Feb. 20, 2002

The Missouri wrestling team will travel to Ithaca, N.Y. this weekend to take part in the Cornell Duals. The Tigers (15-2) will face three schools from the state of New York. A sweep for Mizzou would give the Tigers eighteen wins on the year, which would tie a school record for victories in a season.

This weekend's schedule for MU begins at 10 a.m. on Saturday when it will face Binghamton. Mizzou will then take on the University of Buffalo at noon followed by a dual with the host school, Cornell, at 2 p.m.

MU coach Brian Smith will be returning to where his collegiate coaching career began. From 1992-97, Smith was an assistant coach at Cornell where he worked under former Cornell head coach and current Oklahoma head coach Jack Spates. While at Cornell, Smith helped in recruiting two classes that were ranked in the nation's top 10. Those recruiting classes helped Cornell place 10th in the NCAA in 1993 and 17th in 1994. One of Smith's recruits, David Hirsch, won a National Championship in 1994, the schools first national champion since 1960.

Missouri Outlook
Missouri enters the weekend with a 15-2 record and a No. 9 ranking. The 15 wins are the most for a Tiger team since the 1980-81 season. With three victories this weekend, the Tigers will tie a school record for wins in a season with eighteen.

The Tigers have six of their 10 starters ranked in the top 20 of their weight classes. Senior John Kopnisky has 21 wins on the season and is currently ranked eleventh in the 174-pound weight class. Kopnisky passed the century mark in wins at this year and currently stands in a tie for sixth on Missouri's all-time wins list with 101 career wins.

The highest ranked Tiger is sophomore Scott Barker. Barker is ranked seventh in the 197-pound weight class and is 19-2 on the year, including ten pins. In December, he won the 197-pound division at the Reno Tournament of Champions and was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Wrestler.

Sophomore Jeremy Spates is ranked No. 12 at 149 pounds. Spates is second on the team with 20 wins, holding a 20-5 record.

Redshirt freshman Tyron Woodley is 16-7 on the year and ranked No. 15 in the 165-pound class. Sophomore Kenny Burleson is ranked No. 15 at 157 pounds and leads the team with a 24-8 record on the year. Junior Dante Stone is the No. 20 ranked 184-pound.

Missouri Projected Lineup (Overall record, Dual record, Big 12 Record)
125- Mark Bader-Jr. (15-12, 10-7, 1-2)
133- Chris McCormick-Fr. (10-13, 6-11, 0-3)
141- J.P. Reese-So. (18-8, 12-5, 2-1)
149- Jeremy Spates-So. (20-5, 12-2, 1-2)
157- Kenny Burleson- So. (24-8, 10-3, 0-3)
165- Tyron Woodley-RSFr. (16-7, 10-5, 1-2)
174- John Kopnisky-Sr. (21-4, 13-3, 3-0)
184- Dante Stone- Jr (15-9, 9-6, 1-2)
197- Scott Barker-So. (19-2, 15-2, 2-1)
HWT- Kevin Herron-Jr. (17-10, 11-6, 1-2)

Rankings
Missouri is ranked No. 9 in the nation by Intermat. Mizzou has been in the top 10 for eight consecutive weeks and has been at No. 9 for the past seven weeks. The No. 9 ranking is the highest ranking a Tiger wrestling team has ever held. Missouri opened the season ranked No. 21 and climbed up the polls with its 11-0 start.

Intermat Poll- Feb. 19, 2002
1. Minnesota
2. Michigan
3. Iowa
4. Ohio State
5. Oklahoma State
6. Oklahoma
7. Iowa State
8. Pennsylvania
9. MISSOURI
10. Illinois
11. West Virginia
12. Lehigh
13. Arizona State
14. Purdue
15. Lock Haven
16. Edinboro
17. Northern Iowa
18. Wisconsin
19. Central Michigan
20. Cornell
21. Hofstra
22. Michigan State
23. Oregon
24. Fresno State
25. Oregon State