Wrestling Battles Eastern Illinois On Sunday at Hearnes Center
2/1/2000 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Feb. 1, 2000
Columbia, Mo. - The University of Missouri wrestling team will try to end a two-match losing skid Sunday when it hosts non-conference foe, Eastern Illinois at Hearnes Center, Sunday, February 6 beginning at 2 p.m. Missouri stands at 9-8, while the Panthers venture to Columbia with an undefeated 4-0 mark.
After winning six duals in a row to start second semester, Missouri has dropped two in a row, including a 21-15 loss at the hands of Central Missouri State its last time out (1/27/00), at Hearnes Center. The Tigers' last win was a 38-12 drubbing of Marquette on January 23. Marquette also fell to Eastern Illinois, 26-16 giving EIU its first win of the season.
The Tigers and Panthers also share two other common opponents in Southern Illinois-Edwardsville and Northwestern. Both teams handled SIU-E easily as MU scored a 32-10 victory and EIU a 44-12 romp in its last outing. Versus Northwestern, the Tigers dropped a 19-17 heartbreaker, while Eastern Illinois eeked out a 20-18 win.
Sunday's dual will feature four wrestlers ranked among the nation's top-20 (AWN), three for Missouri and one for EIU. Tigers JEFF URBAN (149)/#17, JEREMY SPATES (141)/#18, and JOHN KOPNISKY (174)/#12 are enjoying national attention, as is Panther Mike Russow (HWT)/#10. EIU's Dan Pool has been in and out of the national rankings this season at 141 pounds.
Spates' bout with Pool will the Tiger freshman's 9th match this season versus a top-25 opponent. He is 3-5 in the first eight and has three top-20 opponents yet to take on before the regular season ends. By the time the Big 12 Championships roll around March 5, Spates will have faced 10 different wrestlers from the top-25 at 141 pounds. Spates is currently tied for the team lead with 27 wins and leads the team with 58 takedowns.
One of the hottest wrestlers in the country right now is MU's KEVIN HERRON (197). The sophomore has been nearly perfect in the new millenium, winning 14 of 15 matches in the year 2000, including his last 12 straight. He has pinned a team-high six opponents, four of which have come among his last 12 victims. He has also managed a technical fall win and three major decisions victories since the calendar turned. Herron's last loss came at the Great Plains Open on Jan. 2., while all seven of his losses overall have come to wrestlers in the nation's top-10.
Jeff Urban has also proven he is Y2K compliant winning 13 of 14 year 2000 matches. MU's lone senior has won ten consecutive dual matches, a career best, and has won a career-high 26 matches, against just eight defeats. He has not fallen out of the top-20 individual poll since Intermat Magazine tabbed him as the No. 12 wrestler in the nation in its Oct. 14 Preseason top-20 ranking. His wins include six major decisions, a technical fall and five pins.
The Missouri team's newest member, sophomore JESSE WEST (125), sports an 8-2 record since arriving at MU from Iowa State in December. West has scored 37 dual points for MU, fourth best on the squad and did not give up a takedown until his nineth match.
Sunday will be Missouri's second try at 10 wins for the season. After starting the year, 1-5, the Tigers reeled off eight wins in their next ten duals to improve to 9-7 heading into last Thursday's meet with Central Missouri. The Mules were less than courteous guests, beating MU at Hearnes, 21-15, dropping Mizzou's mark to 9-8. EIU has won six of the ten all-time meetings between the two schools, including the last dual, a 22-13 Panther home win over Mizzou on January 18, 1998.
Four duals remain on the Missouri regular season schedule following Sunday's match. Up next, MU will travel to No. 2 Iowa State on Friday, February 11 and then head to No. 9 Northern Iowa for a Sunday, February 13 dual. Mizzou finishes up the season at home with a dual versus No. 5 Oklahoma on February 16 and a match against Northern Illinois on Sunday, February 20.
PROBABLE MISSOURI STARTING LINEUP
125 Jesse West 8-2
133 Mark Bader 11-22
141 Jeremy Spates 27-7
149 Jeff Urban 26-8
157 Jesse Jordan 23-13
165 Tim Hawks 3-11
174 John Kopnisky 27-3
184 Josh Maze 14-21
197 Kevin Herron 22-7
HWT Chad Hertzog 15-14
TIGER TEAM LEADERS
Total Wins Jeremy Spates, 27
John Kopnisky, 27
Dual Wins Kevin Herron, 14
Takedowns Jeremy Spates, 58
Reversals Jesse Jordan, 14
Near Fall 2 Kevin Herron, 6
Near Fall 3 Kevin Herron, 14
Falls Kevin Herron, 7
Total Points Jeremy Spates, 184
Team Points Kevin Herron, 71
