March 5, 2000

Lincoln, Neb. - Missouri sophomore John Kopnisky has advanced to the Big 12 Conference championship match after defeating Nebraska's Ati Conner in the semi-final round 6-4. Kopnisky, now 30-6 on the season, will face No. 1-ranked and No. 1 seed, Byron Tucker of Oklahoma who is undefeated on the season.

Freshman Jeremy Spates won his first round match over Nebraska's Justin Flores, 10-1, advancing to a semi-final bout with the No. 1 seed Michael Lightner of Oklahoma. Lightner defeated Spates leaving the Tiger to face either Justin Flores of Nebraska or Sonny Marchette of Iowa State for third place and an automatic bid to the NCAA Championships.

Also fighting for a top-3 spot will be sophomore heavyweight Chad Hertzog, who advanced to the semi-finals with a forfeit win over Nebraska. Hertzog then dropped a 6-2 decision to the No. 1 seed, Trent Hynek. The Tiger will face Brent Boeshans of Oklahoma for the automatic trip to St. Louis.

Each of Missouri's other seven wrestlers will wrestle in the consolation semi-fianls beginning at 4 pm. With Kopnisky, Spates and Hertzog's advancement today, MU has already passed its 1999 Big 12 Championships point total.