March 19, 2002
The University of Missouri wrestling team will have four individuals taking part in the NCAA Championships at the Pepsi Arena in Albany, N.Y. this week.
The Tigers are coming off their best season in decades, posting an 18-3 record and a No. 9 national ranking. The eighteen wins tie a school record for most wins in a season and the No. 9 ranking is the highest ranking ever for Missouri.
Senior John Kopnisky will be making his third trip to nationals. He qualified by finishing third at the Big 12 Conference Championships. Kopnisky became the eighth wrestler in Missouri history to record 100-career wins earlier this season and he is currently in fourth place on the all-time wins list at MU.
Sophomore Scott Barker will make his first trip to the NCAA Championships. He has a record of 22-3 and took second at the Big 12 Conference Championships. Sophomore J.P. Reese also took second at the Big 12's and will make his first trip to the national tournament.
Redshirt freshman Tyron Woodley was chosen as one of the six wildcard selections from the Big 12 Conference for the NCAA Championships. Woodley took fourth at the conference championships earlier this month.
Missouri's NCAA Qualifiers
John Kopnisky will be making his third straight appearance in the NCAA Championships. He is ranked No. 11 in the 174-pound weight class by Intermat and has a record of 24-5 overall. The 24 wins is second on the team. He was 4-0 in the Big 12 Conference during the regular season and was 1-1 at the Big 12 Championships, finishing third in the 174-pound class. He picked up his 100th career victory on Feb. 13 against Central Missouri State's Lee Gatlin and is now in fourth place on the all-time wins list at Missouri with 104 career victories. Kopnisky was 5-0 at this season's Missouri Open, taking a first place finish. He took second at the Reno Tournament of Champions with a record of 3-1. Kopnisky was 4-0 during the Virginia Duals, with two of the wins being by technical fall.
Scott Barker has compiled a record of 22-3 this season with two of his losses coming to No. 1 ranked Cael Sanderson of Iowa State. Barker is 17-3 in duals and 4-2 in the Big 12 Conference and will make his first trip to the National Tournament. He is ranked No. 7 by Intermat and has been in the top ten for most of the season. At the Reno Tournament of Champions, Barker was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Wrestler after he claimed the championship in the 197-pound weight class. He won all four matches at Reno by pinning his opponent in the first round of the bouts. All four pins were in less than 1:34. He was selected as the first Big 12 Wrestler of the Week this season on Jan. 7. He won his first 13 matches of the year, nine by pins, and of his 22 victories on the season, 11 have been pins, which puts him second on the team in pins.
J.P. Reese is ranked 20th by Intermat and has an overall record of 23-9 and is 16-5 in duals. He will be making his first appearance in the NCAA Championships. Reese is tied for third on the team with 23 victories on the year and leads the Tigers with 13 pins. He has recorded three of the quickest pins of the year (0:22, 0:29, 0:31). At one point this season, he recorded five straight pins. Reese was 3-1 in the Big 12 Conference in the regular season, earning the No. 1 seed at the Big 12 Championships. He was 5-1 at the Reno Tournament of Champions and took third place at 141 pounds. He pinned No. 5 Aaron Holker of Iowa State on Feb. 7 in 1:24 and finished the regular season by winning his final ten bouts. Reese was named the Big 12 Wrestler of the Week on Feb. 11 and took second place at the Big 12 Championships on March 9.
Tyron Woodley is ranked No. 14 in the 165-pound class and has an overall record of 18-10, and 12-6 in duals. He will be making his first trip to the NCAA Tournament. He defeated two top ten opponents in the Missouri Open on his way to a second place finish. He picked up a 6-2 decision over Nebraska's Tony Denke on Dec. 15. Woodley finished second at the Reno Tournament of Champions in the 165-pound class. He finished fourth at the Big 12 Championships and earned a bid to the NCAA Championships by being named as one of the six wildcard selections, as voted on by the conference coaches.