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- University of Missouri, Columbia Columbia, MO
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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
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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
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- 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.
Missouri 34, Hofstra 7
285 - Dom Bradley (MU) win by forfeit
125 - Eric Wilson (MU) dec. Jaime Franco (Hofstra), 3-0
133 - Brad Wisdom (MU) maj. dec. Jeff Rotella (Hofstra), 13-5
141 - #19 Todd Schavrien (MU) maj. dec. Luke Vaith (Hofstra), 14-3
149 - Scott O'Donnell (MU) dec. Tyler Banks (Hofstra), 5-2
157 - #19 Jonny Bonilla-Bowman (Hofstra) maj. dec. Patrick Wright (MU), 21-10
165 - #6 Nicholas Marable (MU) dec. P.J. Gillespie (Hofstra), 7-4
174 -#10 Dorian Henderson (MU) tech fall Jon Rothman (Hofstra), 19-2 (5:28)
184 - Ben Clymer (Hofstra) dec. Todd Porter (MU), 4-3
197 - #17 Brent Haynes (MU) WBF Anthony Tortora (Hofstra), 2:38
Missouri Tigers Collect 24-14 Win Over Chattanooga
Month of Road Duals Continues
- Chattanooga, Tenn. - Recording its third win of the campaign, the 16th-ranked Missouri wrestling team held off Chattanooga, 24-14, in its second straight week of road competition. Six Tigers notched wins in the evening dual, four recording bonus point victories.
- Missouri suffered an opening round match, beginning the dual at 184 pounds. Tiger redshirt freshman Brent Haynes (Kansas City, Mo.) brought Missouri even with the Mocs, managing a 15-4 win by decision over Nikolas Brown. Haynes' win by major decision was the first of two four-point wins for Missouri.
- Next to the mat, senior Mark Ellis (Peculiar, Mo.) recorded his second fastest win of the season by fall. Ellis was quick to takedown Matt Letnner, squaring his shoulders for the stick in 1:41. His seventh fall of the season, Ellis is two shy of tying his career high for falls, nine.
- True freshman Eric Wilson (Centennial, Colo.) made his debut in the Tiger lineup, wrestling at 125 pounds. Wilson suffered a four point loss, 5-1, to Demetrius Johnson, but Missouri held on to a 10-7 advantage.
- Redshirt freshman Nathan McCormick (Leawood, Kan.) added to the Tiger team total, besting Josh Statum, 15-5, at 133 pounds. Teammate Nick Hucke (Pewaukee, Wis.) tacked on an additional three team points with his 6-1 win by decision over Moc 141-pounder, Bennett Johnson.
- Missouri suffered back-to-back losses at 149 and 157 pounds, and the Mocs pulled within three points of the Tigers. Tiger captain Nicholas Marable, a native of Collierville, Tenn., put on a show for his home state, winning the 165 pound match against Bond Davis, 22-7. The five-point technical fall is Marable's third of the season, a mark that ties teammates Dorian Henderson (Columbus, Ga.), Haynes and Luke Cherep (Naperville, Ill.) for the most on the team.
- The sole match of the evening to pit two ranked wrestlers against each other, No. 10 Henderson held off No. 20 Jake Young, 6-4, for his 18th win of the season and third dual victory.
- The Tigers will return to the mat Friday, Jan. 22, when they take on the Hofstra Pride beginning at 6 p.m. (CT) in Hempstead, N.Y. From there, Missouri will make its way south to Philadelphia for duals against George Mason and Nebraska, set for a 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. (CT) start time on Saturday, Jan. 23.
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- Wt.
- Wrestler vs. Wrestler
- MU
- UTC
- 125
- Demetrius Johnson (UTC) decision Eric Wilson (MU): 5-1
- 10
- 7
- 133
- Nathan McCormick (MU) major decision Josh Statum (UTC): 15-5
- 14
- 7
- 141
- Nicholas Hucke (MU) decision Bennett Johnson (UTC): 6-1
- 17
- 7
- 149
- Dean Pavlou (UTC) major decision Brandon Wiest (MU): 10-2
- 17
- 11
- 157
- Josh Condon (UTC) decision No. 16 Patrick Wright (MU): 2-1
- 17
- 14
- 165
- No. 6 Nicholas Marable (MU) tech. fall Bond Davis (UTC): 22-7
- 22
- 14
- 174
- No. 10 Dorian Henderson (MU) decision No. 20 Jake Young (UTC): 6-4
- 25
- 14
- 184
- Jason McCroskey (UTC) major decision Todd Porter (MU): 12-1
- 0
- 4
- 197
- No. 18 Brent Haynes (MU) major decision Nikolas Brown (UTC): 15-4
- 4
- 4
- HWT
- No. 7 Mark Ellis (MU) fall Matt Lettner (UTC): 1:41
- 10
- 4
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- Missouri deducted one team point for unsportsmanlike conduct
- 24
- 14
Missouri Suffers 23-15 Loss to No. 7 Cornell
Missouri Closes Out National Duals with Loss
- Cedar Falls, Iowa- The No. 17 Missouri wrestling team suffered a 23-15 loss to seventh-ranked Cornell, closing out their fifth consecutive run through the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) National Duals with a 1-2 record. Missouri now stands at 2-4 on the year.
- Four Tiger grapplers collected wins in their matches against Cornell. Sophomore Patrick Wright (Grand Ledge, Mich.) recorded Missouri's first victory of the evening with a 3-2 win by decision over John Basting. Missouri's 157 pound grappler closed out the day with a spotless 3-0 record.
- Senior Nicholas Marable, also 3-0 on the day, shut down 12th-ranked Justin Kerber, 12-3, in the 165-pound bout. The Missouri All-American grappler managed three takedowns in the first period alone, tacking on an escape in the second and takedowns and reversal in the third. Additionally, Marable was awarded one point in the second period for Kerber's locked hands and one point for 1:12 of riding time.
- Missouri's third win of the dual came from senior Maxwell Askren (Hartland, Wis.) at 184 pounds. Askren was one of three Missouri wrestlers, in addition to Wright and Marable, to finish the tournament with three wins. Askren won his bout with No. 17 Steve Bosak, 11-3 and collected 2:25 of riding time.
- Sophomore Dominique Bradley (Blue Springs, Mo.) closed out the evening with a 13-4 win over Cornell's Taylor Moore. Bradley held on a 4-1 lead after the first period and retained his advantage throughout the entire match.
- Missouri will return to dual competition on Jan. 16 when they take on Chattanooga in Tennessee.
- Wt
- Wrestler vs. Wrestler
- MU
- CU
- 125
- Cornell wins by forfeit
- 0
- 6
- 133
- No. 12 Mike Grey (CU) major decision Nathan McCormick (MU): 13-1
- 0
- 10
- 141
- No. 6 Kyle Dake (CU) decision No. 20 Todd Schavrien (MU): 6-1
- 0
- 13
- 149
- Corey Manson (CU) decision Cody Farinella (MU): 5-4
- 0
- 16
- 157
- No. 17 Patrick Wright (MU) decision John Basting (CU): 3-2
- 3
- 16
- 165
- No. 6 Nicholas Marable (MU) decision No. 12 Justin Kerber (CU): 12-3
- 7
- 16
- 174
- No. 1 Mack Lewnes (CU) major dec.No. 9 Dorian Henderson (MU): 11-1
- 7
- 20
- 184