Dec. 20, 2001

The University of Missouri wrestling team, coming off of its first ever Big 12 Conference victory on Saturday, has moved up in the latest poll released by Intermat. The Tigers moved to No. 15 in the nation with their victory over Nebraska last weekend. The Cornhuskers dropped to No. 17.

Missouri also has six wrestlers ranked in the top 20 with five in the top 10. Sophomore Scott Barker, who on Saturday defeated the No. 5 ranked wrestler in the 197 pound class, is now ranked No. 6.

Senior John Kopnisky, junior Kevin Herron and sophomore Jeremy Spates each moved up one spot in the polls. Kopnisky is No. 8 in the 174-pound class, Herron is the ninth ranked heavyweight and Spates is No. 9 at 149 pounds.

Sophomore Tyron Woodley remained at No. 9 in the 165 pound class and junior Mark Bader is ranked 15th in the 125 pound class.

In the latest poll released by W.I.N. Magazine, the Tigers are ranked No. 10 in the nation.

The Tigers are taking part in the Reno Tournament of Champions this week before they break for the holidays. Their win on Saturday was the first conference win of any kind for the Tigers since they defeated Oklahoma 20-19 in January of 1994, when MU was part of the Big 8 Conference.

Missouri is now 5-0 on the season. It is the first time the Tigers have started the season with five straight wins since they did it in 1984. The year before that MU got off to a 7-0 start.