Feb. 6, 2003

COLUMBIA, Mo. -

The ninth-ranked Missouri Tiger wrestling team will host 15th-ranked Iowa State in a Big 12 conference dual meet, Saturday at 1:00 p.m. and then face Wyoming, Sunday at 4:00 p.m. Both duals will be held in the Hearnes Center Fieldhouse. The Tigers (12-5, 2-1 Big 12) are coming off and upset victory over then ninth-ranked Nebraska, 23-14 this past Friday and then defeated Eastern Illinois, 48-3 on Sunday. The win over the Cornhuskers was the second consecutive win over a top-ten wrestling program after defeating then third-ranked Oklahoma, 25-20 in Norman, Oklahoma.

Iowa State heads into the match-up struggling, losing its last four duals, albeit against highly ranked teams such as top-ranked Oklahoma State, fourth-ranked Cornell and 11th-ranked Oklahoma. This past weekend they fell to Oklahoma State, 26-9. The loss dropped the Cyclones to 5-8 on the season and 0-2 in the Big 12. The Cyclones are 1-8 against ranked teams this season, with their lone victory over third-ranked Minnesota. The Cyclones finished fifth at the Keystone Classic and seventh at the Midlands. Last season Head Coach Bobby Douglas led his team to a second place finish at the NCAA's. He returns nine letterwinners including three NCAA qualifiers which include a NCAA Champion and a NCAA All-American.

Iowa State leads the all-time series against the Tigers, 1-40. The Tigers futility against the Cyclones dates back to 1927, in which the Tigers won 12-11 in Ames, Iowa. The 40 losses against the Cyclones are the most losses against any opponent in Missouri wrestling history. Last season the Tigers lost to the Cyclones, 26-16 in Ames. Last season Mark Bader upset 13th-ranked Ty Malia, 5-2,. J.P. Reese pinned 2002 NCAA 141-pound champion Aaron Holker and Dante Stone defeated Austen Palmer, 2-0.

Wyoming is 8-4 in duals this season. Their last match was January 25, losing to then ninth-ranked Nebraska, 29-12. The Cowboys are unranked, but are 2-1 against ranked opponents. They have defeated then 13th-ranked Boise State and 25th-ranked Fresno State. Cowboy Head Coach Steven Suder returns eight starters including one NCAA qualifier

The Tigers lead the all-time series against the Cowboys, 3-2. Last season the Tigers defeated the Cowboys, 30-9 in Laramie, Wyoming. The victory was the Tigers 11th of the season as the Tigers started off 11-0 before finishing 18-3. The Tigers won seven of the ten bouts enroute to the victory.

The Cowboys will travel to Cedar Falls, Iowa on Saturday to take on both 14th-ranked Northern Iowa and Eastern Illinois.

Weight-by-Weight Preview

125 lbs.- Senior co-captain Mark Bader (Creve Coeur/Vianney) has wrestled seven top-25 wrestlers this year including five top-ten wrestlers. Most recently he dropped a 11-3 decision to third-ranked Jason Powell from Nebraska. He rebounded two days later to defeat Mike Stanley from Eastern Illinois by technical fall. Iowa State's Grant Nakamura will be Bader's eighth top-25 opponent. Nakamura is currently ranked 19th and is 15-9. Wyoming's Bryce Leonhardt is 14-11.

133 lbs.- Sophomore Chris McCormick (Leawood, Kan./Blue Valley North) is the top 133-pounder for the Tigers. He has a dual record of 6-6. Redshirt freshman Austin DeVoe (Columbus, Kan./Columbus United) is also capable of wrestling at 133-pounds. 2002 All-American Zach Roberson is ranked fourth in the country for the Cyclones. He has a dual record of 11-2, including 1-1 in the Big 12. Tyson Shatto is Wyomings' top 133-pounder. He has a record of 10-7 and a dual record of 7-4. Last season Roberson defeated McCormick by technical fall.

141 lbs.- 2002 NCAA Qualifier J.P. Reese (Rochester Hills, Mich./Rochester Adams) is currently ranked 10th by TheMat.com for the Tigers. He has a record of 21-9, good for third on the team including a 4-2 victory over then #2 Nate Parker (Oklahoma) at the Missouri Open. He ranks second in the Big 12 in overall falls with 13 and has 31 career pins. 2002 NCAA 141-pound champion Aaron Holker is the top wrestler for the Cyclones. Currently ranked fourth, he has a record of 14-2, but is 0-2 against Big 12 opponents. Last season Reese went 1-1 against Holker last season, pinning him in their dual match-up. Redshirt freshman Nate Gallick is also a possibility for the Cyclones. Blake Gunter is the Cowboy's top 141-pounder, he is 17-8 overall and 8-4 in duals. Gunter finished eighth at the Las Vegas Invite.

149 lbs.- 2000 NCAA Qualifier and junior co-captain Jeremy Spates (Norman, Ok./Norman) is currently ranked seventh for the Tigers. He has a record of 18-4 including a dual record of 10-3. He is 4-2 against ranked opponents this season including a victory over then seventh-ranked Travis Shufelt of Nebraska last weekend. Spates is 2-0 against the Big 12 and a winner in his last four matches. Gallick and Holker have both occupied this spot for the Cyclones. They have a combined record of 7-5 in duals at this weight. Last season Wyoming's Thad Trujillo lost to Spates 6-1. This season Trujillo is 10-13 and 4-8 in duals. He finished third at the Cowboy Open.

157 lbs.- Junior Kenny Burleson (Neosho, Mo./Neosho) is one the hottest wrestlers in the Big 12 this season. He is currently ranked 11th in the country and leads the Tigers in both overall and dual wins (28-4/15-1). Currently he has won 15 straight matches and looks to continue his winning ways against the Cyclones' Nathan Meyer. Meyer is 11-9 on the season. Andrew Shuler is 12-8 for the Cowboys including 5-3 in dual competition. He finished second at the Cowboy Open.

165 lbs.- 2002 NCAA Qualifier and sophomore co-captain Tyron Woodley (Ferguson, Mo./McCluer) is currently ranked sixth for the Tigers. He is tied for second on the Tigers' with 24 dual victories. He is 12-4 in duals this season and 2-1 in conference. He is 8-4 against ranked opponents this season. He faces two ranked oppo- nents this weekend. The Cyclones' Nick Passolano is a 2002 NCAA qualifier at 174-pounds last season. He is currently ranked fifth with a 15-6 overall record and a 9-4 dual record. Levi Prevost was the lone NCAA qualifier for the Cowboys last season. This season he is ranked 12th in the country with a record of 23-4. Two of his four losses have come against Woodley at the Las Vegas Invite. Woodley defeated him in the consolation championship match 5-3.

174 lbs.- Sophomore John Sioredas (Chesapeake, Va./Great Bridge) stepped in at the 174-pound weight class against Nebraska and impressed the coaching staff with his toughness. Last season he started the season as the starter at 157-pounds before injuring himself. This season he has compiled a record of 17-8, going 1-1 in duals as a 174-pounder. Ken Cook is a redshirt freshman for the Cyclones who has a dual record of 2-9 and is 0-2 against the Big 12. Wyomings' Justin Salas is currently 16-8 and 6-2 in duals.

184 lbs.- 2002 NCAA All-American Scott Barker (St. Louis, Mo./Oakville) is wrestling at 184-pounds this season. After battling injuries earlier this season he is healthy now and is currently ranked fifth, with a dual record of 8-1 including six falls. Austen Palmer provides another test for Barker. Palmer is ranked 10th in the country for the Cyclones with a dual record of 8-4. The Cowboys will send out Sam Wendland to face Barker. Wendland is a true freshman and has a record of 9-13.

197 lbs.- Senior Dante Stone (Calder, Id./North Idaho Junior College) is ranked 20th with a record of 19-11 and a dual record of 9-7 for the Tigers. Redshirt freshman Jeff Foust (Blue Springs, Mo./Blue Springs South) can fill in at both 184 and 197-pounds. Combined he is 17-8 overall and 7-2 in duals this season, including 1-0 in the Big 12 with a win over then No. 10 Jake Rosholt (Oklahoma State). Woodley Milord is 8-13 for the Cyclones, 4-9 in duals and 0-2 in the Big 12. Wyomings' Kevin Kessner, like Stone, has moved up in weight class. Like Stone, he to has found success in his new weight class. He is currently ranked 18th in the country with a overall record of 19-8 and a dual record of 9-1. Kessner is Stone's tenth ranked opponent he will face this season. Kessner leads the Cowboys in pins with eight and finished sixth at the Las Vegas Invite.

HWT- Senior Kevin Herron (Imperial, Mo./Fox) is the all-time falls leader at the University of Missouri with 39 pins. Ranked 14th, he leads both the Tigers and the Big 12 leader in overall falls (16) and dual falls (11) this season. He needs one more pin to tie the all-time season pin record of 17 held by Mark Cody (1984-85) He has an overall record of 24-6 and dual record of 15-2. He is 4-3 against top-25 opponents, including two wins against top-five wrestlers. He will face two more top-25 heavyweights in the Cyclones' Scott Coleman and the Cow- boys' Brad Steele. Coleman is ranked 20th in the country and is 2-0 in the Big 12. Steele is ranked19th in the country and is ninth on the all-time Cowboy wins list with 103 career victories. He is 19-6 overall and 10-1 in duals this season. He is second on the Cowboys in pins with seven.