Missouri Wrestling Stands in Second Place in North Carolinatitle
Nine Tigers Advance Through Opening Day of Competition Without a Loss
GREENSBORO, N.C., Dec. 29 /PRNewswire/ -- The No. 11 Tigers wrapped up the
first day of competition in good position at the Southern Scuffle, Dec. 29,
trailing only No. 3 Minnesota in the team standings. Nine Missouri wrestlers
will open their second day in the Greensboro Coliseum Complex Special Events
Center in the hunt for a title, although only seven count toward the team
score. Head Coach Brian Smiths squad compiled 51.5 points on the opening day
of competition.
Teams are only allowed to count one wrestler per weight class, and at both
141 and 197 pounds two Tigers advanced to quarterfinal competition. At 141
pounds, No. 19 senior Chris McCormick (Leawood, Kan.) is joined by redshirt
freshman Marcus Hoehn (Farmington, Mo.), who posted a perfect 3-0 record in
only his second action of the season. Showing his ability to win the tough
matches, Hoehn picked up two victories by one point each, then earned the
third with a three-point advantage, 6-3 over Rick McLaughlin of Edinboro.
Missouris one-two punch of youth and experience at 197 pounds experienced
similar success, as No. 13 senior Jeff Foust (Blue Springs, Mo.) and freshman
Max Askren (Hartland, Wis.) each enter the second day undefeated. Picking up
extra points in each of his three matches, Foust won his first bout by pinning
Nick Lorenzano of Chattanooga, then major decisioned his next two opponents by
the same 10-2 score. In the process of completing a redshirt season, Askren
competed unattached and pinned both of his opponents in less than two minutes,
dropping Jim Gibson of Edinboro in 1:57 and dispatching of Marylands Jerry
Afari in 1:51.
Not to be outdone by his younger brother, No. 1-ranked junior Ben Askren
(Hartland, Wis.) pinned all three of his opponents on the day at 174 pounds,
the fastest coming in his first match over Matthias Piasecki of Gardner-Webb
in 37 seconds. Askrens three falls raised his season total to 18, just two
behind his own Missouri record of 20, which he established in 2004-05.
Ranked No. 4 in the nation at 165 pounds, junior Matt Pell (Luxemburg,
Wis.) dominated in his two trips to center circle, pinning Aaron Glover of
Duke in 3:44 in his opening match, then trapping the shoulders of Riders
Chris Marold in just 58 seconds. The two victories make Pell 14-1, the
second-best record on the team behind the elder Askrens unblemished 22-0
mark.
Raymond Jordan (New Bern, N.C.), Austin DeVoe (Columbus, Kan.), and Tyler
McCormick (Leawood, Kan.) round out the list of Missouri wrestlers that will
do battle in the quarterfinals tomorrow. The only member of the team who is a
native of North Carolina, Jordan earned decisions in a pair of tough matches.
A redshirt freshman who has earned the No. 17 rank at 184 pounds, Jordan beat
senior Brian Malay of Lehigh 9-5 in his opening match, then shut out Kyle
Narkiewicz of Virginia, 6-0, to finish the day. Ranked No. 16 and No. 15 at
125 and 133 pounds, respectively, DeVoe and McCormick also recorded two
victories on the day.
Former Tiger Tyron Woodley, competing unattached at 174 pounds, also
enters the second day undefeated. A two-time All-American who graduated last
year, Woodley proved that his skills havent diminished in a year, pinning his
last two opponents of the day.
Team Standings
1 58 Minnesota
2 51.5 Missouri
3 49.5 Edinboro
4 43.5 Cornell
5 42.5 Kent State
Updated Records: Southern Scuffle, Season, Career
125 - Austin DeVoe: 2-0, 19-4, 62-35
125 - Tim Kephart: 2-2, 15-7, 35-24
125 - John Olanowski: 3-1, 20-8, NA (Redshirt Season)
133 - Tyler McCormick: 2-0, 10-3, 30-18
133 - Amond Prater: 3-1, 14-6, 56-22
141 - Chris McCormick: 3-0, 21-4, 72-46
141 - Marcus Hoehn: 3-0, 3-2, 3-2
149 - Josh Wagner: 2-1, 11-8, 29-18
149 - Justin Cole: 1-2, 11-7, 28-10
157 - James Williamson: 0-1, 15-3, 31-11
165 - Matt Pell: 2-0, 14-1, 80-23
174 - Ben Askren: 3-0, 22-0, 88-8
174 - Joey Garrity: 1-2, 15-14, 15-14
184 - Raymond Jordan: 2-0, 17-4, 17-4
197 - Jeff Foust: 3-0, 10-2, 80-31
197 - Max Askren: 2-0, 21-2, NA (Redshirt Season)
HWT - Sean Connole: 2-1, 17-11, 17-11
