March 7, 2002
Missouri will join, Iowa State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Nebraska in Norman, Okla. this weekend for the Big 12 Championships.
MU comes into this year's Big 12 Championships with its best team since the inception of the Big 12. The Tigers are coming off their best season in decades, compiling an 18-3 record, including their first ever Big 12 Conference victory as the defeated Nebraska 24-16 on Dec. 15 in Lincoln, Neb.
The eighteen wins tie a Missouri school record for wins in a season. The only other team ever to record 18 wins in a season was the 1967-68 team.
Missouri Outlook
The Missouri Tigers enter the Big 12 Conference Championships having completed one of the best seasons in school history. Missouri finished the year with an 18-3 record. It is the first winning season for a MU squad in nine years and the eighteen wins tie a school record for wins in a season.
The Tigers entered the season ranked No. 21 and defeated then-No. 9 ranked Illinois in the season opener. Mizzou later defeated then-No. 9 Nebraska for its first ever Big 12 Conference win.
The Tigers claimed first place at both the Reno Tournament of Champions in December and the Virginia Duals in January.
At Reno, the Tigers picked up the title by finishing ahead of Oklahoma State, Arizona State and Penn State. Tiger sophomore Scott Barker won the 197-pound division at Reno by winning all four of his bouts by pinning his opponents. He was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Wrestler.
At the Virginia Duals, the Tigers defeated Virginia, North Carolina and Penn State to advance to the finals where they downed Hofstra 25-13.
After the Virginia Duals, the Tigers defeated Wyoming giving them an 11-0 record on the season, which was the best start since the 1967-68 team went 15-0 to open the season.
Missouri's first loss of the season came against Oklahoma State on Jan. 25. The Cowboys downed MU 26-7 in front of 1,138 Tiger fans, the largest crowd ever to attend a dual at Missouri. The Tigers' other defeats came to Iowa State 26-16 and Oklahoma 23-12.
Missouri has been ranked in the top 10 of the polls for ten consecutive weeks and has been ranked No. 9 for the past nine weeks. Ten different MU wrestlers spent time ranked in the top 20 of their weight classes this season and currently seven Tigers are ranked.
Senior John Kopnisky moved into fourth place on the all-time wins list at MU. He currently has 103 victories. Kopnisky became only the eighth Tiger to reach the 100-career win mark by recording a pin against CMSU.
The Big 12 Conference
Although only five Big 12 Conference schools have a wrestling program, the Big 12 is one of the strongest, if not the strongest, wrestling conferences in the nation. Four of the five Big 12 teams are ranked in the top 10 in the nation.
In the latest Intermat poll, Oklahoma State, Oklahoma and Iowa State occupy the fifth, sixth and seventh spots respectively. Missouri remained at No. 9 for the ninth straight week.
Nebraska began the season ranked and was as high as No. 9 at one point, but has since fallen out of the top 25.
The Tigers are 1-3 against the Big 12 this season. They picked up their first ever Big 12 Conference victory on Dec. 15 by defeating Nebraska 24-16 in Lincoln, Neb. Missouri's first loss of the season came on Jan. 25 to Oklahoma State by a score of 26-7. The Tigers then fell to Iowa State 26-16 in Ames, Iowa and closed out the season with a 23-12 loss to Oklahoma State on Feb. 26.
To emphasize even more the strength of the conference, in the latest Intermat poll, 38 of the 50 wrestlers that will be in action today are ranked in the top 20 of their weight classes. Of the ten weight classes, three have a Big 12 wrestler ranked No. 1 and 22 Big 12 wrestlers are ranked in the top 10 of their weight classes.
Eleven returning All-Americans will be in action at the Big 12 Championships this weekend.
The Big 12 is allocated 36 qualifiers to the NCAA Championships. The top three from each weight class along with six wildcard selections will make the trip to Albany, N.Y on March 21-23
Oklahoma State won championship honors at last year's Big 12 Championships in Stillwater, Okla. The Cowboys finished ahead of Oklahoma, Iowa State, Nebraska and Missouri.
The Tigers had two wrestlers qualify for the NCAA Tournament. Freshman Justin Spates finished fourth in the 125-pound division and earned a trip to the NCAA's. John Kopnisky made his second consecutive trip to the NCAA's at 174-pounds.
Missouri Projected Lineup (Overall record, Dual record, Big 12 Record)
125- Mark Bader-Jr. (16-15, 11-10, 1-3)
133- Chris McCormick-Fr. (13-14, 9-12, 0-4)
141- J.P. Reese-So. (22-8, 16-5, 3-1)
149- Jeremy Spates-So. (22-6, 16-3, 3-1)
157- Kenny Burleson- So. (27-8, 13-3, 1-3)
165- Tyron Woodley-RSFr. (17-8, 12-6, 1-3)
174- John Kopnisky-Sr. (23-4, 15-3, 4-0)
184- Dante Stone- Jr (17-11, 12-7, 1-3)
197- Scott Barker-So. (21-2, 17-2, 3-1)
HWT- Kevin Herron-Jr. (20-11, 14-7, 1-3)
Rankings
For the ninth consecutive week, the Missouri Tigers hold the No. 9 spot in the Intermat poll. The Tigers have been in the top 10 for the past ten weeks. MU began the season ranked No. 21 and made its way up in the rankings by opening the season 11-0, the best start for a Missouri squad since the 1967-68 season.
Currently seven Tigers are ranked, led by sophomore Scott Barker. Barker has been the highest ranked Tiger all year and is ranked No. 7 in the 197-pound class.
John Kopnisky is No. 11 at 174 pounds, Jeremy Spates is No. 12 at 149 pounds and Kenny Burleson is No. 13 in the 157-pound class. Tyron Woodley is No. 14 at 165 pounds, Dante Stone (184) and J.P. Reese (141) are each No. 20.
Ten different MU wrestlers have spent time ranked in the top 20 of their weight classes this year.
Up Next
Thirty-six wrestlers from the Big 12 will qualify for the 2002 NCAA Championships. The top three finishers in each weight class at this week's Big 12 Championships will qualify for nationals along with six wildcard selections.
This year the National Tournament will be held at the Pepsi Arena in Albany, N.Y. on March 21-23.