Tiger Wrestling Announces 2002 Recruiting Class
5/30/2002 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
May 30, 2002
Missouri wresting coach Brian Smith announced the Tigers' 13-member recruiting class for 2002 on Thursday. Intermat ranks Missouri's class as the 11th best in the nation and, according to Intermat, this class "will help them to build upon the momentum that they gained last season."
Mark Dickman is a four-time state qualifier and a three-time state champion at Hannibal (Mo.) High School and compiled an overall record of 120-15. He holds his school's record in most takedowns (168), most major decisions (10) and most technical falls (13) in a season. He also holds Hannibal's record for most career takedowns (378). He will join the Tigers in either the 133-pound class or the 141-pound class.
Mathew Pell was a three-time state champion at Luxemburg-Casco High School in Luxemburg, Wisc. He was also a Greco Roman All-American in 2001. Pell chose Mizzou over Wisconsin and will join the 149-pound or 157-pound class for the Tigers. Intermat has Pell ranked as the eighth best wrestler at 145 pounds in the nation and 10th among all wrestlers in Wisconsin.
Jed Lewis comes to MU from Norfolk (Neb.) Catholic High School where he was a two-time State Champion and was runner-up once. He was also selected as an Honorable Mention High School All-American by Wrestling USA as a senior. Lewis was also a two-time second team Academic All-State Wrestler in Nebraska. He will wrestle at 149 pounds for the Tigers.
Bradley Scott, from Woodland, Ga., is ranked No. 8 by Intermat in the 125-pound weight class in the nation and compiled a record of 200-4 in high school. He was a three-time State Champion and finished fourth as a freshman. In 2000 he was the NHSCA National Champion and in 2001 has was a National Iron Man Champion. Scott was also a Southeast Junior Regional Champion in 1999. He will join the Tigers' 125-pound weight class.
Chris Parris was 158-10 at Babylon (N.Y.) High School and finished second at the State Tournament as a senior. He was a two-time county runner-up and a New York Greco State Champion. Parris was also a member of the Kellogg National Dual team. Along with wrestling, he also was a three-time All-County selection in football and track. He chose Missouri over West Virginia and Hofstra and will wrestle in the 184-pound class for MU.
Tony Doerr is from Hazelwood, Mo. and is ranked No. 21 by Intermat among 152-pound wrestlers in the country and No. 4 among wresters in Missouri. Doerr will join MU at either 149 pounds or 157 pounds. He had a record of 149-6 at Hazelwood Central High School and was a two-time State Champion and took third once. Doerr also considered Northern Iowa before choosing Missouri.
Greg Callahan is from Bloomington, Ill. where he had a record of 108-26 in high school. He took fourth as a heavyweight at the State Tournament. Callahan also succeeded in the classroom, graduating as the valedictorian of his class. He chose Missouri over Purdue and Illinois.
Cody Crocker is a product of Neosho (Mo.) High School where had one second place finish and one third place finish at the Missouri State High School Wrestling Championships. He was a district champion and two-time all-conference selection. He also made the Academic All-State team twice. Crocker will wrestle at 125 pounds for Mizzou.
Joe Williamson took third at last year State Tournament as Blue Springs (Mo.) South High School and led his team to its second consecutive State Championship. He will join the Tigers' 165-pound weight class next fall.
Patrick Mazi is from Liberty (Mo.) and was a State Champion at 135 pounds last year. He will wrestle in the 141-pound weight class for the Tigers after choosing MU over Nebraska and Arizona State.
Ray Napolitan will also join the Tigers next fall. He comes to Missouri from Rockwall High School in Texas where he was a State placer in the Texas High School Wrestling Championships.
The Tigers also had two signees from the early signing period. Ben Askren of Heartland, Wisc. and Gabe Conaghan from Overland Park, Kan. signed with Missouri in the spring and will join the 2002 Tiger freshman class.
"Our goal each year is to have a class ranked in the top ten, and although this class just missed that, we feel that it can compete with the top programs in the nation," Missouri Head Coach Brian Smith said. "Now they have to develop and fit into the system here. We have a good mix of Missouri kids along with good wrestlers from around the country. This class will add depth to our team and provide more competition. This makes an already strong team, even more competitive."
Intermat's Top Recruiting Classes
1. Oklahoma State
2. Michigan
3. Oklahoma
4. Iowa State
5. Arizona State
6. Pennsylvania
7. Penn State
8. Iowa
9. Lehigh
10. Illinois
11. MISSOURI
12. Edinboro
13. Minnesota
14. Purdue
15. Cal Poly
16. Indiana
17. Columbia
18. North Carolina
19. Michigan State
20. Virginia Tech
