Nov. 17, 1999

Columbia, Mo. - The 1999-2000 Missouri wrestling home schedule opens this Thursday night as the Tigers host the No. 6-ranked Oklahoma State Cowboys in the Hearnes Center Arena at 7 p.m.

The Tigers will face their second consecutive national top-ten team. This past Friday, the Tigers dropped a 27-12 dual to No. 3 Illinois at Hazelwood Central High School. MU wrestled well versus the Fighting Illini, gaining three wins including sophomore Kevin Herron?s pin of Illinois? Pat Quirk, who was ranked No. 8 in the nation by Intermat Magazine.

On Sunday, 10 Missouri wrestlers placed among the top-six of their weight divisions at the Central Missouri State University Open in Warrensburg, Missouri. Sophomore John Kopnisky and freshman Jeremy Spates won the 174 lb. and 141 lb. weight classes.

Second place finishes came from Todd Cox (141), Jeff Urban (149) and Kevin Herron (197). Steve Sakis (165) and Jesse Jordan (157) earned third place awards while Mark Bader (133), RJ Young (141), and Mark Vollmar (165) posted sixth place finishes.

Thursday?s dual will be the first of the season for Oklahoma State and will be the first Big 12 Conference dual for both schools. Missouri has never beaten the Cowboys and has not scored versus OSU since the schools? meeting in 1997. In that meeting held in Stillwater, MU narrowly lost to the then No. 1-ranked Cowboys, 23-17.

Next up for Missouri is a trip to the St. Louis Open, where a majority of the Tiger wrestlers will compete versus wrestlers from across the Midwest. MU then faces Purdue and Lindenwood in a three-way dual at the Hearnes Center begining at 6:30 p.m.

PROBABLE STARTING LINEUPS

WGT. MISSOURI/OKLAHOMA ST.

125 Open/Jeff Regan

133 Mark Bader (3-4)/Charles Walker

141 Jeremy Spates (5-1)/Jerod Saunders

149 Jeff Urban (4-2)/Reggie Wright

157 Jesse Jordan (5-2)/Shane Roller

165 David Neff (1-2)/Ty Wilcox

174 John Kopnisky (6-0)/Tony Gansen

184 Josh Maze (2-3)/Pat Popolizo

197 Kevin Herron (4-1)/Mark Munoz

HWT Chad Hertzog (3-2)/Dave Anderton