February 15, 1999
Columbia, Mo. - The Missouri Tiger wrestling team will host #4 Nebraska Wednesday night at 7 pm in the Hearnes Fieldhouse in MU's final home dual of the season. The Tigers enter the match 3-8 and are still seeking their first Big 12 conference win in 99. Nebraska arrives in Columbia, with a 16-6 overall record and a 2-1 mark in Big 12 duals.
Returning to Hearnes will be a welcomed site for the Tigers. This past weekend Head Coach Brian Smith and his crew traveled to Oklahoma for dual matches versus #4 Oklahoma and #1 Oklahoma State and were handed two decisive losses, 36-3 at Norman and 44-0 in Stillwater. Missouris wrestlers have now lost four straight matches, three in conference action and one versus non-conference foe Northern Iowa.
The Huskers are coming off a 22-9 loss to #2 Minnesota Sunday in their final home match of the season. Nebraska's Brad Vering (184) pulled off the upset of the day in the matchs final dual. Vering, ranked #8, defeated UMs Brandon Eggum, who was ranked #1 at 184 and finished 5th last season at the NCAA Championships at 177. Among the Huskers starting lineup are eight ranked wrestlers, including #6 Paul Gomez (125) who has outscored his dual opponents 70-13 in sixteen dual matches.
Admission to the match will be $5 for adults, students and children $3, and children under 2 get in free of charge.
PROBABLE LINEUPS AND RECORDS VERSUS NEBRASKA
125 Jake Lapinski (7-14) versus Paul Gomez (15-2)
133 Mark Bader (13-11) versus Todd Bockerman (17-13)
141 Cliff Sutcliffe (1-17) versus Jose DeAnda (22-4, 13-3)
149 #15 Jeff Urban (19-9) versus Joe Henson (16-5)
157 Matt Webster (16-9) versus Bryan Snyder (23-2)
165 Jesse Jordan (11-8) versus Zach Dominguez (12-5) or Josh Henson (12-10, 5-10)
174 John Kopnisky (18-10) versus Charles McTorry (10-14)
184 Jason Moore (13-15) versus Brad Vering (18-6)
197 Kevin Herron (9-12) versus Scott Munson (22-7)
HWT Chad Hertzog (9-11) versus J.R. Plienis (19-9)
NOTES ON MIZZOU
Urbans Streak Stopped at Eight
Jeff Urban knew he would have his hands full this past weekend. The junior had won eight straight dual matches, including a 6-5, last second victory over #6 Cole Sanderson of Iowa State last Sunday, and was ranked #15 in the nation at 149 lbs. But next for Urban would be #13 Jared Frayer of Oklahoma and #2 Reggie Wright of Oklahoma State on the teams trip to Oklahoma this past weekend. In the toughest weight class in the conference, Urban was in the thick of the race for the top spot and a #1 seed at the Big 12 Championships. Unfortunately, Urbans good fortune ran dry as he lost both macthes in Oklahoma, snapping his eight match streak and dropping his record to 19-9 overall, 1-2 in Big 12 Conference action. Coming up Wednesday, Jef will have another opportunity to show he among the conferences elite when he takes on Joe Henson of Nebraska, the #8 man in the nation.
Big 12 Conference Wrestling (from Big 12 Wrestling Notes)
For the second straight week, four of the five conference teams are ranked in the top six in the National Wrestling Coaches Association poll release Feb. 10. #1 Oklahoma State leads the pack with Nebraska and Oklahoma tied for the #4 spot and Iowa State not far behind at #6. The Tigers have faced an uphill climb as they compete against the nations elite teams, but the tough competition will also give the Tigers a chance to reach national prominance as they begin to challenge within the conference in the coming years.
Horton Named to Staff of Conference Select Team
Missouri assistant wrestling coah Bart Horton has been named assistant coach of a Big 12 select team that will travel to Korea in May. Horton was selected for the position by vote of the conferences head wrestling coaches. Nebraska head coach Tim Neumann will head the teams staff. "This is an excellent opportunity for me to coach some of the elite athletes in the Big 12," Horton said of his appointment. "It is an honor to be chosen by my peers and I think it will be good for the wrestling program here at Missouri." The team will consist of ten wrestlers from the conference who will compete in the Korean Junior Nationals tourney over a ten day period the end of May 1999. Each of the five Big 12 schools with wrestling programs will be guaranteed representation by at least one wrestler. The other five positions will be filled on an at-large basis based on individual results at the end of the Big 12 season. Head coach Brian Smith thinks this is a great chance for his first-year assistant. "This is an outstanding opportunity for Bart and for our program. He is a great recruiter and this goes a long way to him developing relationships with kids from other schools and being seen as a respected coach within the Big 12."
Lineup Switchup
When Jesse Jordan went down with a knee injury earlier this year, coach Brian Smith asked senior Matt Webster (149) to fill in for the team in the staring lineup at 157. The senior agreed and responded by winning three dual macthes in a row in the slot. When Jordan returned to the lineup last week at CMSU, Smith could not take his lone senior out of the lineup. Adding to Smiths concerns was the hole created at 174 with the loss of Jared Sears from the team after the Wyoming dual. Thats when Jordan and John Kopnisky stepped up for their coach. The freshmen suggested that Jordan wrestle at 165, Kopniskys actual weight, and that Kopnisky move up to the 174 spot to fill out the lineup. Smith agreed and the Tigers were set for the CMSU meet. According to Smith the lineup will remain the same unless changes need to be made for the good of the team.