.

The 141 pound weight class was the only one that didn't feature a Missouri champion, but junior Nicholas Hucke and senior Brandon Wiest finished third and fourth, respectively. Both wrestlers made it to the semifinals, but Hucke lost his match by a 10-3 decision, while Wiest fell 5-3. In the third place match, Hucke pulled out the 3-1 victory over his counterpart.

Sophomore Kyle Bradley rolled to first place at 149 pounds, securing the title with a pin in the finals in 6:43. He opened his day the same way, pinning his first round opponent in 2:30, and then followed with a 16-4 major decision. After pulling out a 7-6 decision over Corey Duncan of Lindenwood, Bradley defeated Jarell Price of Baker, 8-3, to move into the finals. Also placing for Mizzou was Kellen Bounous, who took fourth place. Bounous lost his second match of the day to fall into the consolation bracket but bounced back with five straight wins to move into the third place match, which he dropped by a tight 5-4 score to Derrick Weller of Lindenwood.

At 157, redshirt freshman Drake Houdashelt went 5-0 on the day to finish in first place, winning four of those contests with bonus points. He won 19-4 for a technical fall in his first match and then pinned his second opponent in 3:14. He scored another technical fall, winning 22-7, to move into the semis, where he pulled out a 6-2 decision over Maryville's Joey Moorehouse. In the finals, Houdashelt scored a 15-2 major over Lindenwood's Sam Schmitz. Fellow redshirt freshman Austin Lindsay finished in third place, going 4-1 on the day. He advanced to the semifinals with pins in each of his first two matches, but dropped his contest against Schmitz by a 4-3 decision. He came back and defeated Purdue's Patrick Robinson, 3-1, in his first wrestleback contest, and then pinned his opponent in 1:23 in the third place match.

Missouri finished 1-2-3 at 165 pounds, with sophomore Zach Toal finishing in first place. After his first round bye, Toal pinned his first opponent in just 16 seconds to start his day. He scored a pin in 2:58 in his next match, and then majored two straight teammates to claim the title. He first defeated Ty Prazma by a 12-3 major in the semifinals before beating Jordan Gagliano, 13-3, in the championship. Gagliano reached the finals with a 19-3 technical fall in his first match, a 3-2 decision over Purdue's Chad Welch, and an 8-0 major decision. Prazma ended up finishing in third, winning both of his wrestleback contests by decision.

All five Missouri grapplers at 174 pounds placed in the class, as the Tigers went 1-2-3-4-6 to dominate the weight. Senior Dorian Henderson led the way by finishing in first place, winning three of his four contests over fellow Tigers. After winning 11-6 in his first match, Henderson beat Dustin Williams, 8-6, Cody Johnston by a 15-5 major and Patrick Wright, 3-2, in the finals. Wright advanced to the finals by pinning his first two opponents in the first period and then majoring his next foe, 13-1. He defeated teammate Todd Porter, 3-1, in the semifinals before falling to Henderson. Porter finished in third place after majoring Williams 8-0 and Johnston 12-4 in the wrestlebacks. Johnston placed fourth, going 4-2 on the day. Williams won two of his wrestleback contests before falling to the fifth place match after his loss to Porter.

The Tigers finished in first and second again at 184 pounds, with Mike Larson earning the win by medical forfeit over Johnny Eblen in the finals. Larson won his first three matches by decisions to move into the championship, while Eblen opened with a 19-3 technical fall before winning his next two contests by decision. Junior Clarence Neely lost his first match of the day but won his first four wrestleback contests on his way to a fourth place finish.

Junior Brent Haynes coasted to the title at 197 pounds, winning his first two matches by fall and his next two contests by technical fall. His first fall came in 3:55, while his second pin came in 2:08. He then defeated Purdue's Preston Quam by a 16-0 technical fall in the semifinals before beating Matt Baker of Maryville, 17-0, in the championship. Freshman Justin Heberlie finished in third, exacting revenge on a second round loss to Jesse Alter of Missouri Valley, who pinned Heberlie in just one minute. Heberlie scored a 12-3 major and a fall in 4:24 in his first two wrestleback matches before edging Quam by a 3-2 score. In the third place match, Heberlie defeated Alter by a 7-6 decision.

At heavyweight, redshirt freshman Devin Mellon scored two decisions, two majors and a fall on his way to the 285 pound title. He opened with an 18-6 decision, and then beat David Devine of SIUE by a 7-3 score. After majoring his next opponent 13-4, he punched his ticket to the finals with a pin of Dylan Berg (Baker) in 6:12. He knocked off Brandon Gebhardt, also of Baker, by an 11-4 score to take first. Jake Glore dropped his first match but wrestled back with five consecutive wins, including an 8-0 major and a 4-3 win in double overtime to move into the third place contest. He dropped a tight match to Devine, 9-7.

Missouri returns to dual action this Friday against No. 20 Kent State (2-2) at 6:05 p.m. CT. More information on the meet will be available later in the week, so stay tuned to mutigers.com and follow us on Twitter: @MizzouWrestling.

Tigers Blast No. 25 Stanford, 26-9

Missouri scores bonus points in four of their seven victories

COLUMBIA, Mo. - Four bonus point victories helped pace the No. 13 Missouri wrestling team's 26-9 win over No. 25 Stanford on Sunday afternoon. The victory was the team's second win of the weekend over a ranked opponent, as they improve to 3-1 on the dual season.

Back-to-back major decisions by sophomore No. 15 Kyle Bradley and redshirt freshman Drake Houdashelt jump-started the Missouri squad. Starting at 149 pounds, the first time this year Mizzou hasn't started at 125, Bradley pitched an 8-0 shutout against Stanford's Timmy Boone. He went up 4-0 in the first with a takedown and a two-point nearfall, rode Boone out in the second and added an escape, another takedown and riding time in the third. It was the first win of the year for Bradley, who dropped his first three contests of the season to nationally-ranked wrestlers.

Houdashelt improved to 3-1 in his first year as a starter with a 19-6 major decision over Josh Lauderdale. The Tiger jumped out to an 8-4 lead after a wild first period that saw four takedowns by Houdashelt. He cut Lauderdale three times, while Lauderdale also picked up a penalty point. Houdashelt added three points with an escape and takedown in the second to extend his lead to 11-4. In the third, Houdashelt hit two takedowns, was awarded a point when Lauderdale fled the mat and put Lauderdale on his back for a near fall to get the team bonus points.

At 165, No. 13 Zach Toal made it three straight for Mizzou with a 6-2 win over Bret Baumbach. Baumbach got the first takedown of the day for the Cardinal to take an early 2-0 lead, but Toal would reverse him to end the first. Toal rode Baumbach out in the second, and after starting down in the third, quickly escaped and scored another takedown to go with his riding time, putting the Tigers up 11-0.

The most anticipated match of the day came at 174, as No. 5 Dorian Henderson went up against No. 1 Nick Amuchastegui. The two were scoreless after the first, but Amuchastegui hit a takedown in the second to take the lead. He escaped in the third period to go up 3-0, which is how the match would end as the top-ranked 174-pounder put the Cardinal on the board and handed Henderson his first loss of the year.

In front of his hometown crowd, junior Mike Larson pulled out a 5-1 win over Spence Patrick. The two were scoreless heading to the third period, where Larson worked an escape and scored the only takedown of the match to go up 3-0. Larson cut Patrick to make it 3-1, but Patrick was hit with his second stall warning of the contest. Larson accumulated 2:19 in riding time after riding out Patrick in the second.

No.12 Brent Haynes improved Mizzou's lead to 17-3 with a 5-3 decision at 197 pounds over Richard Kessler. Kessler scored the first takedown of the match to take the early lead, but Haynes escaped before the end of the first to cut the lead to 2-1. In the second, Haynes escaped after starting down and then took the lead with a takedown. A Kessler escape made it 4-3 in Haynes' favor heading to the third, where Haynes rode out Kessler for the entire frame, giving him the riding time advantage.

Stanford's second win of the day came at heavyweight, as Dan Scherer pulled out a tight 3-1 victory over Mizzou's Devin Mellon. Tied 1-1 late in the third, Scherer came up with a takedown after a great scramble to pull out the win.

Sophomore Alan Waters scored his second technical fall in as many matches with a 24-7 win over Matt Sencenbaugh to extend Missouri's lead to 22-6. Waters dominated Sencenbaugh, scoring six takedowns, nine points in near fall and a reversal, getting the win in just 4:09 to move to 2-0 on the season. The two were tied at 3-3 early in the first, but Waters scored nine points before the end of the period to take complete control.

No. 13 Nathan McCormick dropped his first match of the year, losing a tough 9-5 decision to No. 5 Ryan Mango. Each wrestler scored a takedown and escape in the first period to make it 3-3. McCormick had a chance to take the lead late in the first as he was in deep on a shot, but couldn't finish it off. Mango started down in the second and escaped and took McCormick down again to make it 6-3. He landed a third takedown in the final period to go with 1:04 in riding time, giving him the win.

Closing out the day at 141 pounds, senior Brandon Wiest finished the match for the Tigers just as they started it, scoring a 14-4 major decision over Donovan Halpin. Wiest took a 4-1 lead into the second period after two early takedowns in the first. He'd hit three more takedowns on the match, giving up just three escapes to Halpin, while also securing 1:58 in riding time for his second win on the year.

Missouri will take a brief break from dual action next weekend as the team will head to St. Louis for the Kaufman/Brand Open on Sunday, Dec. 4. Their next dual match will be on Friday, Dec. 9 against No. 23 Kent State. For more information, stay tuned to mutigers.com or check out the Mizzou Wrestling Twitter page, @MizzouWrestling.

Wt.
Result
MU
STAN
125
No. 5 Alan Waters (MU) tech. fall Matt Sencenbaugh (STAN), 24-7 (4:09)
22
6
133
No. 5 Ryan Mango (STAN) dec. No. 13 Nathan McCormick (MU), 9-5
22
9
141
Brandon Wiest (MU) major dec. Donovan Halpin (STAN), 14-4
26
9
149
No. 15 Kyle Bradley (MU) major dec. Timmy Boone (STAN), 8-0
4
0
157
Drake Houdashelt (MU) major dec. Josh Lauderdale (STAN), 19-6
8
0
165
No. 13 Zach Toal (MU) dec. Bret Baumbach (STAN), 6-2
11
0
174
No. 1 Nick Amuchastegui (STAN) dec. No. 5 Dorian Henderson (MU), 3-0
11
3
184
Mike Larson (MU) dec. Spence Patrick (STAN), 5-1
14
3
197
No. 12 Brent Haynes (MU) dec. Richard Kessler (STAN), 5-3
17
3
HWT
Dan Scherer (STAN) dec. Devin Mellon (MU), 3-1
17
6

Updated Records
Season
Dual
125
Alan Waters
2-0
2-0
133
Nathan McCormick
3-1
3-1
141
Brandon Wiest
2-2
2-2
149
Kyle Bradley
1-3
1-3
157
Drake Houdashelt
3-1
3-1
165
Zach Toal
4-0
4-0
174
Dorian Henderson
3-1
3-1
184
Mike Larson
3-1
3-1
197
Brent Haynes
2-2
2-2
HWT
Devin Mellon
1-3
1-3

Missouri- No. 9 Wrestling Set For Pair Of Pac-12 Duals

Missouri to face No. 18 Oregon State on Friday, No. 22 Stanford Sunday

The No. 9 Missouri wrestling squad continues their road trip this weekend when they head west for a pair of Pac-12 matchups. On Friday, Missouri will take on No. 18 Oregon State at 9 p.m. CT, while the Tigers will square off with No. 22 Stanford at 2 p.m. CT on Sunday afternoon.

Live stats for the Mizzou-Oregon State dual will be available at mutigers.com, while live audio and video will be available for a fee at osubeavers.com. Additionally, fans can get live match-by-match results by following the Mizzou Wrestling Twitter page, @MizzouWrestling. Live stats and video will not be available for the dual against Stanford.

SCOUTING THE BEAVERS

Oregon State is currently 2-0 on the season and ranked 18th in the latest NWCA/USA Today Division I Coaches Poll. They return five of their seven NCAA Championship qualifiers from the 2010-11 season, highlighted by Mike Mangrum, who ranks No. 5 in the nation at 141 pounds. Their victories this season have come over Simon Fraser by a 44-6 final and a 32-10 win over Pac-12 foe Boise State.

Also returning for the Beavers are No. 8 Scott Sakaguchi, a sophomore 149 pounder who is 7-0 on the season. Heavyweight Clayton Jack is the lone senior in the lineup and ranks eighth in the class. A trio of redshirt freshmen in Pat Rollins (125), James Roberts (133) and Taylor Meeks (197) enter the lineup this season.

Head Coach Jim Zalesky leads the Beavers and is in his sixth year at Oregon State. He's 66-26-2 at Oregon State and 183-52-2 overall as a head coach.

Missouri and Oregon State have met three times in the past. The Tigers won the first two matchups but dropped last year's contest by a 19-13 margin in Columbia.

MATCHUPS TO WATCH

* 133: No. 13 Nathan McCormick vs. James Roberts - McCormick is 2-0 on the year with two impressive victories and ranked 13th in the country according to Intermat. Roberts is a redshirt freshman and is a perfect 8-0 on the season. Of those wins, five were wins by fall and two were major decisions. His lone decision came in a 5-3 final over teammate Jason Lara in the Best of the West finals.

* 149: No. 15 Kyle Bradley vs. No. 8 Scott Sakaguchi - Bradley goes against his third ranked opponent in as many duals when he faces No. 8 Scott Sakaguchi, who is 7-0 on the year. These two met in the dual last year in Columbia, where Bradley pulled out a 5-3 sudden victory win.

* 197: No. 12 Brent Haynes vs. Taylor Meeks - Haynes gets one of Oregon State's three redshirt freshman in the lineup in Meeks, who is 8-0 in his first year as a starter. He's recorded wins by fall in both of his dual victories and has four wins by fall on the season in all.

* HWT: Devin Mellon vs. No. 8 Clayton Jack - Mellon's split his first two matches by 6-4 decisions, while Jack is 7-0 on the year and ranked eighth in the country. The Oregon State senior, who won the Pac-12 title last year and made NCAA's in each of his first three seasons, is an intriguing early season matchup for Mellon.

SCOUTING THE CARDINAL

The No. 22 ranked Stanford Cardinal are currently riding a two-game skid after winning their four previous duals. They opened their season with a 27-8 loss at Northwestern, but bounced back with wins over North Central College, Northern Illinois, Cal State Bakersfield and Menlo College. Last weekend, however, the Cardinal fell to Central Michigan, 22-13, and Chattanooga, 22-15.

Stanford returns half of last year's starting lineup and two of their three All-Americans from last season. Senior Nick Amuchastegui is the No. 1 ranked wrestler at 174 pounds. He's a two-time All-American and was last year's runner-up at 174. The other returning All-American is Ryan Mango, a 133 pound junior who currently ranks fifth in the nation.

Cardinal head coach Jason Borrelli is in his fourth season at the helm and has a career record of 28-29-3. Missouri and Stanford have met just one time in the past, coming in 2005 in Kansas City where the Tigers coasted to a 32-8 victory.

MATCHUPS TO WATCH

* 133: #13 Nathan McCormick vs. No. 5 Ryan Mango - McCormick goes up against a top-five wrestler in the class, who is 7-0 in duals this season with two wins by fall. McCormick and Mango have never faced off, as Mango, a St. Louis native, spent the last two seasons wrestling at 125 pounds.

* 174: No. 5 Dorian Henderson vs. No. 1 Nick Amuchastegui - Henderson gets his shot at the highest rated 174 pounder in the nation. Amuchastegui has scored bonus points in all seven of his matches, winning four times by major, once by technical fall and twice by pin. Henderson and Amuchastegui have never faced off.

FOLLOW LIVE

Live stats for the Mizzou-Oregon State dual will be available at mutigers.com, while live audio and video will be available for a fee at osubeavers.com. Additionally, fans can get live match-by-match results by following the Mizzou Wrestling Twitter page, @MizzouWrestling. Live stats will not be available for the dual against Stanford.

WHAT'S NEXT

Missouri takes a break from dual action as they get set to compete at the Kaufman/Brand Open, held in St. Louis, on Sunday, Dec. 4. The following Friday, Mizzou will travel to Kent State for a dual meet that begins at 6:05 p.m. CT.

WRIGHT, NEELY WIN OPEN TITLES

Twenty-three members of the Missouri wrestling team competed at the Joe Parisi Wrestling Open over the weekend, hosted by Lindenwood University. Of those 23 grapplers, nine earned places in the top-four of their weight class, with senior Patrick Wright (174) and junior Clarence Neely (184) finishing in first place to lead the way for Missouri.

Finishing in second place for Missouri was Kellen Bounous at 149 pounds. Taking third on the day were Jordan Gagliano (165) and Todd Porter (174). Eric Wilson (133), Ty Prazma (165), Johnny Eblen (184) and Ryan Robinson (197) each finished in fourth place in their respective classes. The tournament did not record fifth or sixth place finishes, of which Missouri would have had three.

TIGERS FALL TO NO. 12 SOONERS, 19-18

The No. 9 Missouri wrestling team fell behind early against the No. 12 Oklahoma Sooners and couldn't overcome the deficit as they dropped the Big 12 Conference opener on Friday night. Missouri had to forfeit the 125 pound match and the Sooners would win three of the next four matches to jump ahead. Nathan McCormick knocked off No. 11 Jordan Keller to cut the lead in half, but OU recorded 10 points with three straight wins to go up 16-6. Missouri took four of the last five with wins by Zach Toal, Dorian Henderson and Devin Mellon, along with a forfeit at 197 pounds, but Oklahoma's win by No. 18 Erich Schmidtke at 184 sealed the victory for Oklahoma.

FOLLOW MIZZOU WRESTLING ON FACEBOOK AND TWITTER

If you're on Facebook or Twitter, make sure to follow the official University of Missouri Wrestling team to get exclusive updates, pictures, video content and live results throughout the entire season. Head to facebook.com/MizzouWrestling or twitter.com/MizzouWrestling and follow us today.

Missouri Tigers Fall to No. 12 Sooners, 19-18

Missouri can't rally from early deficit, drops Big 12 opener

COLUMBIA, Mo. - The No. 9 Missouri wrestling team fell behind early against the No. 12 Oklahoma Sooners and couldn't overcome the deficit as they dropped the Big 12 Conference opener on Friday night by a 19-18 final. Missouri had to forfeit the 125 pound match and the Sooners would win three of the next four matches to jump ahead.

With the Tigers trailing 6-0, No. 14 Nathan McCormick put the Tigers on the board with a victory over No. 11 Jordan Keller, winning by a 2-1 decision. McCormick scored a takedown with 1:54 left in the first period to go up 2-0, and Keller's escape 22 seconds later cut the lead to 2-1. McCormick would ride out Keller in the second, but Keller returned the favor in the third, leaving the score at 2-1.

The Sooners then rallied off three straight wins, highlighted by a 15-3 major decision by No. 8 Kendric Maple at 141 pounds over Brandon Wiest. Maple scored a takedown and a near fall in the first to jump ahead, and followed up with two takedowns in the second period. Maple scored two more takedowns in the third, while Wiest could manage just three escapes on the match.

At 149 pounds, No. 14 Nick Lester squeaked out a 1-0 win over No. 11 Kyle Bradley to put the Sooners up by a 13-3 margin. The only point came when Lester escaped with 43 seconds left in the final period. His brother, No. 12 Matt Lester, made it 16-3 with a 5-2 win over Drake Houdashelt at 157 pounds. The two were scoreless heading into the third period after Lester rode out Houdashelt in the second, but Lester broke the 0-0 tie with an escape in four seconds to start the period. Lester took down Houdashelt 38 seconds letter, and added another point when Houdashelt was hit for his second stall warning of the match. Houdashelt scored a reversal on Lester, but riding time gave the Sooner the 5-2 lead.

No. 13 Zach Toal got Missouri back on the winning side of things with an 8-3 decision against Bubby Graham to cut the lead to 16-6. Toal led 2-1 after the first, scoring a takedown halfway through the period, and went up 5-1 with an escape and takedown in the second. Graham scored two escapes in the third, but another Toal takedown, along with 1:56 in riding time, gave the Tiger the victory.

Senior Dorian Henderson moved to 2-0 on the season with an 8-5 decision over Chase Nelson at 174 pounds. The No. 6 ranked Tiger fell behind 2-0 early after surrendering an early takedown, but finished out the first period with an escape and takedown of his own to go up 3-2. In the second period, Henderson landed a quick reversal to go up 5-2. After starting neutral in the third, Henderson scored a takedown with 28 seconds left in the match. Nelson was able to escape and get a takedown of his own, both coming with less than 11 seconds left, but it wasn't enough to overcome Henderson's lead.

At 184, junior Mike Larson dropped a tough contest to No. 18 Erich Schmidtke, losing 6-4. Schmidtke landed a takedown with 10 seconds left in the first to take a 2-0 lead. Larson was able to grab the lead in the second, escaping in 15 seconds after choosing down, and then hitting a takedown with 52 seconds left, but Schmidtke escaped quickly to tie things up headed to the third. Schmidtke chose down to start the period and escaped in 11 seconds before taking Larson down with 1:20 left. Larson was able to escape 20 seconds later, but couldn't hit a tying takedown as he fell by a 6-4 decision to put Oklahoma up by a 19-9 score.

The Sooners forfeited at 197, cutting their lead to 19-15 heading into the final match. Despite not being able to pull out the team win, redshirt freshman secured his first collegiate victory with a 6-4 decision over Elijah Madison in the second sudden victory. Scoreless after the first, Madison struck first with a quick four second escape, but a penalty on Madison with 23 seconds left in the period evened things up heading to the third. Mellon escaped even quicker, getting out from underneath in two seconds, to take the 2-1 lead, but allowed a takedown with 36 seconds left. Still, Mellon escaped 14 seconds later, evening the score at 3-3 and sending it to overtime. After a scoreless first sudden victory, each wrestler scored an escape in their half of the tiebreaker periods to make it 4-4. In the second sudden victory, Mellon hit a takedown with 33 seconds left to pick up his first win as a Tiger.

Missouri was set to take on No. 3 Oklahoma State on Sunday, but due to the tragic events surrounding the OSU women's basketball program, the meet has been postponed with a makeup date to be announced. The Tigers will next be in action next weekend, when they head west for a meeting with No. 18 Oregon State on Friday, Nov. 25 at 9 p.m. CT. On Sunday, Mizzou will battle No. 22 Stanford, beginning at 2 p.m. CT. For more information on TigerStyle wrestling, stay tuned to mutigers.com or visit the team's Twitter page, @MizzouWrestling.

RESULTS

125 - Jarrod Patterson (OU) winner by forfeit
133 - Nathan McCormick (MU) dec. Jordan Keller (OU), 2-1
141 - Kendric Maple (OU) MD. Brandon Weist (MU), 15-3
149 - Nick Lester (OU) dec. Kyle Bradley (MU), 1-0
157 - Matt Lester (OU) dec. Drake Houdasheit (MU), 5-2
165 - Zach Toal (MU) dec. Bubby Graham (OU), 8-3
174 - Dorian Henderson (MU) dec. Chase Nelson (OU), 8-5
184 - Erich Schmidtke (OU) dec. Mike Larson (MU), 6-4
197 - Brent Haynes (MU) winner by forfeit
285 - Devin Mellon (MU) dec. Elijah Madison (OU), 6-4

Missouri Tigers Jump Into Conference Action

No. 9 Wrestling heads to state of Oklahoma for pair of duals with top-12 squads

The No. 9 Missouri wrestling team, fresh off a 21-15 win over Purdue in their season opener, jump right into Big 12 action with a pair of duals this weekend. Mizzou will head to the state of Oklahoma to take on the No. 12 OU Sooners and the No. 3 Oklahoma State Cowboys. Action between the Tigers and Sooners will start at 7 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 18, while Missouri and OSU will face off at 6 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 20.

Links to free live stats will be available at mutigers.com, and live audio and video will be available for a fee at soonersports.com and okstate.com. Additionally, fans can get live match-by-match results by following the Mizzou Wrestling Twitter page, @MizzouWrestling.

SCOUTING THE SOONERS

The Oklahoma Sooners come into this dual ranked 12th in the country according to the latest NWCA Division I Coaches Poll. The Sooners are currently 1-0 on the season, having defeated Oklahoma City University on Nov. 3 to open the season. Last weekend, the Sooners won their 13th straight Brockport/Oklahoma Gold Classic Title with 182 points, edging out Maryland and Rutgers.

Oklahoma returns five of their starters from last year's squad, which finished 16th at NCAA's and third at the Big 12 Championships. Six of their projected starters are ranked within the top-20 of Intermat's latest individual rankings, led by No. 3 Jared Patterson at 125 pounds. Jordan Keller is ranked 11th at 133 pounds, while Kendric Maple steps in at 141 and ranks in at eighth. Also earning top-20 nods are Nick Lester (14th) and 149 pounds, Matt Lester, who's 12th at 157 pounds, and Erich Schmidtke, who ranks 18th at 184.

The Sooners are led by head coach Mark Cody, who is in his first year as head coach for Oklahoma after taking over for the legendary Jack Spates, who retired following the 2010-11 season. He was the head coach at American University for the last nine years and is the reigning NCAA Wrestling Coach of the Year after guiding American to a fifth place finish at last year NCAA Championships.

Last year, the Sooners edged the Tigers by an 18-12 final. In their last 10 meetings, Missouri has won six of those contests dating back to the 2002-03 season.

MATCHUPS TO WATCH

With each team having six wrestlers ranked in Intermat's top-20 individual rankings, there are plenty of key matchups for fans to check in on. Add in the fact that many of these wrestlers have seen each other numerous times over the past few seasons and you're primed for some intriguing bouts. Here's a look at a few that stand out:

* 125: #5 Alan Waters vs. #3 Jarrod Patterson - The best match of the night might very well be the first match of the night when Waters and Patterson go at it in a matchup between top-five 125 pounders. These two met up twice last year, with Patterson edging Waters both times. However, the matches went to the wire, with Patterson pulling out a 3-2 win in the duals and a 1-0 win in overtime at Big 12's.

* 133: #14 Nathan McCormick vs. #11 Jordan Keller - These two familiar foes, who each rank outside the top-10, will surely provide another exciting matchup. They met twice last year and split the two contests. Keller won 6-2 in overtime at the Midlands, while McCormick bounced back and pulled out a 3-2 decision in the dual meet.

* 149: #11 Kyle Bradley vs. #14 Nick Lester - This top-15 battle between two sophomores should be another tight one. These two have only met one previous time, with Bradley pulling out a 5-4 win at the Midlands last year.

* 184: Mike Larson vs. #18 Erich Schmidtke - These two are no strangers to one another, as they faced off three times during the 2010-11 campaign. Larson came out victorious at the Midlands, winning 2-1, but Schmidtke pulled out a 7-3 win at the dual and a 3-1 victory at the Big 12 Championships.

SCOUTING THE COWBOYS

The No. 3 ranked Cowboys are entering their first weekend of duals this season, as they host Rutgers this Friday before the Tigers come to town on Sunday. Oklahoma State has competed at the Oklahoma City Open, where they won two titles, and the Central Missouri Open, where they had nine champions.

Five of Oklahoma State's 10 starters were starters on last year's Big 12 Champion squad that finished fourth at Nationals. Nine of their 10 projected starters are ranked in the top-10 according to Intermat, highlighted by No. 1 Jordan Oliver at 133 pounds, who was an NCAA Champion last year. Senior Jamal Parks is the No. 2 ranked 149 pounder, while Cayle Byers is third at 197 and Alan Gelogaev is fifth at heavyweight. Sophomore Josh Kindig ranks seventh at 141 pounds, 184 pounder Chris Perry sits at eighth and Ladd Rupp is ninth at 125. Coming in at 10th in their respective classes is Albert White (157) and Dallas Bailey (165)

John Smith enters his 21st season as head wrestling coach at Oklahoma State. He is the program's winningest coach of all-time with a career record of 311-46-6. The Tigers and Cowboys split their two meetings last year. Missouri won their meeting at the National Duals, 21-19, but the Cowboys got their revenge in Stillwater, winning 28-6. In their last seven meetings, Missouri is 4-2-1 against Oklahoma State.

MATCHUPS TO WATCH

A combined 15 top-20 wrestlers, according to Intermat, are expected to wrestle when these two top-10 teams go at on Sunday night. Many of these wrestlers have faced off in the past. Here's a look at four of the more intriguing matchups:

* 125: #5 Alan Waters vs. #9 Ladd Rupp - The Big 12 is totally stacked at 125 pounds again, and Waters will get his second matchup against a top-10 ranked opponent on Sunday with sophomore Ladd Rupp. Rupp steps in as the starter after beating last year's starter Jon Morrison by a 2-1 final at last weekend's UCM Open. Morrison beat Waters by 3-1 and 3-2 decisions during the season last year.

* 149: #11 Kyle Bradley vs. #2 Jamal Parks - Bradley gets his second matchup against a top-11 opponent in three days when he goes up against the second ranked 149 pounder in Parks. These two faced off three times last season, with Parks winning all three bouts. He took the contest at the National Duals yb a slight 3-1 decision, and then won 10-4 at the dual in Stillwater. They met again at Big 12's, with Parks winning 4-0.

* 165: #13 Zach Toal vs. #10 Dallas Bailey - These two sophomores became pretty familiar with one another last season, facing off three times. Toal won the first two matches, scoring a 6-5 decision at the National Duals and a 3-2 win in Stillwater. However, Bailey got revenge at Big 12's, defeating Toal 5-2.

174: #6 Dorian Henderson vs. Chris McNeil - Henderson may have the edge in the rankings, but these two go way back to 2008-09, when they were both redshirt freshman. McNeil defeated Henderson twice, winning 7-3 at the Missouri Open and 9-4 at their dual. They haven't faced off since, so this rivalry could be renewed this weekend.

FOLLOW LIVE

Fans will be able to get live scoring and results for free at mutigers.com. For a fee, fans can also get free audio/video through soonersports.com and okstate.com. Additionally, fans can get live match updates by following the team's Twitter page, @MizzouWrestling.

WHAT'S NEXT

The Tigers continue their five game road trip next weekend when they head west for another pair of top-25 matchups. On Friday, Missouri will take on No. 18 Oregon State before facing No. 22 Stanford on Sunday afternoon.

BIG 12 DUAL CHAMPIONS

With just four teams in the Big 12 this year, there have been a few format changes to the league. The most notable is how every team will face each other twice during the regular season, with one match at each team's venue. With the six conference duals, the league will crown a dual champion for the first time in Big 12 history, given to the team with the best conference dual record at the end of the season.

15 TIGERS PLACE AT UCM OPEN

While Missouri was facing off against Purdue to open the season, the rest of the squad was out at the University of Central Missouri Open for the squad's first open tournament of the season. Of the Tigers that competed, 15 came back having placed in the top-six of their respective classes. Leading the way for the Tigers were Nicholas Hucke (141), Austin Lindsay (157) and Todd Porter (174), who each took second place. Finishing in third were Eric Wilson (133), Ty Prazma (165), Patrick Wright (174) and Johnny Eblen (184). Simon Kitzis (141), and Kellen Bounous (149) finished fourth, while Trevor Wiest (149) placed fifth. Boomer Boyd (125), Mike Schmidt (133), Clarence Neely (184), Justin Heberlie (197) and Jake Glore (HWT) each finished in sixth place.

NO. 9 TIGERS ROLL BY PURDUE, 21-15

The No. 9 Missouri wrestling team opened their season with an impressive 21-15 win over the Purdue Boilermakers. The Tigers overcame a forfeit at 125 to open the match by winning six of the nine remaining contests on their way to win No. 1 on the year.

Down 6-0 right off the bat, Missouri won six of their next seven matches to take a commanding lead. Junior Nathan McCormick scored two takedowns in the final minute to send his match to OT, where he scored the winning takedown in seven seconds. Brandon Wiest recorded his first career dual win, while Drake Houdashelt scored an 11-4 decision in his first collegiate match. Zach Toal won 7-4 over his opponent, and Dorian Henderson gave the Tigers a huge lead when he pinned his foe in just 18 seconds. Mike Larson coasted to a 6-1 win to help clinch the match for the Tigers.

SIX SIGN FOR 2012-13

The Missouri wrestling program announced the addition of six future student-athletes that signed their National Letter of Intent on Wednesday. Joining the Missouri program starting in the 2012-13 season will be Tony Deangelo (Burlington, N.C.), Cody Hummer (Savannah, Mo.), Matt Manley (Perry, Okla.), Willie Miklus (Polk, Iowa), Austin Roper (Kirksville, Mo.) and Marc Schmidt (Centralia, Mo.)

FOLLOW MIZZOU WRESTLING ON FACEBOOK AND TWITTER

If you're on Facebook or Twitter, make sure to follow the official University of Missouri Wrestling team to get exclusive updates, pictures, video content and live results throughout the entire season. Head to facebook.com/MizzouWrestling or twitter.com/MizzouWrestling and follow us today.

Missouri- NO. 9 Tigers Roll By Purdue, 21-15

Henderson pins his opponent in just 18 seconds to pace Mizzou victory

COLUMBIA, Mo. - The No. 9 Missouri wrestling team opened their season with an impressive 21-15 win over the Purdue Boilermakers on Sunday afternoon. The Tigers overcame a forfeit at 125 to open the match by winning six of the nine remaining contests on their way to win No. 1 on the year.

Down 6-0 right off the bat, junior Nathan McCormick and Purdue's Matt Fields put on a show at 133 pounds, with McCormick coming out victorious in sudden victory by a 14-12 final. McCormick scored an early first period takedown but was quickly reversed by Fields. After being ridden for over a minute, McCormick got out from underneath and scored another takedown, but Fields once again landed a reversal. McCormick escaped with two seconds left in the period to take a 6-4 lead into the second.

Strong on top, Fields turned McCormick to his back for a nearfall to take his first lead of the day, but McCormick was able to work a reversal of his own. Fields escape with 25 seconds left and landed a takedown at the buzzer, going up 10-8 into the final period. Fields started on bottom and escaped in 19 seconds, but McCormick took him down shortly after. Fields extended his lead to two with another escape, but McCormick hit another takedown with 24 seconds left and rode Fields out to send it to overtime. McCormick made quick work in the sudden victory period, taking down Fields in just seven seconds to get the Tigers on the board.

Senior Brandon Wiest tied the score up at 6-6 with 3-2 decision over Jake Fleckenstein at 141 pounds, using a second period escape and a takedown with 35 seconds left to pace the victory. No. 9 Ivan Lopouchanski took a 5-3 decision over Kyle Bradley at 149 pounds to give Purdue a 9-6 lead.

At 157 pounds, redshirt freshman Drake Houdashelt made his dual debut and scored an 11-4 win over Tommy Churchard to kick off a string of four straight Missouri victories. Houdashelt led 2-1 in the first period after scoring a takedown 15 seconds in, and then took complete control in the second period. Starting on bottom, Houdashelt reversed Churchard and then put him on his back for a three point nearfall. He tacked on another point with Churchard's second stall warning of the match. In the third, Houdashelt was taken down but scored a reversal and used riding time to take the victory.

Sophomore Zach Toal picked up a 7-4 win over Kyle Mosier at 165 pounds, jumping out to a quick lead with two takedowns within the first 34 seconds. He got an escape and another takedown in the third while limiting Mosier to just four escapes on the match, putting the Tigers up 12-9 for their first lead of the afternoon.

Senior Dorian Henderson blew it wide open at 174 pounds by defeating Drake Stein by fall in just 18 seconds. Henderson took Stein down 14 seconds into the match and immediately turned him and stuck him to the mat for six team points.

Junior Mike Larson iced the dual for the Tigers with a 6-1 win at 184 pounds over Braden Atwood. After a scoreless first, Larson reversed Atwood to open the second and went up 3-0 when Atwood was hit with stalling for the second time. Atwood got his lone point on an escape in the third, but Larson took him down with 40 seconds left and rode him out to gain the riding time point, making it 21-9.

Purdue won matches at 197 and heavyweight to close the day, with No. 13 A.J. Kissel defeating No. 11 Brent Haynes by a 7-2 decision. Redshirt freshman Devin Mellon fell in his first dual match by a 6-4 decision to Roger Vukobratovich.

The Tigers jump right into conference action next week when they head to the state of Oklahoma to take on both the Sooners and the Oklahoma State Cowboys. Mizzou and OU battle on Friday, Nov. 18 at 7 p.m. CT while the Tigers and Cowboys will face off at 6 p.m. CT on Sunday, Nov. 20. For more information on Missouri wrestling, stay tuned to mutigers.com or check out our Twitter page, @MizzouWrestling.

Wt.
Result
MU
PU
125
Camden Eppert (PU) wins by forfeit
0
6
133
No. 15 Nathan McCormick (MU) dec. Matt Fields (PU), 14-12 (SV)
3
6
141
Brandon Wiest (MU) dec. Jake Fleckenstein (PU), 3-2
6
6
149
No. 9 Ivan Lopouchanski (PU) dec. No. 13 Kyle Bradley (MU), 5-3
6
9
157
Drake Houdashelt (MU) dec. Tommy Churchard (PU), 11-4
9
9
165
No. 13 Zach Toal dec. (MU) Kyle Mosier (PU), 7-4
12
9
174
No. 6 Dorian Henderson (MU) fall Drake Stein (PU), 0:18
18
9
184
Mike Larson (MU) dec. Braden Atwood (PU), 6-1
21
9
197
No. 13 A.J. Kissel (PU) dec. No. 11 Brent Haynes (MU), 7-2
21
12
HWT
Roger Vukobratovich (PU) dec Devin Mellon (MU), 6-4
21
15

Missouri- NO. 9 Wrestling Open Season Sunday

Tigers play host to Purdue at 1 p.m. CT at the Hearnes Center

COLUMBIA, Mo. - The No. 9 Tiger wrestling team opens up the 66th season of Missouri wrestling this Sunday, Nov. 13, with a matchup against the Purdue Boilermakers. Action between the Tigers and Boilermakers will kick off at 1 p.m. CT from the Hearnes Center. Tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for youth/seniors. Students get in free with their ID.

This will be the third straight year the Tigers have opened the dual season with a contest against a Big Ten school, and the third time in program history the Missouri and Purdue have kicked off the season against each other. It's the 22nd overall matchup between the two schools, with the Boilermakers holding a 13-7-1 edge over Mizzou. Purdue was victorious against the Tigers last season in West Lafayette, pulling out the 18-15 victory for their second straight win over MU. Mizzou last defeated Purdue in the 2004-05 season opener with a 25-10 win.

It's the 10th straight season that Missouri has earned a top-15 ranking in the NWCA/USA Today Division I Coaches Poll, as they open the year at No. 9. Six of Missouri's 10 starters appear in Intermat's top-20 individual preseason rankings, led by sophomore Alan Waters, who sits at 5th in the country at 125 pounds. Junior Nathan McCormick is 15th at 133, while sophomore Kyle Bradley ranks 13th at 149. Intermat ranks sophomore Zach Toal as the 13th best 165 pounder going into the season, while Missouri's lone senior in the starting lineup, Dorian Henderson, sits in sixth at 174 pounds. Junior Brent Haynes rounds out the Intermat rankings for the Tigers at 197 pounds at 11th.

Missouri returns seven of their program-best nine NCAA qualifiers from last season, but they do not return any All-Americans. Todd Schavrien, who finished in sixth at last year's NCAA's at 141 pounds, graduated and is now coaching at Drexel University. Heavyweight Dom Bradley, who placed third last year, is taking an Olympic redshirt this season as he pursues a spot on Team USA and will return for the 2012-13 season.

Waters, McCormick, Kyle Bradley, Toal, Henderson, Larson and Haynes are the NCAA returners for the Tigers. Stepping in at 141 pounds will be senior Brandon Wiest while redshirt freshman Drake Houdashelt takes over the starting spot at 157. Redshirt freshman Devin Mellon steps in for Dom Bradley at heavyweight.

Under head coach Brian Smith, Missouri is 8-5 all-time in season openers and have won six of their last eight duals to open the year.

Live stats will be available for free at mutigers.com, and live audio and video will be available for Mizzou All-Access subscribers at mutigers.tv. Additionally, fans can get live match-by-match results by following the Mizzou Wrestling Twitter page, @MizzouWrestling.

SCOUTING THE BOILERMAKERS

The Purdue Boilermakers come into this season-opening dual unranked, but are receiving votes in the preseason NWCA/USA Today Coaches Poll. Last year the Boilermakers went 8-8-1 in dual action and 3-5 in the Big Ten. They finished ninth at the Big Ten Championship and finished T-39th with nine points at the NCAA Championships.

Purdue returns six of their 10 starters, four of their seven NCAA qualifiers and an All-American from the 2009-10 season. Cashé Quiroga, who finished sixth at 125 pounds in 2009-10, is the returning All-American and is ranked as high as No. 8 at 133 pounds after taking a redshirt last year. Other returning NCAA qualifiers include Camden Eppert at 125 pounds and A.J. Kissel at 197. Joining the program is Ivan Lopouchanski at 149 pounds, who transferred to Purdue from UNC Greensboro.

The Boilermakers are led by fifth year head coach Scott Hinkel, who has a career record of 41-33-2. The Boilermakers hold a 13-7-1 edge over Missouri all-time and have won the last two contests, which includes a 19-15 win over the Tigers last year in West Lafayette.

We're only expecting to see two rematches from last season's dual, starting with Alan Waters vs. Camden Eppert to open up the dual at 125 pounds. Last season, Waters scored a 6-0 decision over Eppert to improve to 20-0 on the season. There will also be a rematch at 165 pounds, with Zach Toal facing off against Kyle Mosier for the second straight year. Toal pulled out the 7-3 win over Mosier last year.

FOLLOW LIVE

Fans will be able to get live scoring and results through the NWCA Online Scorebook. A link to the match page will be posted at mutigers.com. Those who subscribe to Mizzou All-Access can get audio and video of the match at mutigers.tv. Additionally, fans can get live match updates by following the team's Twitter page, @MizzouWrestling.

WHAT'S NEXT

Following the season opening dual with Purdue, the Tigers jump right into conference play as they open up a five-match road trip. Missouri will head down to the state of Oklahoma to face the Sooners at 7 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 18 and will then head to Stillwater to take on Oklahoma State on Sunday, Nov. 20 at 6 p.m.

SEASON OPENERS

In the 65 seasons of Tiger wrestling, Mizzou sits with a 35-30 record in season openers and are 8-5 under current head coach Brian Smith. Missouri has opened its season against Purdue on just two prior occasions, with the team's splitting the two contests. Purdue won the meeting against Hap Whitney's Tigers in 1969-70 by a 25-6 score, while Mizzou pulled out a 25-10 victory in 2004-05. The Boilermakers hold a 7-13-1 advantage in the all-time series. Missouri has won three times in the last five meetings, though Purdue is 5-3 against Mizzou since Coach Smith took the helm. Last season, Purdue edged Missouri by a 19-15 final in West Lafayette. Missouri's season opener with Purdue marks the 18th time in program history that the Tigers will open the year against a Big Ten school. The Tigers have won four of their last five season openers against Big Ten programs.

SIX SIGN FOR 2012-13

The Missouri wrestling program announced the addition of six future student-athletes that signed their National Letter of Intent on Wednesday. Joining the Missouri program starting in the 2012-13 season will be Tony Deangelo (Burlington, N.C.), Cody Hummer (Savannah, Mo.), Matt Manley (Perry, Okla.), Willie Miklus (Polk, Iowa), Austin Roper (Kirksville, Mo.) and Marc Schmidt (Centralia, Mo.)

TIGERS OPEN SEASON RANKED NINTH

The University of Missouri wrestling program opens up the season ranked No. 9 in the country, as announced Wednesday morning by the National Wrestling Coaches Associaton (NWCA). This is the 10th straight year that the Tigers have started the season with a top-15 ranking. Of Missouri's 10 different dual opponents scheduled for the season, six find themselves within the top-25. Oklahoma State leads the way in third, while Oklahoma is just behind Mizzou at 10th. Oregon State is ranked 18th, while Iowa State, Stanford and Kent State are ranked No. 20, 21 and 24, respectively. Purdue, the Tigers' season opening matchup, is receiving votes.

BRADLEY TAKES FIRST AT OPEN

Missouri heavyweight wrestler Dom Bradley took first place at the Sunkist Kids International Open in Mesa, Ariz., on Sunday, Oct. 31. Bradley, wrestling for the Sunkist Kids Wrestling Club, opened up action in the 120KG/264.5 lbs. freestyle class with a 3-2, 8-1 decision over Charles Fish of the Marines. He them dominated Florian Temengil of Team Palau in the finals, winning 5-0, 6-0. This is the second tournament title for Bradley this year, as he won University Nationals gold back in April.

TWO TIGERS AMONGST FIRST TRIALS QUALIFIERS

Missouri senior heavyweight Dom Bradley (120 kg/264.5 lbs.) and former Tiger All-American and current strength and conditioning coach Nicholas Marable (74 kg/163 lbs) are amongst the first qualifiers for the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials, set to take place April 21-22 in Iowa City, Iowa. USA Wrestling released the initial list of qualifiers, which includes 65 wrestlers across three different Olympic styles. Marable and Bradley each qualified due to having won their true third place match at the 2011 World Team Trials back in June. Bradley is taking an Olympic redshirt this season to pursue this opportunity to make Team USA.

NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS RETURN IN 2012

The NCAA Wrestling Championships will return to the Midwest in 2012, as the event heads back to St. Louis, Mo., after a two year hiatus. The three day tournament will run from March 15-17 and be held at the Scottrade Center.

MIZZOU TO HOST BIG 12'S

For the fourth time in program history and first time since 2007, the University of Missouri will play host to the Big 12 Wrestling Championships, held in the Hearnes Center. The event will take place on Saturday, March 3, 2012. Stay tuned for ticket information.

BACK-TO-BACK ALL-AMERICANS

In Missouri wrestling's 65 years, nine Tigers have earned back-to-back All-America honors. 32 Tigers have collected 48 honors with 13 earning two or more accolades, but only Dave Young (1981-82), Shaon Fry (1993-94), Scott Barker (2002-03), Ben Askren (2004-07), Tyler McCormick (2006-07), Nicholas Marable (2008-09), Maxwell Askren (2008-10), Raymond Jordan (2008-09) and Mark Ellis (2009-10) managed top eight finishes in consecutive years.

FOLLOW MIZZOU WRESTLING ON FACEBOOK AND TWITTER

If you're on Facebook or Twitter, make sure to follow the official University of Missouri Wrestling team to get exclusive updates, pictures, video content and live results throughout the entire season. Head to facebook.com/MizzouWrestling or twitter.com/MizzouWrestling and follow us today.

Missouri Wrestling Announces 2012-13 Signing Class

Tigers add six grapplers to join next year's squad

COLUMBIA, Mo. - The Missouri wrestling program announced the addition of six future student-athletes that signed their National Letter of Intent on Wednesday. Joining the Missouri program starting in the 2012-13 season will be Tony Deangelo (Burlington, N.C.), Cody Hummer (Savannah, Mo.), Matt Manley (Perry, Okla.), Willie Miklus (Polk, Iowa), Austin Roper (Kirksville, Mo.) and Marc Schmidt (Centralia, Mo.)

"We're very excited about this year's recruiting class," said head coach Brian Smith. "These six guys bring in a hybrid of success both in the classroom and on the mat. These kids believe in TigerStyle wrestling. They understand the lifestyle and they want to live it competitively, academically, and socially."

TONY DEANGELO

Hometown: Burlington, N.C.

High School: Southern Alamance High School

Career Record: 138-9

High School Coaches: Randy DeAngelo, Pete Martin, Tom Allen, Danny Pope
Noteworthy Accolades: NHSA Freshman All-American ... NHSCA Sophomore National Champion ... NHSCA Junior Nationals Finalist ... 2011 Super 32 Placer ... North Carolina State Champion.

Why Tony Chose Mizzou: "I chose Missouri because the coaching staff and team are all dedicated to being National Champions and they have everything I need to accomplish my goals on and off the mat."

Smith's Take: "Tony's father Randy and I were the same age growing up in Binghamton, N.Y., so our families have always been close and stayed in touch through the years. Tony is a highly-coveted recruit out of North Carolina, the third big-time recruit we've gotten from that state after Raymond Jordan and Nick Gregoris. Out of those three, Tony has the best accolades. Like the rest of the class, Tony goes above and beyond with his work in the classroom."

CODY HUMMER

Hometown: Savannah, Mo.

High School: Savannah High School

Career Record: 148-12

High School Coaches: Gary Bergmann

Noteworthy Accolades: Two-time Missouri state champion at 103 and 119 pounds ... second two-time state champion in Savannah High School history ... three-time Midland Empire Conference Champion ... three-time Missouri Greco State Champion ... three-time Missouri Freestyle State finalist ... 2010 NHSCA All-American after finishing seventh at sophomore nationals ... six year member of Team Central/Greater Heights Wrestling Club ... 2010 All-American in Greco at Fargo Nationals ... took silver at the 2010 Greco Junior World Duals in California ... took silver in Greco and fifth in freestyle at Junior Pan American Games in 2011 in Brazil ... Academic All-State each year of high school ... 2010 NHSCA Academic All-American ... 2011 St. Joseph News Press Athlete of the Year ... member of DECA, FCA, National Honor Society and Young Life ... took first at state in Leadership Competition ... 3.70 grade point average ... Eagle Scout.

Why Cody Chose Mizzou: "Ever since I met Coach Smith at a youth wrestling camp in 2006, I knew I wanted to wrestle for his team. His TigerStyle wrestling embodies everything I want to be in a wrestler. Coach Smith and his staff have built MU Wrestling into one of the 'power house' programs in the country! I look forward to wearing the black and gold and representing the great state of Missouri."

Smith's Take: "Cody has been coming to our camps for almost seven years now so we've really got to see him grow as a wrestler over the years. His goal is to win his third state title this year and he's had great success on the national level. He's an outstanding student who has a bright future as a Tiger."

MATT MANLEY

Hometown: Perry, Okla.

High School: Perry High School

Career Record: 123-16

High School Coaches: Ronnie Delk

Noteworthy Accolades: Finished third at 103 pounds at 2009 Class 3A Oklahoma State Championships as a freshman ... went on to finish first at state at 103 pounds as a sophomore and repeated as state champion at 112 pounds his junior year ... helped Perry High School to three straight team state championships and dual state championships ... aided the Oklahoma Junior National Dual Team to a National Runner-Up finish in 2011 ... four year member of the National Honor Society ... Student Rotarian ... 2010 Masonic Lodge Student of Today.

Why Matt Chose Mizzou: "I chose Mizzou because I want to be part of a competitive program on and off the mat. I look forward to joining a team that excels in the classroom as well as on the mat. I am excited to begin my college wrestling experience as a Tiger."

Smith's Take: "Matt came to one of camps this summer with his high school, which is the most historic high school program in the state of Oklahoma. He's a great student who is also going for his third state championship. His aggressive style fits into what we do at Missouri."

WILLIE MIKLUS

Hometown: Polk, Iowa

High School: Southeast Polk High School

Career Record: 105-12

High School Coaches: Jason Christenson, Jessman Smith

Noteworthy Accolades: State runner up at 119 pounds as a freshman ... state runner up at 145 pounds as a sophomore ... Iowa state champion at 171 pounds as a junior ... 2011 Folkstyle Nationals runner-up at 171 pounds ... eighth place at 189 pounds at Junior Freestyle Nationals.

Why Willie Chose Mizzou: "I chose the University of Missouri because I liked the school, campus, coaching staff and guys on the team. I liked the emphasis that was placed on education and the academic support that is available. The wrestlers all work really hard in practice and that is how I grew up in wrestling, with a hard work ethic. Coach Smith, Coach Pell and Coach Mester treated me great throughout the entire recruiting process. I feel that Mizzou is the best place I can go to win an NCAA wrestling title."

Smith's Take: "Willie's a top-100 recruit nationally wrestling for a nationally ranked program in Southeast Polk. He was a huge steal for us from the state of Iowa. When you can get a kid away from the Iowa schools, it's always a good thing and it shows just how well-respected Mizzou is nationally. Willie and his family really bought into what TigerStyle is all about."

AUSTIN ROPER

Hometown: Kirksville, Mo.

High School: Kirksville High School

Career Record: 138-4

High School Coaches: Kevin Powell

Noteworthy Accolades: Took second at state as a freshman at 103 pounds, finishing with a record of 38-3 ... went 51-1 at 119 pounds the following year while capturing a state title ... was a perfect 49-0 last year at 125 pounds, claiming his second straight state championship ... Missouri Wrestling Association Academic All-American all three years of high school ... helped Kirksville to a state title his freshman year ... finished eighth at 119 pounds as a freshman at Cadet Folkstyle Nationals ... took second at the event the following year ... finished fourth at 125 pounds at Cadet Greco-Roman Nationals and sixth at Cadet Freestyle Nationals as a sophomore ... his junior year he took third at Junior Folkstyle Nationals and fifth at Junior Greco-Roman Nationals at 130 pounds ... is the son of former Mizzou All-American and head coach Wes Roper.

Why They Chose Mizzou: "Mizzou's Wrestling Program has a system in place that not only emphasizes great wrestling, but also great character."

Smith's Take: "Austin actually committed to us when he was 10 after I told him he better come to Mizzou when he grows up. He committed to me right there. His father, Wes, was the first alumni I ever talked to after getting this job, and he's always been so supportive of me and the program. We love the attitude that Austin brings in. He's wanted to wear the black and gold for a long time. The in-state kids want to stay here and be apart of Mizzou wrestling, and Austin is a perfect representative of that."

MARC SCHMIDT

Hometown: Centralia, Mo.

High School: Centralia High School

Career Record: 90-16

High School Coaches: Mike Adkisson, Bryan Schmidt, Josh Wisdom, Luke Gramke, Tyler Gramke

Noteworthy Accolades: Finished fourth in state as a freshman, second in state as a sophomore and won the championship as a junior ... 2008 Brute National Champion ... fifth at Tulsa Nationals in 2007 ... high school team finished third at state in 2010 and 2011 ... President of Stuco ... Vice President of National Honor Society ... Centralia FFA Officer ... All-State Defensive Back in football ... team captain for the football team ... brother of redshirt freshman Mike Schmidt

Why Marc Chose Mizzou: "I chose Mizzou because my brother goes there, it is close to home and it's got a great wrestling program."

Smith's Take: "Marc's another local product who always wanted to go to Mizzou. He was a state champion last year and with him being so close we've gotten to see a lot of him. His brother Mike is a redshirt freshman on the team and we've had a lot of success with siblings on our roster in the past. He brings great academics and a ton of ability into the program, and we love having kids that grow up wanting to be Tigers."

Statement from Missouri Head Coach Brian Smith

"Over the past 18 months, the landscape of collegiate athletics has changed, which has had a major impact on our sport and our program. The National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) has been preparing for these changes in regards to how they will impact both Mizzou and the remaining Big 12 Conference programs. Due to the fact that you need six teams in your conference to earn automatic NCAA qualifiers for the champion of each weight class, we can surely expect some major changes surrounding our program. While we're still in the preliminary discussions with both the NWCA and our administration regarding our program's future conference affiliation, we have nothing but confidence in both parties, and we know that Missouri is going to end up in a great situation.

Since taking over this program in 1998, we've had nothing but the utmost support from our administration. Nearly $400,000 has been invested into our facilities, which has helped turn the University of Missouri Wrestling Complex into a Regional Olympic Training Center. I am extremely confident in Chancellor Deaton's decision, as he's always understood the importance of academics and athletics, and has been a major supporter of our program.

We've had 26 All-Americans in the past 10 seasons, along with an Olympic qualifier and a Junior Freestyle World Champion. We've claimed the only NCAA team trophy for Missouri since the 1965 men's indoor track and field squad won the national championship. We hold an annual wrestling camp down in Georgia, and the fans and coaches down there are excited that they have a wrestling program with our success to 'represent' the southeast. I've received an onslaught of positive feedback regarding this change, and our program is excited to start a new chapter of Missouri wrestling."

Statement from Executive Associate A.D./SWA Sarah Reesman
"Head Coach Brian Smith has built a wrestling program at Missouri that signifies what we believe in as an institution and an athletic department. Whether it's on the mat, in the classroom or in the community, Missouri wrestling continues to represent what we look for from each of our programs here at Mizzou. We look forward to continued national success from Coach Smith's program as Mizzou Athletics embarks on a new chapter."

Statement from NWCA Executive Director Mike Moyer
"Simply stated, the University of Missouri wrestling program and its head coach, Brian Smith, represent the gold standard in our sport both on and off the mat. Our wrestling community has a demonstrated history of adapting to change and this situation will be no different. In fact, the NWCA is currently developing and evaluating several promising conference and regional models that will position our sport to enjoy unprecedented success that would not have otherwise be possible without (conference) realignment."

Missouri earns top-15 preseason ranking for 10th straight year

COLUMBIA, Mo. - The University of Missouri wrestling program opens up the season ranked No. 9 in the country, as announced Wednesday morning by the National Wrestling Coaches Associaton (NWCA). This is the 10th straight year that the Tigers have started the season with a top-15 ranking.

Of Missouri's 10 different dual opponents scheduled for the season, six find themselves within the top-25. Oklahoma State leads the way in third, while Oklahoma is just behind Mizzou at 10th. Oregon State is ranked 18th, while Iowa State, Stanford and Kent State are ranked No. 20, 21 and 24, respectively. Purdue, the Tigers' season opening matchup, is receiving votes.

The Tigers return seven of last year's program-best nine NCAA qualifiers in senior Dorian Henderson, juniors Nathan McCormick, Mike Larson and Brent Haynes and sophomores Alan Waters, Kyle Bradley and Zack Toal. Waters opens the year as the highest ranked wrestler in the lineup, coming in as high as fifth at 125 pounds.

Mizzou opens up their season next Sunday, Nov. 13 with a dual match against the Boilermakers. Action gets underway at 1 p.m. CT. For more information on Missouri wrestling, stay tuned to mutigers.com or follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

Wrestling Strong At Black And Gold

Nearly the entire team was in action at the annual intersquad competition

COLUMBIA, Mo. - The Mizzou wrestling squad opened their season with the annual Black and Gold exhibition on Sunday morning, wrestling 24 matches on two mats at the Hearnes Center. Due to the number of matches there was no team score, however almost every Tiger on the roster was able to get at least one match in to prepare for the upcoming season. A solid crowd packed the Hearnes, as 612 fans were in attendance for the wrestle-offs.

Several Tigers impressed on the day, including Alan Waters, who defeated freshman Boomer Boyd by an 18-3 technical fall at 125 pounds. Brent Haynes made quick work of Ryan Robinson at 197, also winning by technical fall, 15-0, in 3:08. Haynes took Robinson down early and turned him several times in the first period to get out to an early 14-0 lead. An escape in the second after starting down ended the bout.

Sophomore Zach Toal recorded the only win by fall on the day, pinning Jordan Gagliano in 4:07 at 165 pounds. Redshirt freshman Drake Houdashelt and junior Nathan McCormick each went 2-0 on the day. McCormick opened with an 8-2 decision over Mike Schmidt and later scored a major decision on Simon Kitzis, winning 10-2. Houdashelt defeated Nick Gregoris in a tight match, winning 3-2with a third period takedown, and closed out the day with a win over Austin Lindsay, majoring him 10-1.

On Mat 1, Gregoris opened the day with a 1-0 decision over Lindsay, scoring a second period escape. Kitzis defeated Eric Wilson in his first match of the day at 133 pounds, winning 7-4. Senior Brandon Wiest and junior Nicholas Hucke battled to the riding time portion of the overtime tiebreaker, with Wiest racking up 18 seconds of riding time in the period to pull out the win.

Also on Mat 1, Kyle Bradley exploded with a big third period to major Kellen Bounous, 9-1. Leading 1-0 going into the final period, Bradley scored an escape, two takedowns and a point off a stall warning to go with 2:42 of riding time. Seniors Dorian Henderson and Patrick Wright battled to sudden victory at 174 pounds, with Henderson pulling off a takedown with 30 seconds left in the period, giving him the 4-2 win. Mike Larson used a third period escape and takedown to separate himself from Clarence Neely, with Larson taking the 5-2 win. In the lone heavyweight bout of the day, redshirt freshman Devin Mellon defeated Jake Glore, 4-2. Mellon took down Glore in the first and got a third period escape with 2:09 of riding time.

On Mat 2, Robinson kicked off action at 197 with a 6-1 win over Justin Heberlie. Freshman Denny Kleinschrodt scored an early takedown and near fall on fellow 133-pounder Taylor Ronan to pace his 8-0 major decision, while Brandon Rice edged Harold Ritchie by a 5-3 decision in a battle between 141 pound freshmen. In a pair of 149 pound matches, Trevor Wiest scored three takedowns on Espen Conley to earn a 7-5 win, while Gary Lindsay used a third period escape and riding time to defeat TJ Parker, 3-2.

At the 165/174 pound match, freshman Cody Johnston impressed with a 12-3 major decision over Ty Prazma. Johnston scored a pair of two-point near falls, and also had a third period reversal and takedown to pad his lead. Todd Porter built a 5-0 lead after two periods to pace his 6-1 victory over Dustin Williams. At 133, Wilson earned a 15-6 major decision over Schmidt in an action-packed match. Wilson was taken down by Schmidt early, but reversed him and landed two near falls in the first. Schmidt reversed Wilson back, but Wilson escaped to make it 9-4 after the first. After a scoreless second, Wilson picked up an escape, takedown and two-point near fall to extend his lead to 14-4. Schmidt would hit another reversal but that was all he would get, as Wilson picked up the riding time point.

Jake Cyr followed at 141 pounds with an 8-1 victory over Brandon Rice, with Cyr landing three takedowns on rice in the match. Jacob Guerrant and Gary Lindsay closed out the day at 149, with Guerrant pulling out a 2-1 win with a third period escape and riding time point.

Missouri opens up the regular season on Sunday, Nov. 13 at 1 p.m. CT against the Purdue Boilermakers. The match between two anticipated top-25 programs will be held in the Hearnes Center. For more information on Missouri wrestling, visit mutigers.com, follow us on <http://www.twitter.com/MizzouWrestling>Twitter or become a fan of our <http://www.facebook.com/MizzouWrestling>Facebook page.

Mat 1
Mat 2
157: Nick Gregoris dec. Austin Lindsay, 1-0
197: Ryan Robinson dec. Justin Heberlie, 6-1
133: Nathan McCormick dec. Mike Schmidt, 8-2
133: Denny Kleinschrodt major dec. Taylor Ronan, 8-0
133: Simon Kitzis dec. Eric Wilson, 7-4
141: Brandon Rice dec. Harold Ritchie, 5-3
125: Alan Waters tech fall. Boomer Boyd, 18-3 (6:29)
149: Trevor Wiest dec. Espen Conley, 7-5
141: Brandon Wiest dec. Nicholas Hucke, 5-4 (RT, TB)
149: Gary Lindsay dec. TJ Parker, 3-2
149: Kyle Bradley major dec. Kellen Bounous, 9-1
165/174: Cody Johnston major dec. Ty Prazma, 12-3
157: Drake Houdashelt dec. Nick Gregoris, 3-2
174: Todd Porter dec. Dustin Williams, 6-1
165: Zach Toal fall Jordan Gagliano (4:07)
133: Eric Wilson major dec. Mike Schmidt, 15-6
174: Dorian Henderson dec. Patrick Wright, 4-2 (SV)
141: Jake Cyr dec. Brandon Rice, 8-1
184: Mike Larson dec. Clarence Neely, 5-2
133: Nathan McCormick major dec., Simon Kitzis, 10-2
HWT: Devin Mellon dec. Jake Glore, 4-2
197: Brent Haynes tech. fall Ryan Robinson, 15-0 (3:08)
157: Drake Houdashelt major dec. Austin Lindsay, 10-1
157: Jacob Guerrant dec. Gary Lindsay, 2-1

Wrestling Hosts Black And Gold Sunday

Mizzou will host the annual wrestle-offs at 9 a.m. on Oct. 30

COLUMBIA, Mo. - The Missouri wrestling squad kicks off the 2011-12 season with their annual black and gold wrestle-offs, held this Sunday, Oct. 30 at 9 a.m. CT in the Hearnes Center. The event is expanded for this season, as there will be two mats of action going on at the same time, resulting in 23 matches being wrestled. There will be no team scoring due to the amount of matches. The event is free and open to the public.

Nearly every wrestler on the team will have at least one match on Sunday, with the exception of sophomore James Houchins, redshirt freshman Johnny Eblen and freshman Trevor Jauch, who will sit out with minor injuries. The winner of each weight class will be in consideration for the starting spot when the season starts on Nov. 13 against Purdue at home.

At 125 pounds, sophomore Alan Waters will go up against freshman Boomer Boyd. Waters was one of the top 125 pounders last year and qualified for NCAA's as a true freshman. There will be six matches at 133 pounds, starting with junior Nathan McCormick vs. redshirt freshman Mike Schmidt. Redshirt sophomore Eric Wilson will face off against redshirt freshman Simon Kitzis, while freshman Denny Kleinschrodt will take on sophomore Taylor Ronan. The winner of the McCormick/Schmidt and Wilson/Kitzis matches will face each other later, as will the loser of those two first round matches.

Senior Brandon Wiest and junior Nicholas Hucke will go at it in a highly-anticipated match at 141 pounds. On the other mat, freshmen Brandon Rice and Harold Ritchie will compete at the same class, with the winner facing Jake Cyr later in the morning. Sophomore Kyle Bradley, a 2011 NCAA qualifier, and Kellen Bounous highlight the 149 pound weight class, while Trevor Wiest and freshman Espen Conley and Gary Lindsay and TJ Parker will also get matches at the weight.

Last year's starter at 157, junior Nick Gregoris, will wrestle two matches on the day, opening up with Austin Lindsay before going on to face redshirt freshman Drake Houdashelt in what should be an exciting matchup later on. Houdashelt and Lindsay will wrestle each other later in the day. At 165, sophomores Zach Toal and Jordan Gagliano will go head-to-head, as will Jacob Guerrant and Joshua Cyr. Freshman Cody Johnston and redshirt freshman Ty Prazma will wrestle in a battle between 165 and 174 pounders. Seniors Dorian Henderson and Patrick Wright will compete at 174 pounds in a familiar matchup, while Todd Porter and Dustin Williams will wrestle at the same weight in the other class.

Juniors Clarence Neely and Mike Larson, a two-time NCAA qualifier, will be the lone match at 184 pounds, while Ryan Robinson and Brent Haynes will wrestle at 197. Closing out the weight classes is the heavyweight matchup between redshirt freshman Devin Mellon and junior Jake Glore.

Live results for the event will be tweeted from the official Mizzou Wrestling <http://www.twitter.com/MizzouWrestling>Twitter page and posted to the team's <http://www.facebook.com/MizzouWrestling>Facebook page.

Mat 1
Mat 2
157: Austin Lindsay vs. Nick Gregoris
133: Denny Kleinschrodt vs. Taylor Ronan
133: Nathan McCormick vs. Mike Schmidt
141: Brandon Rice vs. Harold Ritchie
133: Eric Wilson vs. Simon Kitzis
149: Trevor Wiest vs. Espen Conley
125: Alan Waters vs. Boomer Boyd
149: Gary Lindsay vs. TJ Parker
141: Brandon Wiest vs. Nicholas Hucke
165: Jacob Guerrant vs. Joshua Cyr
149: Kyle Bradley vs. Kellen Bounous
165/174: Cody Johnston vs. Ty Prazma
157: Drake Houdashelt vs. Nick Gregoris
174: Todd Porter vs. Dustin Williams
165: Jordan Gagliano vs. Zach Toal
133: L of McCormick/Schmidt vs. L of Wilson/Kitzis
174: Dorian Henderson vs. Patrick Wright
141: W of Rice/Ritche vs. Jake Cyr
184: Clarence Neely vs. Mike Larson
133: W of McCormick/Schmidt vs. W of Wilson/Kitzis
HWT: Devin Mellon vs. Jake Glore
197: Ryan Robinson vs. Brent Haynes
157: Drake Houdashelt vs. Austin Lindsay

Missouri-Two Tigers Amongst First Trials Qualifiers

Bradley, Marable automatically qualified for the 2012 Olympic Team Trials

COLUMBIA, Mo. - Missouri senior heavyweight Dom Bradley (120 kg/264.5 lbs.) and former Tiger All-American and current strength and conditioning coach Nicholas Marable (74 kg/163 lbs) are amongst the first qualifiers for the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials, set to take place April 21-22 in Iowa City, Iowa. USA Wrestling released the initial list of qualifiers, which includes 65 wrestlers across three different Olympic styles.

Each of the three Olympic styles of wrestling will have a different qualification process, as proposed by their individual Sports Committees, presented by USA Wrestling and approved by the USOC. Athletes who have already qualified include past U.S. World and Olympic Team members in all three styles, and the top three placewinners at the 2011 U.S. World Team Trials in men's freestyle.

Marable and Bradley each qualified due to having won their true third place match at the 2011 World Team Trials back in June. Bradley is taking an Olympic redshirt this season to pursue this opportunity to make Team USA.

For more information on Missouri wrestling, visit <http://www.mutigers.com/>mutigers.com or follow the team on Twitter at <http://www.twitter.com/MizzouWrestling>@MizzouWrestling.

Missouri Wrestling Announces 2011-12 Slate

COLUMBIA, Mo. - The Missouri wrestling team has finalized its 2011-12 schedule, announced Tuesday morning by head coach Brian Smith. The Tigers will host the 2012 Big 12 Championships in Columbia, the NCAA Championships in St. Louis, and compete in four other tournaments over the course of the season.

The Tigers will open the regular season at home on Nov. 13 with a matchup against the Purdue Boilermakers, with Missouri looking to avenge an 18-15 loss last year to Purdue in West Lafayette, Ind. From there, Mizzou hits the road for their first two of six conference meets. They'll first travel to face Oklahoma on Nov. 18 and then to Stillwater, Okla., on Nov. 20 for a matchup with the Oklahoma State Cowboys.

The following week, Missouri heads west for a pair of Pac-12 matchups, beginning with Oregon State on Nov. 25. The Tigers fell to Oregon State last year at home, 19-13. Two days later, Mizzou will face off with Stanford, who finished 11th at the NCAA Championships last year with 44.0 points.

From there, the Tigers will compete in their first tournament of the season, as they stay in-state and head to Maryville for the Kaufman-Brand Open. The following weekend Missouri will travel to Kent State, who the Tigers defeated by a 19-15 score in Columbia last year. Mizzou returns home to close out 2011, hosting the Iowa State Cyclones at the Hearnes Center on Dec. 18.

Missouri opens 2012 at the Southern Scuffle in Chattanooga, Tenn., on Jan. 1-2, hosted by the University of Chattanooga. This year's Scuffle will feature seven of last year's top-25 teams, including National Champion Penn State and runner-up Cornell. A week later, Missouri will face off with Iowa State again, this time in Ames, for their second and final meeting of the season. The Tigers will hit their second tournament of the month from Jan. 13-14, when they travel to Virginia Beach, Va., for the Virginia Duals.

Two weeks after the Virginia Duals, Missouri will travel to Edwardsville, Ill., for a tri-meet against SIU-Edwardsville and Eastern Michigan. The next weekend, the Tigers play host to both Oklahoma schools on back-to-back days to close out the regular season Big 12 schedule. Missouri and the Cowboys will battle on Feb. 4, with the Tigers and Sooners facing off on Feb. 5.

The regular season comes to a close with the 2012 NWCA National Duals, which have taken on a new format this season. There are now four, six-team regions participating in the National Duals on the weekend of Feb. 11-12, with each region's winner advancing to the Final Four round held at one of the remaining team's campus the following weekend. Missouri will head to Piscataway, N.J., for the opening round of action, where they'll compete against host Rutgers, Minnesota, Michigan, Kent State and Cal Poly. This year's National Duals includes 22 of last year's final top-25.

On March 5, the University of Missouri will host the Big 12 Championships for the third time in program history, welcoming Iowa State, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State to the Hearnes Center. The Tigers look to capture their first conference crown after matching their best finish (second) last season.

For the fifth time since 2003, Missouri will co-host the NCAA Championships, held at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis from March 15-17. Members of the Missouri Wrestling Takedown Club get first dibs at tickets for the event in the Mizzou section.

For more information about Missouri wrestling as the season gets close, visit mutigers.com

Waters Earns Academic Recognition

Waters named to All-Academic True Freshman list after successful rookie campaign

COLUMBIA, Mo. - The National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) has announced its annual Division I All-Academic True Freshman team, with Missouri grappler Alan Waters being named as one of five grapplers to make the list.

The award recognizes true freshman from the 2010-11 wrestling season who completed two full semesters at their institution and also met a particular GPA and competition mark.

Waters, who is majoring in business, posted a cumulative GPA of 3.21 during his freshman year, while also emerging as one of the nation's best 125-pound wrestlers. The Kansas City, Mo., native won his first 24 matches last season, and finished with an overall record of 39-7 while earning a bid to the 2011 NCAA Championships. He was 20-3 on the season in duals and led the squad with 11 falls during the year. His 39 victories were the eighth-most in a single season at Missouri.

For more information on Missouri wrestling, keep checking in to mutigers.com.

MCCORMICK NAMED TO NWCA ALL-ACADEMIC TEAM

First time NCAA qualifier recognized for his work in the classroom

COLUMBIA, Mo. - Sophomore Nathan McCormick was named to the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) Individual All-Academic wrestling team for the 2010-11 season.

Missouri's 133-pounder qualified for the NCAA Championships for the first time in his career this past season, where he went 1-2 with a victory over Thomas Mitchell of Liberty. For the year, McCormick was 22-16 with 54 dual points and six victories by fall. The Leawood, Kan., native is a business management major.

The NWCA factors in grade point average and season record and overall accomplishments went compiling this list. On this year's Individual All-Academic Team there are 93 total athletes, three NCAA Champions, five NCAA Runner-Ups, 28 All-Americans and 84 NCAA Qualifiers.

Former Mizzou All-American Marable Finishes Second at U.S. Open

Two-time All-American one step closer to making 2011 U.S. World Team

COLUMBIA, Mo. - Former Mizzou All-American Nicholas Marable finished in second place at the 2011 U.S. Open on Saturday night, held at the Cleveland Public Auditorium in Cleveland, Ohio.

Wrestling freestyle at 74 kg/163 lbs., Marable lost in the finals to 2011 NCAA Champion and Hodge Trophy winner Jordan Burroughs, a former Husker wrestler. The Tiger assistant strength and conditioning coach took the opening period, 3-0, but lost 1-0 in the second and 3-0 in the third.

Marable, wrestling for Sunkist Kids, opened with a 1-0, 1-0 decision against Derek Peperas (OCU Stars). He followed that up with with a decision over Moza Fay (OTC, Gator WC), winning 0-1, 1-0, 1-1. In the semifinals, Marable defeated former Iowa Hawkeye and current Hawkeye NC, NYAC wrestler Ryan Morningstar by a 1-0, 1-1, 2-0 decision.

The top seven placewinners at each weight in men's and women's freestyle and men's Greco-Roman advance to the U.S. World Team Trials in June in Oklahoma City.
Missouri's Bradley Takes Third, Schavrien Sixth

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. - Junior Dom Bradley picked up two wins to secure third place while senior Todd Schavrien finished in sixth as the Tiger wrestling team wrapped up the 2011 NCAA Championships.

Bradley advanced to the third place match with a 2-0 win against Maryland's Spencer Myers. Bradley escaped within the first four seconds of the second period and rode Myers out in the third to clinch the win. Bradley clinched third place honors when he beat No. 2 seed Jarod Trice of Central Michigan by a 3-2 decision. Bradley took Trice down in the first and escaped in the second while allowing just two escapes from the Chippewa. The Tiger junior is the second heavyweight All-American in program history, joining two-time honoree and National Champion Mark Ellis. Bradley finished the year with a 30-4 record.

Schavrien lost his first match of the day against No. 5 Montell Marion of Iowa, losing 7-3 and dropping him to the fifth place contest. Tied after two periods, Marion picked up a pair of takedowns in the third to secure the match. Schavrien went up against Jimmy Kennedy of Illinois in the fifth place match, with Kennedy coming out ahead 11-1. Schavrien finished 30-9 in his senior season, and wrapped up his career with an 86-44 record while earning his first ever All-America honors along the way.

The fifth session closed with Missouri in 17th place with 35.0 team points. The Tigers are ahead of Michigan (34.5 points), Kent State (31.0 points) and Iowa State (27.5) points. All three of those squads have one wrestler set to go in the finals tonight.

125 Pounds: Alan Waters
Anthony Zanetta (Pitt) dec. No. 10 Alan Waters (MU), 7-2
No. 10 Alan Waters (MU) dec. Aaron Kalil (Navy), 5-4
No. 4 James Nicholson (ODU) dec. No. 10 Alan Waters (MU), 8-3
Final 2011 Record: 39-7

133 Pounds: Nathan McCormick
No. 2 Andrew Hochstrasser (Boise State) fall Nathan McCormick (MU), 2:26
Nathan McCormick (MU) dec. Thomas Mitchell (Liberty), 6-2
No. 12 Kyle Hutter (ODU) dec. Nathan McCormick (MU), 8-4
Final 2011 Record: 22-16

141 Pounds: Todd Schavrien - SIXTH PLACE
No. 10 Todd Schavrien (MU) dec. Trevor Melde (Rutgers), 7-3
No. 10 Todd Schavrien (MU) dec. No. 7 Tyler Nauman (Pittsburgh), 3-1
No. 2 Michael Thorn (Minnesota) fall No. 10 Todd Schavrien (MU), 2:03
No. 10 Todd Schavrien (MU) major dec. Mike Mangrum (OSU), 12-3
No. 10 Todd Schavrien (MU) dec. No. 12 Zack Kemmerer (Penn), 7-2
No. 5 Montell Marion (Iowa) dec. No. 10 Todd Schavrien (MU), 7-3
No. 4 Jimmy Kennedy (Illinois) major dec. No. 10 Todd Schavrien (MU), 11-1
Final 2011 Record: 30-9

149 Pounds: Kyle Bradley
No. 10 Kurt Kinser (UI) dec. Kyle Bradley (MU), 4-2 (SV)
Kyle Bradley (MU) dec. Brian Stephens (VT), 3-2
Torsten Gillespie (Edinboro) fall Kyle Bradley (MU), 6:49
Final 2011 Record: 15-16

165 Pounds: Zach Toal
Jim Resnick (Rider) dec. No. 10 Zach Toal (MU), 6-0
No. 10 Zach Toal (MU) dec. Turtogtokh Luvsandorj (The Citadel), 6-4
Stephen Burak (Penn) dec. No. 10 Zach Toal (MU), 2-1
Final 2011 Record: 21-14

174 Pounds: Dorian Henderson
Dorian Henderson (MU) dec. Rob Morrison (Rider), 4-1 (TB1)
No. 9 Ethan Lofthouse (Iowa) dec. Dorian Henderson (MU), 8-2
Dorian Henderson (MU) major dec. Scott Giffin (Penn), 9-1
Dorian Henderson (MU) dec. Nick Purdue (Ohio), 7-6
Ryan Patrovich (Hofstra) dec. Dorian Henderson (MU), 4-2
Final 2011 Record: 25-11

184 Pounds: Mike Larson
Robert Hamlin (Lehigh) major dec. Mike Larson (MU), 11-1
Cody Magrum (Ohio State) dec. Mike Larson (MU), 3-0
Final 2011 Record: 21-15

197 Pounds: Brent Haynes
Dustin Kilgore (Kent State) major dec. Brent Haynes (MU), 13-4
Brent Haynes (MU) tech. fall Nikolas Brown (UTC), 18-0, 2:42
Brent Haynes (MU) dec. No. 10 Logan Brown (Purdue), 9-6
Joseph Kennedy (Lehigh) dec. Brent Haynes (MU), 3-2
Final 2011 Record: 29-11

HWT: Dom Bradley - THIRD PLACE
No. 5 Dom Bradley (MU) dec. J.T. Felix (Boise State), 3-2
No. 5 Dom Bradley (MU) dec. No. 12 Eric Bugenhagen (Wisconsin), 3-2 (TB2)
No. 5 Dom Bradley (MU) dec. Levi Cooper (Arizona State), 5-3
No. 1 Zachery Rey (Lehigh) dec. No. 5 Dom Bradley (MU), 2-1
No. 5 Dom Bradley (MU) dec. Spencer Myers (Maryland), 2-0
No. 5 Dom Bradley (MU) dec. No. 2 Jarod Trice (CMU), 3-2
Final 2011 Record: 30-4
Five Missouri Grapplers Win Titles at MVC Open

Tigers place 13 wrestlers in all

MARSHALL, Mo. - Five Missouri grapplers claimed titles in their respective weight class this past Saturday at the Missouri Valley Open, with eight others placing in the top six.

Nicholas Hucke (149), Drake Houdashelt (157), James Houchins (174), Johnny Eblen (184) and Devin Mellon (HWT) all finished in first place. For Houdashelt, it was his third open championship of the season for the freshman, while Mellon claimed his second. Hucke, Houchins and Eblen all finished on in first place for the first time this season.

Also placing for the Tigers were Luke Cherep (second, 141 pounds), Simon Kitzis (fourth, 141 pounds), Kellen Bounous (second, 149 pounds), Jordan Gagliano (third, 165 pounds), Todd Porter (second, 174 pounds), Dustin Williams (fourth, 184 pounds), Ryan Robinson (third, 197 pounds) and Jake Glore (fifth, HWT).

Hucke won his first three matches of the day by decision before earning a win via forfeit over Bounous in the finals. Bounous made his way to the finals with four consecutive decisions of his own.

Houdashelt pinned two of his first three opponents while beating the other by a major decision, winning 12-0. He defeated his last two opponents of the day by scores of 4-1 and 9-3 to finish a perfect 5-0.

At 174, Houchins won his first match by a 16-2 major decision, then pinned top-seeded Chris Chionuma of Lindenwood in 6:21, and then advanced to the finals with a 5-3 decision. He was awarded the victory by forfeit over teammate Porter, who also recorded a fall, major decision and decision on his way to the final match.

Eblen pinned his first opponent in 3:30 and then scored a 15-0 technical fall in his next match. The 184 pounder then picked up two straight decisions on his way to the championship.

At heavyweight, Mellon won by fall in 24 seconds in his opening match, and then cruised to the championship with three straight decisions, winning 7-1, 9-5 and 4-2.

The Tigers are back in action this Sunday, Feb. 13, when they take on conference foe Iowa State in their last dual match of the season. Action gets underway at 1 p.m. CT.
Missouri 's Wrestling Supporting Wrestling

All tickets sales go to the Missouri wrestling scholarship endowment fund

COLUMBIA, Mo. - Missouri wrestling's Big 12 opener against the Nebraska Cornhuskers on Sunday, Jan. 30, will be featured as "Wrestling Supporting Wrestling," with all ticket proceeds from the event going directly to the Missouri wrestling scholarship fund.

Wrestling Supporting Wrestling is a concept that was derived by head coach Brian Smith a few years ago, and is based on the idea of turning the program into a self-provider while the program is thriving. Since 2008, the Tigers have had 10 All-Americans and two NCAA National Champions in Mark Ellis and Max Askren. Missouri has also finished within the top-15 of the final rankings in each of the last seasons.

Action between these two top-20 teams gets underway at 1 p.m. CT on Jan. 30 at the Hearnes Center. Tickets are $5 for general admission. To order, call 1-800-CAT-PAWS.
Mizzou Tigers Win Eighth Dual in Last Nine Matches, Improve to 14-5

COLUMBIA, Mo. - The No. 7 Tiger wrestling team improved to 14-5 on the dual season on Saturday, closing out their non-conference schedule with a pair of victories during the fifth annual Beauty and the Beast competiton. Mizzou opened things up with a 29-9 win over Chattanooga before shutting out SIU-Edwardsville by a 48-0 final to close the day.

Missouri jumped out to a 13-0 lead over the Mocs after the first three matches behind a decision from freshman Alan Waters and a pair of technical falls from sophomore Nathan McCormick and senior Todd Schavrien. Waters held a 2-0 lead over Prescott after two periods before scoring a reversal and a takedown to go with his 2:53 of riding time, carrying him to a 7-1 victory.

A big first period by McCormick guided him to his third win by technical fall this season, as he scored two three-point near falls and three takedowns to take a 12-2 lead into the second period. A pair of takedowns and an escape in the second put McCormick two points away from the technical fall, which he locked in with a takedown 10 seconds into the final period.

Three takedowns and five points near falls in the first period helped Schavrien to the team's second straight technical fall and his 10th dual win by bonus points on the year. Leading 12-2 in the third, Schavrien clinched the victory with a reversal and another near fall, ending the match with 1:15 left in the third period.

Chattanooga got back in the match with a decision and a win by fall at 149 and 157, respectively, but the Tigers rallied off four straight decisions before junior Dom Bradley's major decision at heavyweight to put things out of reach.

Redshirt freshman Zach Toal and junior Dorian Henderson won their duals by a 5-2 score, while sophomore Mike Larson picked up a 3-2 victory over his opponent. Sophomore Brent Haynes shut out Robert Prigmore, 6-0, and Bradley picked up the major with a 10-2 final.

Up 2-1 heading into the third, Toal started on bottom and escaped to extend his lead before putting it out of reach with a takedown 11 seconds later. A takedown in each of the first two periods paced Henderson's win, while Larson used an escape with just 14 seconds left in the match to edge out his opponent. Haynes controlled his entire match, taking Prigmore down in both the first and second periods and accumulating 2:16 in riding time.

Bradley's second bonus point dual victory of the year closed out the dual, as he took down Matt Lettner four times during the match. A stall warning point in Bradley's favor, along with 1:55 in riding time, added four points to the Missouri team score.

Mizzou followed that win up with a 48-0 thumping of SIU-Edwardsville, the second shutout for the Tigers this season. Missouri beat Lindenwood 41-0 to open the home portion of the schedule back on Nov. 21.

The Tigers opened things up by getting pins in the first three matches. Waters pinned his opponent in 1:36, while McCormick stuck his opponent in 1:53. Schavrien made it 18-0 Tigers with another first period fall, getting the pin 2:13.

Kyle Bradley scored a 9-3 decision for the Tigers to make it 21-0, and back-to-back major decisions at 157 and 165 increased the lead to 29-0. Sophomore Nick Gregoris earned a 10-2 win, getting four takedowns and riding strong on top for almost three minutes. Toal won his match 12-1, as he recorded a takedown and two-point near fall in the first, pacing the rest of his match.

Henderson kept things rolling with a 6-3 decision at 174, while Larson's bid for a technical fall just short, as he majored his opponent by a 16-2 score. Up 8-1 after the second, Larson escaped to start the third before scoring a takedown and a two-point near fall. After being awarded two points for a fourth stall warning on his opponent, Larson needed a takedown to claim the technical fall, but time ran out on the Tiger sophomore.

Missouri closed out the match with two more falls, getting pins by Haynes and Bradley at 197 and heavyweight. Haynes took down his opponent and picked up six points in near falls before recording the pin in 2:26, while a takedown by Bradley and strong work on top led him to sticking his opponent in 1:41.

After a week off, the Tigers will return to action on Sunday, Jan. 30 with the Big 12 opener against Nebraska. Action at the Hearnes Center gets underway at 1 p.m. CT. Stay tuned to mutigers.com for more information.

No. 7 Mizzou 29, Chattanooga 9
Wt.
Result
MU
UTC
125
No. 8 Alan Waters (MU) dec. Prescott Garner (UTC), 7-1
3
0
133
No. 26 Nathan McCormick (MU) tech. fall Joe DeAngelo (UTC), 19-3 (5:10)
8
0
141
No. 9 Todd Schavrien (MU) tech. fall Shawn Greevy (UTC), 17-2 (5:45)
13
0
149
Dean Pavlou (UTC) dec. No. 20 Kyle Bradley (MU), 8-6
13
3
157
Josh Condon (UTC) fall No. 21 Nick Gregoris (MU), 5:24
13
9
165
No. 12 Zach Toal (MU) dec. Dan Waddell (UTC), 5-2
16
9
174
No. 19 Dorian Henderson (MU) dec. Brandon Wright (UTC), 5-2
19
9
184
No. 14 Mike Larson (MU) dec. Jason McCroskey (UTC), 3-2
22
9
197
No. 11 Brent Haynes (MU) dec. Robert Prigmore (UTC), 6-0
25
9
HWT
No. 5 Dom Bradley (MU) major dec. Matt Lettner (UTC), 10-2
29
9

No. 7 Mizzou 48, SIU-Edwardsville 0
Wt.
Result
MU
SIUE
125
No. 8 Alan Waters (MU) fall Kris Treat (SIUE), 1:36
6
0
133
No. 26 Nathan McCormick (MU) fall John Petrov (SIUE), 2:13
12
0
141
No. 9 Todd Schavrien (MU) fall Nick Capazolli (SIUE), 2:13
18
0
149
No. 20 Kyle Bradley (MU) dec. Derrick Pousson (SIUE), 9-3
21
0
157
No. 21 Nick Gregoris (MU) major dec. Kyle Lowman (SIUE)
25
0
165
No. 12 Zach Toal (MU) major dec. Gabe Hocum (SIUE), 12-1
29
0
174
No. 20 Dorian Henderson (MU) dec. Michael Dace (SIUE), 6-3
32
0
184
No. 14 Mike Larson (MU) major dec. Deshoun White (SIUE), 16-2
36
0
197
No. 11 Brent Haynes (MU) fall Robert Cooney (SIUE), 2:26
42
0
HWT
No. 5 Dom Bradley (MU) fall David Devine (SIUE), 1:41
48
0

Updated Records
Season
Dual
125
Alan Waters
34-2
18-1
133
Nathan McCormick
17-11
10-9
141
Todd Schavrien
22-4
17-2
149
Kyle Bradley
11-11
9-9
157
Nick Gregoris
15-8
3-6
165
Zach Toal
18-7
14-5
174
Dorian Henderson
18-6
11-5
184
Mike Larson
20-8
10-6
197
Brent Haynes
24-5
6-3
HWT
Dom Bradley
19-3
15-3
Missouri Wrestling Finalizes 2011-12 Class

Missouri adds three prep standouts from the Midwest

COLUMBIA, Mo. - The University of Missouri wrestling program added three student-athletes to next year's roster, as Trevor Jauch (Crystal Lake, Ill.), Cody Johnston (Warrensburg, Mo.) and Brandon Rice (Washington, Ill.) have signed national letters of intent to continue their wrestling careers at Mizzou.

Jauch, the 87th ranked high school wrestler overall according to Intermat, has put together a three-year record of 120-9 for Crystal Lake Central for coaches Justin Lehr and Jon Murphy. Wrestling at 135 pounds, Jauch ranks seventh nationally in the weight class according to W.I.N. Magazine and ninth according to Intermat. Last season, Jauch won the Illinois state title at 125 pounds to follow up his 2009 state title at 112 pounds. In the off season, Jauch competes for Team Overtime under coaches Sean Bormet, Kerry Baumens, John Kading and Donny Reynolds.

A three-time state qualifier in Missouri, Johnston is currently 128-15 in his career for Warrensburg High School. Wrestling at 135 pounds his freshman year, Johnston posted a 28-10 record while qualifying for state and earned National High School Coaches Association (NHSCA) All-America honors. At 145 pounds his sophomore year, Johnston was district champion and won 38 of his 41 matches. Last season, Johnston finished third at state and won his second straight district title while posting a record of 46-2. He was an NHSCA Junior Nationals All-American, a Fargo Junior Nationals Greco All-American and finished second at the Super 32 tournament. A three-time conference champ and 2010 District Wrestler of the Year, Johnston wrestles club for MO West Championship Wrestling under coaches Mike Hagerty, Jason Heslop and Jeremy Baker.

Rice was a 2010 Illinois Greco state champion and has a career record of 107-21 through his first three years. A three-year team captain for Washington Community High School, Rice is a two-time Illinois High School Association state qualifier, a two-time regional champion and a two-time conference champion. He was selected to the 2010 Junior Greco Duals All-Tournament Team and a 2009 Fargo Junior Greco All-American
. No. 18 Mizzou Sweep Indiana Duals

Early bonus points lead Mizzou to big victories

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - The No. 18 Missouri wrestling team (8-4) swept through Eastern Michigan and Indiana at the Indiana Duals on Sunday afternoon, earning team victories of 32-6 over EMU and 26-12 over Indiana.

The theme of the day for Mizzou was the early-match bonus points, which helped guide the Tigers to two big victories. Missouri scored two wins by major, a win by technical fall and a forfeit victory in the first four matches against EMU, and two pins at 133 and 141 against Indiana.

Missouri started their afternoon with Eastern Michigan, which began with Alan Waters, ranked as high as No. 6 in the country, up against Jared Germaine at 125 pounds. Waters was taken down right off the bat but quickly reversed Germaine and scored two straight three-point near falls before allowing an escape to take an 8-3 lead. Waters picked up another takedown before the end up the period, extending his lead to 10-3. In the second, Waters scored his second reversal of the match, while a takedown and riding time in the third gave him a 15-5 victory.

Sophomore Nathan McCormick was awarded a win by forfeit at 133 pounds, extending the Mizzou lead to 10-0. Todd Schavrien helped make it 15-0 as he won by technical fall, making quick work of Mike Leholm. Schavrien picked up a quick takedown and rolled Leholm over for five straight three-point near falls in the first period, scoring the technical fall with 10 seconds left in the frame.

At 149, Kyle Bradley picked up the major decision with a 14-6 win to push Mizzou's lead to 19-0. Bradley scored a takedown in each of the first two periods for a 4-0 lead heading into the third. From there, he picked up a quick escape and scored four takedowns around three cuts to extend his lead, and added another point with 2:52 of riding time.

After Eastern Michigan won at 157, Zach Toal put the Tigers back on the board with a decision at 165. After giving up the initial takedown early in the first, Toal picked up an escape and a takedown to take a 3-2 lead into the second. Toal escaped twice in the second and scored a takedown, while Nicholas Hendrick picked up a takedown of his own. A three-point near fall in the third for Toal, plus 2:18 in riding time, helped him to an 11-5 lead.

Junior Patrick Wright picked up a 4-0 victory at 174 pounds to push the Tiger lead to 25-3. After a scoreless first period, Wright rode out Chris Eggert in the second. In the third, Wright picked up an escape and a takedown along with the riding time point.

Mizzou got bonus points again at 184, as Mike Larson defeated Khodar Hoballah by a 13-5 score. A pair of takedowns in the first, along with three in the second, helped Larson go up 11-3 heading to the final period.

Junior Dom Bradley closed out the match with a 5-2 victory at heavyweight. Bradley scored a takedown in the first and an escape in the second for a 3-0 lead. In the third, after giving up an escape, Bradley scored another takedown, securing his 12th win of the year.

After their first win, the Tigers went right back at it with Indiana, a match that Missouri won by a 26-12 score. Missouri jumped out to a 14-0 lead after three matches.

Waters started off against Justin Brooks and picked up an early takedown and a three-point near fall for a quick 5-0 lead. After a Brooks escape, Waters scored one more takedown before the end of the first period for a 7-1 lead. A reversal by Waters to start the second extended his lead to 9-1. He increased his lead to 11-4 with another takedown, but Brooks picked up a takedown late in the match to avoid the major decision, as Waters went on to win 12-6.

At 133, McCormick was impressive on the attack and on top against No. 25 Matt Ortega, as he scored two takedowns in the first and picked up over three minutes of riding time by the middle of the second period. With a 4-3 lead heading to the third, McCormick scored an escape to push his lead to 5-3. After being hit for stalling, McCormick landed another takedown and put Ortega on his back for the fall at 6:25. An unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on the Missouri bench deducted a team point, giving the Tigers an 8-0 lead.

Missouri got their second straight pin when Schavrien picked up a defensive pin at the 4:50 mark against Mitchell Richey. Schavrien had gone up 3-0 with a first period takedown and a second period escape before Richey attempted a cradle and got stuck flat on his back.

Indiana fought back in it with a decision at 149 and a fall at 157, cutting the Missouri lead to 14-9, but the Tigers clinched the match with three straight wins at 165, 174 and 184.

Toal knocked off Ryan LeBlanc by a 2-1 score at 165. LeBlanc picked up his point on an illegal hold call, while Toal fought to an escape in the third and riding time.

At 174, No. 17 Dorian Henderson defeated Indiana's Nick Avery, 5-3. Henderson came out and scored an immediate takedown and picked up over 2:00 of riding time in the first before giving up a late escape. The Columbus, Ga., native got up and out quickly in the second to push his lead to 3-1, but Avery scored a takedown to even the match with 38 seconds left in the second. A late escape in the second gave him a 4-3 lead, and he rode Avery out in the third for the 5-3 win.

Up 20-9, Larson's second win of the day at 184 secured the dual for the Tigers, as he defeated Eric Cameron by a 2-1 final. An escape 10 seconds into the second, plus the riding time point, pushed Larson to the victory.

Dom Bradley closed the Indiana Duals with a 1-0 victory over No. 23 Ricky Alcala. Bradley rode Alcala out for the entire second period and fought off Alcala's shots in the third for the win.

After a week and a half off, Missouri will return to action when they head to the Midlands Tournament on Dec. 29-30. For more information, stay tuned to mutigers.com.

No. 18 Mizzou 32, Eastern Michigan 6
Wt.

Result

MU

EMU

125

No. 6 Alan Waters (MU) major dec. Jared Germaine (EMU), 15-5

4

0

133

No. 27 Nathan McCormick (MU) wins by forfeit

10

0

141

No. 13 Todd Schavrien (MU) tech. fall Mike Leholm (EMU), 17-0 (2:50)

15

0

149

No. 23 Kyle Bradley (MU) major dec. Corey Phillips (EMU), 14-6

19

0

157

Aaron Sulzer (EMU) dec. Nick Gregoris (MU), 6-3

19

3

165

No. 9 Zach Toal (MU) dec. Nicholas Hendrick (EMU), 11-5

22

3

174

Patrick Wright (MU) dec. Chris Eggert (EMU), 4-0

25

3

184

No. 23 Mike Larson (MU) major dec. Khodar Hoballah (EMU), 13-5

29

3

197

Nick Whitenburg (EMU) dec. No. 6 Brent Haynes (MU), 9-4

29

6

HWT

No. 5 Dom Bradley (MU) dec. David Wade (EMU), 5-2

32

6

No. 18 Mizzou 26, Indiana 12
Wt.

Result

MU

UI

125

No. 6 Alan Waters (MU) dec. Justin Brooks (UI), 12-6

3

0

133

No. 27 Nathan McCormick (MU) fall No. 25 Matt Ortega (UI), 6:25

9

0

Mizzou deducted one team point for bench misconduct

8

0

141

No. 13 Todd Schavrien (MU) fall Mitchell Richey (UI), 4:50

14

0

149

No. 6 Kurt Kinser (UI) dec. No. 23 Kyle Bradley (MU), 4-0

14

3

157

No. 10 Paul Young (UI) fall Nick Gregoris (MU), 5:59

14

9

165

No. 9 Zach Toal (MU) dec. Ryan LeBlanc (UI), 2-1

17

9

174

No. 14 Dorian Henderson (MU) dec. Nick Avery (UI), 5-3

20

9

184

No. 23 Mike Larson (MU) dec. Eric Cameron (UI), 2-1

23

9

197

No. 8 Matt Powless (UI) dec. No. 6 Brent Haynes (MU), 8-5

23

12

HWT

No. 5 Dom Bradley (MU) dec. No. 23 Ricky Alcala (UI), 1-0

26

12

Updated Records

Season

Dual

125

Alan Waters

22-0

12-0

133

Nathan McCormick

11-5

7-5

141

Todd Schavrien

10-2

10-2

149

Kyle Bradley

6-5

6-5

157

Nick Gregoris

10-2

0-2

165

Zach Toal

8-4

8-4

174

Dorian Henderson

12-3

7-3

174

Patrick Wright

12-6

4-4

184

Mike Larson

12-3

7-3

197

Brent Haynes

12-2

0-2

HWT

Dom Bradley

13-3

9-3
Missouri Drops Dual to Purdue, 18-15

Purdue uses late surge to take victory

COLUMBIA, Mo. - The No. 16 Missouri Tigers (6-4) saw their three match winning streak come to an end on Sunday, as they fell to No. 21 Purdue (3-0-1) by a score of 18-15. Missouri held a 12-7 lead after six matches, but the Boilermakers picked up 11 points over the next three matches to take control.

Missouri jumped out to an early 3-0 lead on freshman Alan Waters' 20th win of the season. Waters knocked off No. 30 Camden Eppert by a 6-0 decision, keeping his perfect record intact. The freshman got out to a 3-0 lead after the first period, getting a point when his opponent was called for an illegal lock before scoring a takedown. Waters started down in the second and reversed Eppert, and rode him out in the third for the riding time point.

Purdue evened the dual up at 133 with Jake Fleckenstein edging out Nathan McCormick by a 4-2 decision. McCormick reversed Fleckenstein in the second for a 2-0 lead, but Fleckenstein later escaped and went to work in the third, getting a quick escape and a takedown with 19 seconds left for the win.

Mizzou put together two straight wins at 141 and 149 to extend their lead to 9-3. No. 13 Todd Schavrien defeated Akif Eren by a 6-4 decision in sudden victory overtime. Schavrien scored a takedown in the first and escaped after starting down in the second, but a late takedown by Eren with five seconds left in the period cut Schavrien's lead to 3-2. Schavrien was then hit with back-to-back stall warnings, giving Eren a point, who then escaped to take a 4-3 lead. Schavrien's riding time advantage evened the match to send it to overtime. From there, Schavrien came out the aggressor, taking down Eren just 17 seconds into overtime to pick up the win.

At 149, Kyle Bradley won his fifth match of the season, defeating Sam Patacsil by a 3-1 score. Bradley got a takedown in the first and escaped in the third, while limited Patacsil to only a second period escape.

Purdue got back in the match at 157, when No. 15 Colton Salazar majored Danny Gonsor, 12-4, cutting the Mizzou lead to 9-7.

At 165 pounds, No. 9 Zach Toal knocked off Kyle Mosier, 7-3, after getting two first period takedowns. He'd add an escape and another takedown in the second, securing the win. Toal now sits at 6-4 on the season, all coming in duals.

However, Purdue was able to take control of the match, getting three straight wins at 174-184-197, including two by bonus points. After a 2-1 decision by Luke Manuel over Dorian Henderson at 174, Purdue's A.J. Kissel, ranked 10th, scored a major at 184, as did No. 7 Logan Brown at 197, to take an 18-12 lead.

Heavyweight Dom Bradley won his 11th match of the year, winning by a 7-3 decision over Roger Vukobratovich, but Purdue would hold on to take the dual, 18-15.

Missouri returns to action next Sunday when they head back on the road to take on Indiana and Eastern Michigan in Bloomington, Ind. Stay tuned to mutigers.com for more info.

Wt.

Result

MU

PU

125

No. 7 Alan Waters (MU) dec. No. 30 Camden Eppert (PU), 6-0

3

0

133

Jake Fleckesntein (PU) dec. No. 21 Nathan McCormick (MU), 4-2

3

3

141

No. 13 Todd Schavrien (MU) dec. Akif Eren (PU), 6-4 (SV)

6

3

149

No. 23 Kyle Bradley (MU) dec. No. 32 Sam Patacsil (PU), 3-1

9

3

157

No. 15 Colton Salazar (PU) major dec. Danny Gonsor (MU), 12-4

9

7

165

No. 9 Zach Toal (MU) dec. Kyle Mosier (PU), 7-3

12

7

174

No. 15 Luke Manuel (PU) dec. No. 13 Dorian Henderson (MU), 2-1

12

10

184

No. 10 A.J. Kissel (PU) major dec. No. 24 Mike Larson (MU), 10-2

12

14

197

No. 7 Logan Brown (PU) major dec. Jake Glore, 13-5

12

18

HWT

No. 5 Dom Bradley (MU) dec. Roger Vukobratovich (PU), 7-3

15

18

Updated Records

Season

Dual

125

Alan Waters

20-0

10-0

133

Nathan McCormick

9-5

5-5

141

Todd Schavrien

8-2

8-2

149

Kyle Bradley

5-4

5-4

157

Danny Gonsor

8-6

3-6

165

Zach Toal

6-4

6-4

174

Dorian Henderson

11-3

6-3

184

Mike Larson

10-3

5-3

197

Jake Glore

1-5

1-5

HWT

Dom Bradley

11-3

7-3
Mizzou Tigers Win Three at Northeast Duals

Waters, McCormick, Schavrien combine for 12-0 record

COLUMBIA, Mo. - The 16th ranked Mizzou wrestling team (5-3) picked up three wins in four matches at the Journeymen/ASICS Northeast Duals, held in Albany, N.Y. on Saturday. Missouri knocked off American by a 23-15 to open the day, and after a loss to No. 24 Rutgers by a 19-16 score, bounced back to defeat No. 11 Lehigh, 21-10, and Maryland, 18-12.

Opening the day with the American Eagles, who are ranked as high as No. 8 by W.I.N. Magazine, the Tigers jumped out to a 12-0 lead after three matches and held on for a 22-15 win. Freshman Alan Waters kicked action off with a 2-0 decision, and sophomore Nathan McCormick followed with a win by fall at 5:53. Senior Todd Schavrien edged out his opponent by a 6-5 decision for the early lead.

After the Eagles cut the lead to 12-9, the Tigers bounced back with three straight victories to lock up the match. Redshirt freshman Zach Toal scored a 9-3 win over Patrick Graham at 165, and Patrick Wright scored a major over Phillip Barreiro, winning 10-0. Junior Dorian Henderson moved up to 184 and registered Mizzou's second straight win with bonus points, as he scored a 24-9 technical fall over his opponent, giving the Tigers a 23-9 lead at the time.

In Mizzou's second match of the day, the Tigers got up early on No. 24 Rutgers with a 10-0 lead after three matches, as Waters and McCormick scored decisions and Schavrien won by a 9-1 major decision. However, the Scarlet Knights fought back with three wins of their own, getting their wins by decision, major decision and fall to take a 13-10 lead. Henderson beat his opponent 6-4 to tie the score, but Rutgers bounced back with a decision of their own to regain the lead. Mike Larson defeated Michael Wagner at 197, 3-1, to pull the score back even, but Rutgers' heavyweight D.J. Russo, ranked fifth in the country, edged No. 2 Dom Bradley by a 4-3 score, giving the Scarlet Knights the match by a 19-16 score.

The Tigers jumped back after the tough loss, however, and got an impressive 21-10 victory over No. 11 Lehigh. Mizzou won the first seven matches, all by decision, on their way to the win. Waters won the opening match, 7-3, and McCormick followed with an 11-6 final. Schavrien picked up his third win of the day, edging his opponent 5-4, and redshirt freshman Kyle Bradley picked up his first win, defeating Joseph Napoli by a 5-3 score. Junior Danny Gonsor defeated his opponent by the same score, and Mizzou then followed with two wins over ranked opponents. Toal, who ranks 14th, defeated No. 13 Brandon Hatchett, 3-2. Henderson, who ranks in at No. 15, beat No. 16 Austin Meys by a 3-1 final.

In the fourth and final match of the day, Missouri took down the Maryland Terrapins by an 18-12 final. The Tigers got out to a 12-0 lead after four matches and held off Maryland's rally to pick up their fifth win of the season.

Waters improved to 18-0 on the season and 8-0 in dual matches with his 7-1 decision over Shane Gentry. McCormick closed out his perfect day with an 11-4 win, and Schavrien finished his 4-0 day off with a 6-0 record. Kyle Bradley increased the Tiger lead to 12-0 after beating Joey Boone, 6-0.

After Maryland scored four straight decisions of their own, Mizzou closed the day with back-to-back wins to fend off the Terps. Larson, at 197, edged out a win against his opponent, winning by a 5-4 score. Bradley bounced back and knocked off Spencer Myers, 4-1.

Missouri comes back home next weekend as they'll take on Kent State at the Hearnes Center on Sunday, Dec. 5, at 1 p.m. CT. Stay tuned to mutigers.com for more information.

No. 16 Missouri 23, American 15
125

No. 11 Alan Waters (MU) dec. Thomas Williams (AU), 2-0

3

0

133

No. 27 Nathan McCormick (MU) fall Kevin Tao (AU), 5:53

9

0

141

No. 13 Todd Schavrien (MU) dec. Matthew Mariacher (AU), 6-5

12

0

149

No. 14 Ganbayar Sanjaa (AU) dec. No. 28 Kyle Bradley (MU), 10-3

12

3

157

No. 1 Steve Fittery (AU) fall Danny Gonsor (MU), 4:30

12

9

165

No. 14 Zach Toal (MU) dec. Patrick Graham (AU), 9-3

15

9

174

No. 20 Patrick Wright (MU) major dec. Phillip Barreiro (AU), 10-0

19

9

184

No. 15 Dorian Henderson (MU) tech. fall Thomas Barreiro (AU), 24-9 (7:00)

23

9

197

No. 20 Daniel Mitchell (AU) dec. Jake Glore (MU), 5-4

23

12

HWT

No. 3 Ryan Flores (AU) dec. No. 2 Dom Bradley (MU), 6-2

23

15

No. 24 Rutgers 19, No. 16 Missouri 16
125

No. 11 Alan Waters (MU) dec. Joseph Langel (RU), 5-0

3

0

133

No. 27 Nathan McCormick (MU) dec. Mike Demarco (RU), 5-3

6

0

141

No. 13 Todd Schavrien (MU) major dec. Trevor Melde (RU), 9-1

10

0

149

No. 11 Mario Mason (RU) dec. No. 28 Kyle Bradley (MU), 10-4

10

3

157

Daryl Cocozzo (RU) major dec. Danny Gonsor (MU), 11-3

10

7

165

No. 8 Scott Winston (RU) fall No. 14 Zach Toal (MU), 2:04

10

13

174

No. 15 Dorian Henderson (MU) dec. Alex Caruso (RU), 6-4

13

13

184

Daniel Rinaldi (RU) dec. No. 20 Patrick Wright (MU), 2-0

13

16

197

Mike Larson (MU) dec. Michael Wagner (RU), 3-1

16

16

HWT

No. 5 D.J. Russo (RU) dec. No. 2 Dom Bradley, 4-3

16

19

No. 16 Missouri 21, No. 11 Lehigh 10
125

No. 11 Alan Waters (MU) dec. Mitch Berger (LU), 7-3

3

0

133

No. 27 Nathan McCormick (MU) dec. Frank Cagnina (LU), 11-6

6

0

141

No. 13 Todd Schavrien (MU) dec. Stephen Dutton (LU), 5-4

9

0

149

No. 28 Kyle Bradley (MU) dec. Joseph Napoli (LU), 5-3

12

0

157

Danny Gonsor (MU) dec. Brian Tanen (LU), 5-3

15

0

165

No. 14 Zach Toal (MU) dec. No. 13 Brandon Hatchett (LU), 3-2

18

0

174

No. 15 Dorian Henderson (MU) dec. No. 16 Austin Meys (LU), 3-1

21

0

184

No. 9 Robert Hamlin (LU) dec. Mike Larson (MU), 10-3

21

3

197

No. 14 Joseph Kennedy (LU) major dec. Jake Glore (MU), 12-3

21

7

HWT

No. 1 Zach Rey (LU) dec. No. 2 Dom Bradley, 3-2

21

10

No. 16 Missouri 18, Maryland 12
125

No. 11 Alan Waters (MU) dec. Shane Gentry (UM), 7-1

3

0

133

No. 27 Nathan McCormick (MU) dec. Pat Strizki (UM), 11-4

6

0

141

No. 13 Todd Schavrien (MU) dec. Joey Boone (UM), 6-0

9

0

149

No. 28 Kyle Bradley (MU) dec. Ben Dorsay (UM), 9-5

12

0

157

No. 18 Kyle John (UM) dec. Brandon Wiest (MU), 9-3

12

3

165

No. 8 Josh Asper (UM) dec. No. 14 Zach Toal (MU), 8-2

12

6

174

No. 12 Mike Letts (UM) dec. No. 15 Dorian Henderson (MU), 3-0

12

9

184

Corey Peltier (UM) dec. No. 20 Patrick Wright (MU), 2-0 (SV)

12

12

197

Mike Larson (MU) dec. Christian Boley (UM), 5-4

15

12

HWT

No. 2 Dom Bradley (MU) dec. Spencer Myers (UM), 4-1

18

12

Updated Records

Season

Dual

125

Alan Waters

18-0

8-0

133

Nathan McCormick

9-3

5-3

141

Todd Schavrien

6-2

6-2

149

Kyle Bradley

4-4

4-4

157

Danny Gonsor

8-4

3-4

157

Brandon Wiest

7-3

0-1

165

Zach Toal

4-4

4-4

174/184

Patrick Wright

7-5

3-4

174/184

Dorian Henderson

10-2

5-2

184/197

Mike Larson

9-2

4-2

197

Jake Glore

1-3

1-3

HWT

Dom Bradley

9-3

5-3
Missouri Tigers Take All 10 Titles at UCM Open

21 Mizzou grapplers earn medal during Saturday's tournament

COLUMBIA, Mo. - The Missouri wrestling team put on an unbelievable show at the annual University of Central Missouri Open on Saturday, as Mizzou grapplers claimed first place in all 10 weight classes during the all-day event. In total, 21 Tigers earned medals on the day.

Freshman Alan Waters continued his hot start, as the true freshman swept through the 125-pound class to claim his second tournament title. Waters pinned his first four opponents before securing an 18-3 technical fall in the championship, improving him to 11-0 on the season. Waters won the championship at the Lindenwood Open two weeks ago.

At 133 pounds, Nathan McCormick jumped out with a 17-2 technical fall in his opening match before pinning Brantley Pyle (OBU) in 3:48 during the quarterfinals. An 8-3 decision put him into the finals, where he pinned Central Missouri's Cody Gillenwater in 4:13 for the championship.

Sophomore Cody Farinella kept it going for Mizzou, as he went 4-0 on his way to the 141 pound title. Farinella pinned his first three opponents, the fastest in 58 seconds, and then scored a 13-0 major decision in the finals.

Brandon Wiest, competing for the first time this season, took home first place at 149 pounds, as he scored five straight decisions on his way to the crown.

Freshman Drake Houdashelt took first place at 157 pounds, making it five-for-five for Mizzou. After a 10-4 decision in his first match, Houdashelt scored a 13-3 major over DW Bradshaw of Missouri Valley. He then outlasted OCU's Chris Watson, 3-0, in the semi-finals before dominating the finals, winning by a 17-1 technical fall.

Nick Gregoris captured his second tournament championship of the year at 165 pounds, as another 5-0 weekend led him to the crown. Opening up with two straight wins by a fall, the first in a minute and the second in 4:03, Gregoris marched off three straight majors, winning 11-2, 10-1 and 10-1 during his last three matches.

Junior Dorian Henderson, who wrestled at 184 pounds against Illinois this past Friday, competed at 174 on Saturday and took first place. Henderson opened with a 15-0 win and an 18-3 win, and then secured a 21-7 major decision. A 3-1 decision over teammate Patrick Wright in the semifinals pushed him into the championship, where he pinned Missouri Valley's Alex McKinney.

At 184, transfer Mike Larson got his first action of season and took advantage of it by winning all five of his matches on his way to the championship. After a fall in his first match, Larson won his next two by decisions to move on to the final four. From there, he picked up two major decisions, the first 13-4 and the second 10-2, to win the championship.

2010 NCAA qualifier Brent Haynes went 3-0 and won the crown at 197 pounds, as he pinned his first opponent in just 43 seconds before winning 9-6 and 7-0 in his final two matches.

Closing out the day was heavyweight Dom Bradley, who rolled to the championship with three straight technical falls - 18-2, 22-6 and 17-1, before defeating Missouri Valley's Travis Ewart by a 10-2 major in the finals.

On top of the 10 champions, 11 other Tigers claimed medals during the day. Senior Luke Cherep, freshman Simon Kitzis, freshman Austin Lindsay, redshirt freshman Jordan Gagliano, junior Patrick Wright and sophomore Clarence Neely each took third place. Sophomore Nick Hucke placed fourth, sophomore Todd Porter, freshman Johnny Eblen and senior Tyler Perry each claimed fifth, and sophomore Eric Wilson took sixth.

Missouri competes at home for the first time this season on Sunday, Nov. 21 with a quad meet against Lindenwood, Hofstra and Oregon State. Action gets underway at 1 p.m.
No. 11 Mizzou Falls to No. 10 Illinois

Tigers' late rally falls short

EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - The No. 11 Missouri Tigers wrestling team dropped their season-opening match to the No. 10 Illinois Fighting Illini by an 18-13 final on Friday night. The Tigers fell behind 12-3 at the midway point and couldn't overcome the deficit late.

True freshman Alan Waters picked up where he left off last weekend at Lindenwood, as he opened the meet with an 8-3 decision over Logan Arlis to improve his record to 6-0 on the season.

Zach Toal, a redshirt freshman, pulled the Tigers within six with a 10-4 decision over Conrad Polz. Toal scored takedowns in each of the first two periods before going off in the third, as he picked up another pair of takedowns and an escape to go along with his riding time point.

Junior Dorian Henderson secured the only bonus points of the evening, as he took down Tony Dallago four times to go with a nearfall as he coasted to a 13-5 victory.

Fellow junior Dom Bradley closed out the evening with a 3-0 victory over Patrick Walker. After a scoreless first, Bradley escaped in the second after choosing down, and took Walker down 47 seconds into the third period.

The Tigers will return to action tomorrow with the Central Missouri University Open, beginning at 9 a.m. Mizzou will host a quad meet next Sunday, Nov. 21, beginning at 1 p.m. at the Hearnes Center.

125: Alan Waters (MU) dec. Logan Arlis (UI), 8-3

133: B.J. Futrell (UI) dec. Nathan McCormick (MU), 9-3

141: Jimmy Kennedy (UI) dec. Todd Schavrien (MU), 6-3

149: Eric Terrazas (MU) dec. Kyle Bradley (MU), 7-2

157: Kyle Dooley (UI) dec. Danny Gonsor (MU), 7-3

165: Zach Toal (MU) dec. Conrad Polz (UI), 10-4

174: Jordan Blanton (UI) dec. Patrick Wright (MU), 3-2

184: Dorian Henderson (MU) major dec. Tony Dallago (UI), 13-5

197: Mario Gonzalez (UI) dec. Jake Glore (MU), 7-0

HWT: Dom Bradley (MU) dec. Patrick Walker (UI), 3-0
Mizzou-Illinois Dual to Air On All-Access


Match will be available live for All-Access subscribers

COLUMBIA, Mo. - The much-anticipated match between No. 11 Missouri and No. 10 Illinois will be available live to Mizzou All-Access subscribers, as announced Thursday.

MUTigers.com worked closely with FightingIllini.com, who is streaming the match, and CBS to make the match available to Mizzou All-Access subscribers as well. Those who can't make it to Edwardsville, Ill. can see the meet at mutigers.tv, where they'll get live streaming video.

Action gets underway at 7 p.m. CT Friday night at the Jon Davis Wrestling Center in Edwardsville, Ill. For more information, stay tuned to mutigers.com.
Mizzou-Illinois Dual Sold Out

Match between two top-11 teams takes place Friday night

COLUMBIA, Mo. - The season-opening dual between No. 11 Missouri and No. 10 Illinois has officially been declared a sellout, as announced Wednesday.

"I want to thank everyone who bought tickets from Mizzou for the dual with Illinois this Friday night," said head coach Brian Smith. "The dual is a complete sell out and there will be no tickets sold at the door. We're also up to over 1,300 fans on our team's Facebook page. Thanks to all of our great TigerStyle family and fans!"

The matchup between two of the top teams in the country takes place this Friday, Nov. 12 at 7 p.m. in Edwardsville, Ill. The two teams will compete at the Jon Davis Wrestling Center, one of the elite facilities in the country. Stay tuned to mutigers.com later today as we'll have more information about the meet.

Three Missouri Tigers Take First at Lindenwood

Nine Tigers in all earn medals

COLUMBIA, Mo. - While several Tigers were competing at the annual Black and Gold wrestle-off's on Saturday, the rest of the team was getting their first taste of action this season at the Lindenwood Open. Three Mizzou grapplers, freshman Alan Waters, junior Danny Gonsor and sophomore Nick Gregoris took first place in their class, while nine Tigers in all secured medals on the day.

Waters entered the 125 pound class as the No. 2 seed, and coasted through the first two rounds with back-to-back pins, putting Paul Myers (UN-SIUE) on his back in 1:33 and defeating Ben Seglin (WC) in 1:12. After a 4-1 decision and a 6-0 decision to advance to the finals, Waters pinned No. 4 seed Paulie Hansen (MVC) in 1:00 to take the crown.

At 157 pounds, Gonsor was the top-ranked seed in his class and lived up to the hype, as he dominated his five matches on his way to the title. Gonsor, a transfer from the University of Virginia, pinned his first three opponents, taking out Kyle Dooley (UN-ILL) in 4:14, Josh Ballard (MCK) in 1:52 and Josh Mccoy (MMI) in 0:53 to advance to the semifinals. From there, he picked up a 15-0 technical fall victory over No. 4 seed Jake Johnson (LU) to move on to the championship, where he dropped No. 2 seed Jackson Morse (UN-ILL) by a 17-0 score for his second straight technical fall victory, earning him the title.

Nick Gregoris, who entered the tournament unseeded at 165 pounds, took first place with an impressive showing. After pinning his first opponent, Zack Long (MVC) in 1:11, Gregoris then knocked off No. 1 seed Ryan Moyer (UN-LU) by a 5-2 score. From there, he picked up a 12-1 major decision over No. 8 Parker Madl (UN-OU), and defeated No. 4 seed Drae Cox (LU), 7-1, to move on to the finals. Gregoris was crowned champion after pinning fellow Tiger, freshman Phillip Perry, in 1:01.

Perry, who also entered the 165 pound class unseeded, earned his way to the championship by pinning his first opponent in 4:16, and then rallying off two straight 4-3 decision to advance to the final four. In the semifinals, Perry defeated Zeke Hunt (CU) by an 8-1 final, setting up his bout with Gregoris.

Sophomore Eric Wilson wrestled up to 133 pounds and picked up a fourth place finish for his efforts, wrestling to his seed. He defeated Jesse Feeler (HLG) by an 18-1 score to start things off, and pinned his next opponent in 6:24. Wilson then picked up a 10-5 decision to advance to the semifinals, but was knocked off by top seed Bj Futrell (ILL), 10-4. He advanced to the third place match with a 3-1 win over Dustin Reed (UN-OU), but got pinned in the third place contest to give him the fourth place medal.

At 141 pounds, freshman Simon Kitzis entered as the No. 3 seed and finished in fifth place after going 3-2 on the day. After opening with a bye, Kitzis defeated Jacob Janes (LU) by an 8-1 decision before beating Craig Chiles (LU), the No. 6 seed, by a 2-0 score to advance to the semifinals. Kitzis was then upended by No. 2 seed Tyler Holloway (UN-RLC), 2-0, and was edged out in his first wrestleback match, 5-4. However, Kitzis bounced back in the fifth place match and squeaked out a 3-2 decision over Josh Fiorito (LU).

Sophomore Todd Porter, the No. 2 seed at 174 pounds, took second place in his class. He coasted through his first three matches, defeating Gabe Vasquez (WC) by a 12-2 major decision, and then secured two straight 9-3 victories, pushing him to the final four. He then defeated Kyle Hanner (MCK) by a 7-5 score to advance to the finals, where he was defeated by No. 1 Chris Chionuma (LU), 12-7.

A 4-2 day by redshirt freshman James Houchins helped propel him to a fifth place finish in the 184 pound class. Unseeded, Houchins won his first match 12-5 before beating No. 6 Tony Dallago (ILL), 10-8. He then scored his second straight upset, beating Jesse Alter (MVC), the No. 3 seed, 7-5 to move on to the semifinals. Houchins was knocked off by No. 2 seed Kyle Reid (MCK) by a 13-7 score, and was defeated in his first wrestleback, a rematch with Dallago, to send him to the fifth place match. Houchins was crowned winner of that match when top seed Ben Friedl (ILL) was unable to compete due to injury.

The Missouri wrestling team opens with their first dual next Friday, Nov. 12, at 7 p.m. CT against No. 10 Illinois in Edwardsville, Ill. Stay tuned to mutigers.com for more information.

125 Pounds: Alan Waters (Record: 5-0) - CHAMPION
Alan Waters (MU) fall Paul Myers (UN-SIUE): 1:33
Alan Waters (MU) fall Ben Seglin (WC): 1:12
Alan Waters (MU) dec. Efrain Aguilar (UN-RLC): 4-1
Alan Waters (MU) dec. TT Prayther (UN-RLC): 6-0
Alan Waters (MU) fall Paulie Hansen (MVC): 1:00

133 Pounds: Eric Wilson (Record: 4-2) - FOURTH PLACE
Eric Wilson (MU) tech. fall Jesse Feeler (HLG): 18-1 (2:12)
Eric Wilson (MU) fall Jeff Ohnemus (WC): 6:24
Eric Wilson (MU) dec. Willie Essex (UN-MVC): 10-5
Bj Futrell (ILL) dec. Eric Wilson (MU): 10-4
Eric Wilson (MU) dec. Dustin Reed (UN-OU): 3-1
Joshua Chappa (CU) fall Eric Wilson (MU): 0:10

133 Pounds: Taylor Ronan (Record: 0-2)
Taylor Bolin (LU) dec. Taylor Ronan (MU): 6-3
Joshua Chappa (CU) major dec. Taylor Ronan (MU): 11-1

141 Pounds: Jake Cyr (Record: 1-2)
Jake Cyr (MU) major dec. Cody Pierce (UN-MVC): 10-2
Mike Vassar (UN-LU) dec. Jake Cyr (MU): 10-3
Brandon Westerman (MMI) dec. Jake Cyr (MU): 9-3

141 Pounds: Simon Kitzis (Record: 3-2) - FIFTH PLACE
Simon Kitzis (MU) dec. Jacob Janes (LU): 8-1
Simon Kitzis (MU) dec. Craig Chiles (LU): 2-0
Tyler Holloway (UN-RLC) dec. Simon Kitzis (MU): 2-0
Ian Fisher (UN-OU) dec. Simon Kitzis (MU): 5-4
Simon Kitzis (MU) dec. Josh Fiorito (LU): 3-2

149 Pounds: Kellen Bounous (Record: 1-2)
Guy Kirby (UN-ILL) dec. Kellen Bounous (MU): 5-3
Kellen Bounous (MU) dec. Andy Shoultz (CU): 12-7
Daniel Breit (LU) dec. Kellen Bounous (MU): 3-1

149 Pounds: Luke Greco (Record: 2-2)
Luke Greco (MU) dec. Dillon Dennis (UN-OU): 5-2
Trevor Bailey (MMI) dec. Luke Greco (MU): 4-1
Luke Greco (MU) dec. Nick Copeland (WC): 5-0
Santiago Martinez (LU) dec. Luke Greco (MU): 3-2

149 Pounds: Trevor Wiest (Record: 3-2)
Trevor Wiest (MU) dec. Michael Giorgio (MMI): 7-2
Trevor Wiest (MU) fall Devin Patterson (UN-MCK): 1:23
Seth Horner (UN-RLC) dec. Trevor Wiest (MU): 5-3
Trevor Wiest (MU) dec. Santiago Martinez (LU): 6-0
Ryan Jahn (UN-MCK) dec. Trevor Wiest, 3-2

157 Pounds: Danny Gonsor (Record: 5-0) - CHAMPION
Danny Gonsor (MU) fall Kyle Dooley (UN-ILL): 4:14
Danny Gonsor (MU) fall Josh Ballard (MCK): 1:52
Danny Gonsor (MU) fall Josh Mccoy (MMI): 0:53
Danny Gonsor (MU) tech. fall Jake Johnson (LU): 15-0 (5:36)
Danny Gonsor (MU) tech. fall Jackson Morse (UN-ILL): 17-0 (3:15)

157 Pounds: Austin Lindsay (Record: 2-2)
Austin Lindsay (MU) major dec. Cody Bleaken (CU): 10-1
Austin Lindsay (MU) dec. Donald Woods (LU): 8-5
Jake Johnson (LU) dec. Austin Lindsay (MU): 6-3 (SV3)
Kyle Dooley (UN-ILL) dec. Austin Lindsay (MU): 7-2

157 Pounds: Drake Houdashelt (Record: 3-3) - SIXTH PLACE
Drake Houdashelt (MU) tech. fall Adam Osmoe (UN-RLC): 16-0 (2:57)
Drake Houdashelt (MU) fall Alex Kluge (MCK): 4:13
Drake Houdashelt (MU) tech. fall Isaac Ervin (UN-SIUE): 20-3 (6:03)
Jackson Morse (UN-ILL) dec. Drake Houdashelt (MU): 9-8
Kyle Dooley (UN-ILL) dec. Drake Houdashelt (MU): 11-9
Bernard Thomas (UN-MVC) wins by medical forfeit over Drake Houdashelt (MU)

157 Pounds: Joshua Cyr (Record: 1-2)
Joshua Cyr (MU) fall Chip Condon (LWC): 5:45
Jackson Morse (UN-ILL) major dec. Joshua Cyr (MU): 12-2
Kyle Dooley (UN-ILL) dec. Joshua Cyr (MU): 12-9

165 Pounds: Nick Gregoris (5-0) - CHAMPION
Nick Gregoris (MU) fall Zack Long (MVC): 1:11
Nick Gregoris (MU) dec. Ryan Moyer (UN-LU): 5-2
Nick Gregoris (MU) major dec. Parker Madl (UN-OU): 12-1
Nick Gregoris (MU) dec. Drae Cox (LU): 7-1
Nick Gregoris (MU) fall Phillip Perry (MU): 1:01

165 Pounds: Ty Prazma (2-2)
Ty Prazma (MU) dec. Ian Taylor (HLG): 4-0
Ty Prazma (MU) fall Gian Traverso (MVC): 4:52
Zeke Hunt (CU) dec. Ty Prazma (MU): 4-3
Ryan Moyer (UN-LU) fall Ty Prazma (MU): 1:39

165 Pounds: Phillip Perry (4-1) - SECOND PLACE
Phillip Perry (MU) fall Rob Copeland (WC): 4:16
Phillip Perry (MU) dec. Jordan Mckiernan (UN-LU): 4-3
Phillip Perry (MU) dec. Brandon Perkins (MVC): 4-3 (TB2)
Phillip Perry (MU) dec. Zeke Hunt (CU): 8-1
Nick Gregoris (MU) fall Phillip Perry (MU): 1:01

174 Pounds: Jacob Guerrant (Record: 1-2)
Chris Chionuma (LU) fall Jacob Guerrant (MU): 2:23
Jacob Guerrant (MU) fall Gabe Vasquez (WC): 2:37
Jacob Guernsey (MVC) wins by forfeit over Jacob Guerrant (MU)

174 Pounds: Todd Porter (Record: 4-1) - SECOND PLACE
Todd Porter (MU) major dec. Gabe Vasquez (WC): 12-2
Todd Porter (MU) dec. Ryan Rozell (LU): 9-3
Todd Porter (MU) dec. Damon Jackson (MVC): 9-3
Todd Porter (MU) dec. Kyle Hanner (MCK): 7-5
Chris Chionuma (LU) dec. Todd Porter (MU): 12-7

184 Pounds: Dustin Williams (Record: 3-2)
Dustin Williams (MU) fall Slade Madden (CU): 2:35
Dustin Williams (MU) dec. Austin Morehead (RLC): 9-6
Andrew Hairston (LWC) dec. Dustin Williams (MU): 7-0
Dustin Williams (MU) dec. Carl Lawerence (MVC): 5-3
Tony Dallago (ILL) dec. Dustin Williams (MU): 6-0

184 Pounds: James Houchins (Record: 4-2) - FIFTH PLACE
James Houchins (MU) dec. Mitch Burnaugh (HLG): 12-5
James Houchins (MU) dec. Tony Dallago (ILL): 10-8
James Houchins (MU) dec. Jesse Alter (MVC): 7-5
Kyle Reid (MCK) dec. James Houchins (MU): 13-7
Tony Dallago (ILL) dec. James Houchins, 10-4
James Houchins wins by medical forfeit over Ben Friedl (ILL)

184 Pounds: Weston Keleher (Record: 1-2)
Weston Keleher (MU) fall Kyle Frazier (CU): 1:56
Kyle Reid (MCK) dec. Weston Keleher (MU): 4-1
Austin Morehead (RLC) fall Weston Keleher (MU): 4:04

197 Pounds: Johnny Eblen (Record: 1-2)
Johnny Eblen (MU) major dec. Jared Korte (UN-MCK): 22-10
Charlie Gibbs (MVC) fall Johnny Eblen (MU): 2:28
Quincy Mondaine (UN-OU) wins by medical forfeit over Johnny Eblen

Heavyweight: Devin Mellon (Record: 0-2)
Casey Gushleff (MCK) dec. Devin Mellon (MU): 4-3
Jake Gegg (LU) dec. Devin Mellon (MU): 7-4
Missouri Wrestlers Impress at Black and Gold


Tigers officially open season against Illinois on Nov. 12

COLUMBIA, Mo. - The No. 11 Missouri wrestling got their season underway with the annual Black and Gold match on Saturday morning at the Hearnes Center. There were seven official matches to go along with three exhibitions, though no team score was kept.

Action kicked off at the 174 pound class with junior Patrick Wright, a starter at the 157 pound level last season and junior Dorian Henderson, coming off his second straight nationals appearance. Wright jumped out with a takedown near the end of the first period, and scored an escape late in the second to take a 3-0 lead into the final period. Henderson battled back in the third, getting an escape of his own and a takedown with 58 seconds left to even the score, but Wright landed a reversal with under ten seconds on the clock to take the 5-3 victory.

The 184 pound matchup saw two sophomore newcomers, as Mike Larson, who wrestled at CSU-Bakersfield last season, and Clarence Neely, who competed at Meramec, took the mat. Neely jumped out to a big lead in the first, registering two takedowns and two nearfalls to gain the early 8-2 advantage. Larson earned an early escape in the second and got a reversal after Neely recorded another takedown, but couldn't overcome the early deficit as Neely won 10-5.

Sophomore Jake Glore picked up a 4-2 win over redshirt freshman Ryan Robinson during the 197 pound match. Glore registered a takedown with six seconds left in the first period, and after Robinson escaped to start the second, picked up another two points with a takedown at the 11 second mark.

The first exhibition of the day followed, and pitted 197-pound sophomore Brent Haynes and heavyweight junior Dom Bradley. Haynes held his own, but naturally Bradley dominated most of the action. Bradley recorded a takedown in the first and a reversal in the second to push the score to 4-1, setting up Bradley's big third period. The Blue Springs, Mo., native took Haynes down twice and earned the riding time point to give him the 9-2 win.

At 133 pounds, Nathan McCormick, a sophomore, took on senior Luke Cherep. McCormick jumped out with a pair of takedowns in the first while limiting Cherep to two escapes for an early 4-2 lead. McCormick started down in the second and escaped in 19 seconds and picked up another takedown about a minute later. Two more takedowns in the third to go with Cherep's three escapes gave McCormick the 11-6 decision.

Senior Todd Schavrien went up against sophomore Cody Farinella in the 141 pound match, and it was all Schavrien right from the get-go. Schavrien, with two straight NCAA appearances, scored a takedown 15 seconds into the match and registered his first of two nearfalls for the 4-0 lead after one. A reversal and another nearfall gave him an 8-0 lead after the second, and the riding time point gave him a 9-0 major decision.

Redshirt freshman Kyle Bradley recorded the only fall of the day, as he pinned 149 pound opponent Nicholas Hucke in 1:25. Bradley started off with an early takedown and after getting reversed picked up a reversal himself, setting up the win via fall.

The 165 pound matchup featured two redshirt freshmen in Zach Toal and Jordan Gagliano. Toal came out with an early takedown and nearfall for the 4-0 lead after the first, and with a reversal in the second, cruised to a 7-3 win with riding time.

Neely and Henderson battled in the second exhibition of the day, with Henderson securing an impressive 11-3 major decision. Henderson dominated the action from the start with a takedown that led to a three-point nearfall for a 5-0 lead after the first. Neely managed an escape in the second to make it 5-1, but Henderson went back to work in the third, registered an escape and two takedowns for the 11-3 victory.

The final match of the day was an exhibition featuring Larson and Glore. Glore held an 8-2 lead after the first following a takedown, two nearfalls and a reversal. He held strong in the second with another takedown and nearfall in the second, helping him cruise to a 12-5 win.

Missouri will open their season in two weeks with a top-15 battle against No. 10 Illinois on Nov. 12 in Edwardsville, Ill. Stay tuned to mutigers.com for more information.

174 - Patrick Wright dec. Dorian Henderson, 5-3
184 - Clarence Neely dec. Mike Larson, 10-5
197 - Jake Glore dec. Ryan Robinson, 4-2
Exh. - Dom Bradley dec. Brent Haynes, 9-2
133 - Nathan McCormick dec. Luke Cherep, 11-6
141 - Todd Schavrien major dec. Cody Farinella, 9-0
149 - Kyle Bradley fall Nicholas Hucke, 1:25
165 - Zach Toal dec. Jordan Gagliano, 7-3
Exh. - Dorian Henderson major dec. Clarence Neely, 11-3
Exh. - Jake Glore dec. Mike Larson, 12-5
Missouri No. 11 in First Coaches Poll

Nine of Missouri's 18 opponents ranked in top-25

COLUMBIA, Mo. - The Missouri wrestling team is ranked No. 11 in the first NWCA/USA Today Division I Team Coaches Poll, as released Tuesday. Overall, five conferences are represented in the top 10 and seven conference represented in the top 25.

Of the Tigers' 18 dual meet opponents this season, nine are ranked in the top-25 of this initial poll. Big 12 rivals Oklahoma State and Oklahoma rank third and eighth, respectively. Illinois comes in at No. 10, while Nebraska sits at No. 15. Sitting at No. 17 is Lehigh, while Purdue, Rutgers and Oregon State rank No. 20, 21 and 22. Iowa State rounds out the list at No. 25. On top of that, five Mizzou opponents are also receiving votes. American, Hofstra, Indiana, Kent State and Maryland each sit just outside the top-25.

The Tigers return three NCAA qualifiers from last season in senior Todd Schavrien, junior Dorian Henderson and sophomore Brent Haynes. Junior heavyweight Dom Bradley sits near the top in many of the preseason individual rankings. Mizzou begins their season this Saturday with the annual Black and Gold exhibition meet, beginning at 9 a.m. CT in the Hearnes Center. Missouri's first dual meet of the regular season is Friday, Nov. 12 against No. 10 Illinois in Edwardsville, Ill.
Mizzou-Purdue Match to be Televised

Dec. 12 dual will air on Big Ten Network

COLUMBIA, Mo. - The dual between the Missouri Tigers, ranked as high as No. 10 in the preseason polls, and the Purdue Boilermakers, ranked as high as No. 13, will be televised, as finalized Tuesday.

The potential top-15 matchup, which will be held on Sunday, Dec. 12, in Lafayette, Ind., will air on the Big Ten Network. The meet will air live on the network beginning at 11 a.m. CT. Missouri is looking to avenge last year's loss at home, a match that Purdue won 19-15 early in the season.

More information on the meet will be announced as it becomes available.
Ticket Information Announced for Mizzou-Illinois Match

Tickets will be sold through Mizzou ticket office for $10 each

COLUMBIA, Mo. - The Missouri wrestling program has announced the availability of tickets for the Tigers' season-opening match with the Illinois Fighting Illini. The meet will be held on Friday, November 12, at 7 p.m. CT. The match will take place in Edwardsville, Ill., at the Jon Davis Wrestling Center.

Tickets are available through the Mizzou ticket office and can be purchased in-person at the Mizzou Arena Ticket Office or over the phone at 1-800-CAT-PAWS. Each ticket is $10 and will include a free black and gold t-shirt. A $5 service charge will be added to each order.

Fans are encouraged to act quickly, as only 100 tickets are available to Missouri fans. For more information on Tiger wrestling, stay tuned to mutigers.com.

Missouri's Marable Takes Third in Russia

Former Tiger one of two Americans to medal

COLUMBIA, Mo. - Former Missouri wrestling All-American and current assistant strength and conditioning coach Nicholas Marable took bronze medal honors at the Ramzan Kadyrov Cup in Grozny, Russia. The two-day event was held this past weekend on Oct. 9-10.

Marable, competing in the 74 kg/163 pound class, was one of only two Americans to place at the event. It was the first major international freestyle medal for the three-time Big 12 Champion.

Volunteer assistant coach Joe Johnston also competed in the event, and will compete again this weekend at the Intercontinental Cup in Khasavyurt, Russia from Oct. 15-17. Complete results from the Ramzan Kadyrov Cup will be posted at themat.com when available.
Missouri Coaches Johnston, Marable to Compete Overseas

Tiger coaches will compete in Russia over next two weeks

COLUMBIA, Mo. - Missouri wrestling volunteer assistant coach Joe Johnston and assistant strength and conditioning coach Nicholas Marable will compete in an international tour during the next two weeks, going up against some of the best grapplers in the world.

Marable, a two-time All-American at Mizzou, and Johnston, a two-time All-American at Iowa, leave Tuesday and will wrestle in the Ramzan Kadirov Cup in Grozny, Russia on Oct. 9-10. Johnston will wrestle at the 66 kg/145.5 pound level, while Marable will wrestle at 74 kg/163 pounds.

The following week, Johnston will compete once again, this time at the Intercontinental Cup in Khasavyurt, Russia. The International Cup is a major dual meet tournament that will be held from Oct. 15-17.

Both Johnston and Marable will provide updates and analysis on their trip throughout the coming days. Stay tuned to mutigers.com for more from them.
Missouri Ranked No. 10 By TheOpenMat.com

Five grapplers ranked in the top-20 of their class

COLUMBIA, Mo. - The Missouri wrestling squad was picked at No. 10 in The Open Mat's 2010 preseason college rankings, as released Tuesday morning. The Tigers are one of four Big 12 teams in the top 25, with Oklahoma State ranking second, Oklahoma coming in at No. 9 and Nebraska at No. 16.

Five of Missouri's 10 starters were ranked in the top-20 of their respective weight class. Senior Todd Schavrien, juniors Dorian Henderson and Dom Bradley, sophomore Brent Haynes and redshirt freshman Zach Toal each found themselves in the top-16 in their class.

Bradley was ranked highest amongst Tigers, ranking as the No. 3 heavyweight. Bradley will step in as the main heavyweight starter this season, replacing two-time All-American and 2009 National Champion Mark Ellis. Bradley went 19-5 last year, including 5-0 in duals, and pinned five of his opponents.

Haynes, beginning his second season as a starter at 197 pounds, is currently ranked seventh in his class. Haynes went 28-15 last year, propelling him to his first Nationals appearance. Henderson, at 174 pounds, was ranked No. 13, while Schavrien sits at No. 16 at 141 pounds. Both Henderson and Shavrien are coming off NCAA appearances as well.

Toal, projected to start at 165 pounds this year, rounds out the rankings for the Tigers at No. 16. On top of that, he was also selected as The Open Mat's prediction for freshman of the year in his class, along with being the dark horse selection to earn All-America honors this season. Redshirting last year, Toal went 16-6 on the season, and earned bonus points in 11 of those victories.

Stay tuned to mutigers.com for more information on Missouri wrestling.
Missouri Ranked No. 12 in Preseason Poll

Five grapplers rank in the top-16 of their class

COLUMBIA, Mo. - The University of Missouri wrestling squad has earned a No. 12 ranking in the preseason poll recently released by WrestlingReport.com. The team also received rankings in eight of the weight classes. The Tigers received 40 points, finishing just two points out of the top-10. Cornell was ranked No. 1 overall, earning 94 points, while Big 12 opponents Oklahoma State and Oklahoma were ranked third and ninth, respectively.

Junior heavyweight Dom Bradley received the highest individual ranking of all Missouri wrestlers, ranking in at third in the heavyweight class. Bradley compiled a record of 19-5 last year, earning five victories by pin and four by major decision. The Blue Springs, Mo., native will step in as the full-time starter at heavyweight for the first time in his career following the departure of former national champion Mark Ellis.

The other Tiger in the top-10 of their class is sophomore Brent Haynes, who ranked seventh at 197 pounds. Haynes qualified for the NCAA Championships last year as a redshirt freshman, and finished the year with 28 victories. Six of his wins came via major decision, six came by pin and three came by technical fall.

Other Tigers in the rankings include Nathan McCormick, 21st at 133 pounds, Todd Schavrien, 14th at 141 pounds, Kyle Bradley/Nicholas Hucke, 28th at 149 pounds, Danny Gonsor/Patrick Wright, 24th at 157 pounds, Zach Toal, 16th at 165 pounds and Dorian Henderson, 15th at 174 pounds.
Former Missouri wrestler Mark Ellis Sings with Zinkin Entertainment

Former heavyweight champion launches MMA career

COLUMBIA, Mo. - Former Missouri wrestler Mark Ellis, the 2009 NCAA Division I heavyweight champ, has launched his MMA career by signing a contract with Zinkin Entertainment. He will be training with American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose, California.

Zinkin Entertainment is largely considered to be one of the top sports management teams in Mixed Martial Arts. They represent over 30 fighters, including Chuck Liddell, Cain Velasquez and Forrest Griffin.

At AKA, Ellis will be joining fellow former NCAA All-American wrestlers Daniel Cormier and Cain Velasquez. Ellis is expected to be trained by Bob Cook, Javier Mendez and Dave Camarillo.

Ellis becomes the third ex-Tiger wrestler in recent history to make the switch to MMA, as he follows the post-collegiate success of former Missouri teammates Tyron Woodley and Ben Askren.

Ellis was a four-time qualifier, winning the NCAA heavyweight crown as a junior in 2009 after defeating Konrad Dudziak of Duke in the finals, becoming only the second Missouri wrestler to win a national collegiate mat title. He finished off his career by taking sixth in the heavyweight bracket this past March, earning NCAA All-American honors for the second straight year.
The 2010-11 Missouri Recruiting Class is Ranked No. 11 in the Country

COLUMBIA, Mo. - The University of Missouri wrestling team is in the middle of the grind of their off-season training and workout program, looking to prepare themselves for another successful year. Of the 16 signees in this year's class, nine of them are currently here in Columbia taking classes and going through training to get prepared for the season.

InterMat named Missouri's 2010 recruiting class as the 11th best in the nation, highlighted by three top-100 recruits, Alan Waters (No. 49), Drake Houdashelt (No. 60) and Simon Kitzis (No. 89), and Danny Gonsor, a transfer from the University of Virginia who qualified for the NCAA Championship last season.

The incoming freshmen, who are taking a health professions class and Acting for Non-Majors, are wrapping up those two classes as they continue to prepare for the season. MUTigers.com recently spoke to the nine newcomers who are in town this summer to see how they are adjusting to life at Mizzou.

Danny Gonsor, Cleveland, Ohio, Projected Weight Class: 157
Career Highlights: Junior transfer from the University of Virginia. Made his first NCAA appearance last season as a sophomore, finishing the tournament with a 1-2 record. Was a member of four-straight state champion teams in high school at St. Edward, which included the national champion squad in 2007.

How's summer training going and what kind of things are you working on?

"Good, really good. I'm coming for a different program so it's nice to switch it up a little bit with new training partners and stuff. Everyone's working hard. I'm learning a new system, which is nice because I learned a lot at Virginia and now I'm here to learn even more so I can kind of mesh the two together in my own style."

What are some of your own personal goals for the upcoming season?

"I really only have to personal goals and it's to win an NCAA Championship and help the team win an NCAA Championship."

What's your favorite thing about being at Mizzou and in Columbia so far?

"I like being with the team, working hard towards winning that national championship and having the right people around me to do it."

Drake Houdashelt, O'Fallon, Mo., Projected Weight Class: 157

Career Highlights: Two straight state championships in 2009 and 2010. Finished second at Junior Nationals in '09 and second at the FILA Juniors in '10.

How's summer training going and what kind of things are you working on?

"It's going well. I'm working on some things with my feet and trying to get that down."

What are some of your own personal goals for the upcoming season?

"I just want to keep getting better and improve myself every practice."

What's your favorite thing about being at Mizzou and in Columbia so far?

"It's cool being around all of the people here."

Eric Hughes, Washington, Mo., Projected Weight Class: 125

Career Highlights: Back-to-back second-place finishes at state his junior and senior seasons. Was a combined 114-8 over the course of his last three seasons.

How's summer training going and what kind of things are you working on?

"Training's going really well. I'm getting a lot stronger and I'm really honing my technique and improving in a lot of positions that I need to."

What are some of your own personal goals for the upcoming season?

"I want to make big strides toward wrestling at a higher level in the future and to improve myself greatly."

What's your favorite thing about being at Mizzou and in Columbia so far?

"I like being with all of the wrestlers. It helps us all get better as a team which will help us find ways to win later."

Austin Lindsay, Brookfield, Mo., Projected Weight Class: 149
Career Highlights: Won four straight state championships in high school while amassing a 179-2 career record. Was a perfect 137-0 during his last three seasons, and recorded 38 falls his senior year. Also named District Wrestler of the Year twice and finished high school with a 3.9 GPA.

How's summer training going and what kind of things are you working on?

"It's going pretty good. I'm starting to put on weight with lifting, shakes and everything else. We've been running, trying to get in shape and ready for the season."

What are some of your own personal goals for the upcoming season?

"I want to have a winning record and give some of the starters a challenge for their spot."

What's your favorite thing about being at Mizzou and in Columbia so far?

"I love everything. The team and the campus are great, it's just awesome."

Devin Mellon, Lawson, Mo., Projected Weight Class: HWT
Career Highlights: Won state in 2008, '09 and '10 in high school after finishing second his freshman year. Finished high school career with a 152-8 record, which includes a perfect 43-0 senior season.

How's summer training going and what kind of things are you working on?

"It's going pretty good. I'm in pretty good shape so far and I'm working on my riding."

What are some of your own personal goals for the upcoming season?

"I want to get a little bigger, I need to gain some weight, and become better overall on the mat."

What's your favorite thing about being at Mizzou and in Columbia so far?

"All of the guys on the team are pretty cool. The older guys don't hassle you or anything and they're always willing to help you out any way they can."

Ty Prazma, Granite City, Ill., Projected Weight Class: 157/165
Career Highlights: Finished second at the Southeastern Regional in freestyle in 2009. Lettered three times in soccer in high school and four times in wrestling. Registered 28 falls his senior year.

How's summer training going and what kind of things are you working on?
"They got us lifting every morning at seven, so that's a lot of fun. You can already tell that it's making a difference. All of the technique we've been working on is really starting to pay off it looks like."

What are some of your own personal goals for the upcoming season?
"I want to get acquainted with the college-style of wrestling and hopefully place at some open tournaments later in the year since I'll probably be redshirting."

What's your favorite thing about being at Mizzou and in Columbia so far?
"The atmosphere. Everyone loves the athletics and it feels good to be a student-athlete for a school like that."

Mike Schmidt, St. Charles, Mo., Projected Weight Class: 133
Career Highlights: Recorded three runner-up finishes at state in high school. Graduated eighth in his class with a 3.98 GPA. Earned 12 letters, which includes four in football, four in wrestling and four in FFA. Career high school record was 151-14.
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How's summer training going and what kind of things are you working on?
"We've been working on our technique, getting everything down to the little pieces that make up the big difference."

What are some of your own personal goals for the upcoming season?
"To work hard and get better for next year."

What's your favorite thing about being at Mizzou and in Columbia so far?
"My favorite thing is the environment and being around all of my teammates"

Alan Waters, Kansas City, Mo., Projected Weight Class: 125
Career Highlights: Four-time state champion in high school, finishing his career with a 182-4 record. Went a perfect 47-0 his senior year. Won two Fargo National Championships in freestyle and Greco in 2007.

How's summer training going and what kind of things are you working on?
"Summer training is going pretty good. I'm working on getting in shape and getting ready for the fall right now. We've been working pretty hard this summer and we're looking forward to getting ready for the season."

What are some of your own personal goals for the upcoming season?
"Not sure for this season because I'm not sure if I'm redshirting or not yet."

What's your favorite thing about being at Mizzou and in Columbia so far?
"I like being apart of the team. I'm happy that I'm finally up here and I get to work out with them and get better."

Trevor Wiest, Blue Springs, Mo., Projected Weight Class: 149
Career Highlights: Finished third at state twice and fourth at state twice during his high school career. Recorded 19 falls his senior year on his way to a 46-4 record. Finished seventh at the 2007 Fargo Nationals in freestyle.

How's summer training going and what kind of things are you working on?
"It's going good. It's a lot tougher than what I'm used to. I'm lifting a lot of weights and conditioning right now."

What are some of your own personal goals for the upcoming season?
"I want to win all of my matches of course and hopefully take everything I can from these guys and try to get better during my redshirt year."
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What's your favorite thing about being at Mizzou and in Columbia so far?
"The guys on the team are awesome. They really motivate you and all of the coaches are here to help. The campus is awesome. I'm liking it all."The 2010-11 Missouri recruiting class is ranked No. 11 in the country

Missouri' Tigers Notch 3-0 Showing in Northeast

Missouri Wrestling Team Shuts Down CAA Opponents

Philadelphia, Pa. - Missouri's 15th-ranked wrestling team won back-to-back duals holding off George Mason and Drexel while improving to 6-4 on the year. Taking on their second and third Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) opponents of the weekend, Missouri topped the Patriots of George Mason, 34-7, and Dragons of Drexel, 31-9. Yesterday, Missouri held off Hofstra, 34-7.

"We've been in the training phase since Christmas," Missouri Head Coach Brian Smith said. "Our guys have been working hard and they were tired this weekend. But, they pushed through and we managed three solid team victories this weekend. We're a young team with a lot of freshmen and sophomores in the lineup. These wins really help build up their confidence."

Four Missouri wrestlers finished the evening duals contested in the Daskalakis Athletic Center with 2-0 records. Junior Todd Schavrien (Poway, Calif.) won both of his 141-pound bouts by decision, besting Jaziah Bethea of George Mason, 14-7, and Shane Fenningham of Drexel, 7-1.

Missouri's 149 pounder, Scott O'Donnell (Kansas City, Mo.), managed a 3-0 showing on the weekend. After earning a 5-2 decision last night against his Hofstra opponent, O'Donnell opened Saturday's competition with an eight point, 9-1, win by major decision over Brandon Bucher. Later in the night, O'Donnell returned to the mat and held off Brett McCurdy of Drexel, 6-4.

All-American Nicholas Marable (Collierville, Tenn.) improved on his standout senior season, winning his fourth match of the year by technical fall, 18-3, against Ty Knepp. Marable's second bout of the day marked his 28th win of the year and the 109th of his career. Currently tied for ninth on Missouri's wins list, Marable will take a seven match win streak into Missouri's Big 12 opener against Nebraska, Jan. 29.

Redshirt freshman Brent Haynes of Kansas City, Mo., notched two wins at 197 pounds. Earning a win by forfeit against George Mason, Haynes tacked on an additional six team points to Missouri's running team total against Drexel, pinning Jack Callendar in 2:13.

Missouri wrestlers totaled three falls on the night. Tiger heavyweight Mark Ellis (Peculiar, Mo.) was the first to win by pin, sticking Adam Barnette of George Mason in 49 seconds. Sophomore Dorian Henderson (Columbus, Ga.) recorded his first win by fall of the season, dropping 174-pound opponent Dave Woodall of Drexel in 34 seconds. Missouri's second fastest fall of the campaign, Henderson is now 20-9. Haynes fall at 197 pounds against Drexel was the third and final of the evening.

Done with competition for the weekend, Smith and his Tiger squad will take in the sites of Philadelphia visiting Constitution Hall and the Liberty Bell as well as running the famous "Rocky" stairs, in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, before returning to Columbia Sunday evening.

The Tigers will open Big 12 competition Friday, Jan. 29, in Lincoln, Neb., when they take on the Huskers at 7 p.m. (CT).

Wt.

Wrestler vs. Wrestler

MU

GMU

125

Brian Wright (GMU) decision Eric Wilson (MU): 7-1

0

3

133

Brad Wisdom (MU) major decision Zachory Huxford (GMU): 12-3

4

3

141

Todd Schavrien (MU) decision Jaziah Bethea (GMU): 14-7

7

3

149

Scott O'Donnell (MU) major decision Brandon Bucher (GMU): 9-1

11

3

157

Patrick Wright (MU) decision Aaron Keeton (GMU): 6-2

14

3

165

Nicholas Marable (MU) technical fall Ty Knepp (GMU): 18-3

18

3

174

Mendbagana Tovuujav (GMU) major decision Dorian Henderson (MU): 13-5

18

7

184

Todd Porter (MU) major decision Andrew Rock (GMU): 13-5

22

7

197

Brent Haynes (MU) win by forfeit

28

7

HWT

Mark Ellis (MU) win by fall Adam Barnette (GMU): :49

34

7

Wt.

Wrestler vs. Wrestler

MU

Drexel

125

Eric Wilson (MU) major decision Yi-Ming Law (Drexel): 20-8

4

0

133

Steve Mytych (Drexel) decision Brad Wisdom (MU): 2-0

4

3

141

Todd Schavrien (MU) decision Shane Fenningham (Drexel): 7-1

7

3

149

Scott O'Daniel (MU) decision Brett McCurdy (Drexel): 6-4

10

3

157

Joe Booth (Drexel) decision Patrick Wright (MU): 3-1 SV

10

6

165

Nicholas Marable (MU) decision Alex Rinaldi (Drexel): 12-6

13

6

174

Dorian Henderson (MU) fall Dave Woodall (Drexel) :34

19

6

184

Justin Wieller (Drexel) decision Todd Porter (MU): 3-1 SV

19

9

197

Brent Haynes (MU) fall Jack Callender (Drexel): 2:13

25

9

HWT

Dominique Bradley win by forfeit

31

9
Missouri Best Hofstra, 34-7

Hempstead, N.Y. - Eight Tiger wrestlers won their matches in 15th-ranked Missouri's 34-7 victory over Hofstra in Hempstead. N.Y. With the win, Missouri improves to 4-4 on the year, while the Pride fall to 5-7-2. The Tigers are now 5-0 in the all-time series with Hofstra.

Opening the dual at heavyweight, Missouri earned a quick six team points as Dominique Bradley (Blue Springs, Mo.) accepted a win by forfeit. Bradley is now a perfect 4-0 in duals this season.

True freshman Eric Wilson (Centennial, Colo.) collected his first career win as a member of Missouri's 10-man lineup. Battling Jaime Fanco at 125 pounds, Wilson shut out his Pride opponent, 3-0, Missouri's only win of the night by shutout.

Back-to-back true freshmen made starts for Missouri. Brad Wisdom (Farmington, Mo.) who has seen time at 125 pounds for the Tigers, competed at 133 pounds, winning a major decision, 13-5, over Jeff Rotella.

Ranked as high as 19th in the nation, Todd Schavrien (Poway, Calif.) won a 14-3 major decision against Luke Vaith. Schavrien has the second most wins by major decision of his Tiger teammates at six.

Scott O'Donnell (Kansas City, Mo.) returned to the Tiger lineup at 149 pounds for the first time since Missouri's Nov. 20 contest against Purdue. Winning his match against Tyler Banks, 5-2, O'Donnell helped the Tigers to a 20 point advantage over the Pride.

Missouri's Patrick Wright (Grand Ledge, Mich.) entered his 157 pound match with No. 19 Jonny Bonilla-Bowman with a 1-0 advantage over the Hofstra wrestler, having bested him at the 2008 Missouri Open. The two exchanged shots, but Bowman came out the winner, 21-10.

Sixth-ranked All-American Nicholas Marable (Collierville, Tenn.) earned his eighth dual victory and improved to 26-2 on the year holding off P.J Gillespie, 7-4 at 165 pounds. Sophomore Dorian Henderson (Columbus, Ga.) added an additional five team points with his 19-2 win by technical fall over Jon Rothman. Henderson's match ended in 5:28.

Seventeenth ranked 197-pounder Brent Haynes (Kansas City, Mo.) closed out the dual with a win by fall. Haynes stuck Anthony Tortora in 2:38 to seal Missouri's fourth win of the year.

The Tigers will return to the mat and take on George Mason at 5:30 p.m. (CT) followed by a 7 p.m. (CT) dual against Drexel. Both duals will be held in Philadelphia, Pa., at the Daskalakis Athletic Center.