University of Missouri
Missouri Open
MU Wrestler Jeremy Spates Takes Home Missouri Open Title
11/23/2003 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
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Nov. 23, 2003
Hosting the fourth annual Missouri Open in the Hearnes Center Fieldhouse, MU senior two-time NCAA qualifier Jeremy Spates claimed the 149-pound title, defeating No. 14 Matt McIntire of Indiana with a 4-3 decision. With five Tigers advancing to the championship rounds of the open division, senior Kenny Burleson (157), junior Tyron Woodley (165) and redshirt freshman Ben Askren (174) finished the evening in second place. Senior J.P. Reese (141), who also finished in second after taking a medical forfeit, added two pins to his career in earlier matches upping his total to 35.
The all-day event contained several intense matchups as 57 seeded wrestlers competed for a Missouri Open title. Sixteen Tigers competed in the Open division while 10 wrestled in the Freshman/Sophomore division.
"I'm pleased with the performance our team gave today," head coach Brian Smith said. "We had five individuals make it to the championship rounds of the Open event, which is the most we've ever taken. This team really goes out there and battles at every match. They're impressive to watch, and I think they did a good job of moving beyond Friday night's win over Oklahoma State. We have a long season ahead that we still need to practice for."
Ranked eighth in the nation, Spates, a native of Norman, Okla., went 5-0 on the day, starting the morning with a bye before taking on J.P. Stanley of Indiana and claiming his first fall of the season in 1:11. The battle at 149-pounds continued with Spates going head-to-head with No. 11 Cal Ferry (Illinois, dec. 7-0) and ended with a 4-3 decision over McIntire.
Two Tigers will continue their search for wins over top-ranked Oklahoma State wrestlers No. 2 Tyrone Lewis (165) and Chris Pendelton (174). In a matchup similar to Friday night's dual, the final results were Lewis over Woodley 8-2, and Pendleton over Askren in a 7-3 decision.
Burleson of Neosho, Mo., ranked 12th in the nation, fought hard at 157-pounds but couldn't hold off No. 2 Alex Tirapelle of Illinois, finishing the match in a 3-1 decision. Making his way to the championship bout, Burleson defeated No. 13 Kevin Ward (OSU) for the second consecutive matchup of the season.
Attempting to move further up in the MU history books with career-pins is Reese. The Rochester Hills, Mich. wrestler recorded back-to-back falls over Shaine Jaime of Cumberland College (5:55) and Clark Shouse of Oklahoma State (5:44). With 35 pins to his name, Reese is just one fall shy of tying former Mizzou great Rick Romeo (1977-1982) at 36.
Senior Ian Semelroth and transfer Mike Whitehead (HWT), junior transfer Paul Collum (133) sophomore Austin DeVoe (125), and redshirt freshman Matt Pell (184), pulled out top-six finishes for Missouri. Going 5-1 at the open, Collum finished in third place defeating two ranked wrestlers before being forced into the consolation round after falling to Mark Jayne of Illinois. Collum's final victory came over 18th-ranked Pat Dowty of Eastern Illinois.
Whitehead, competing unattached, finished his day in fifth place with one fall (2:56) and three decisions, while Devoe went 4-3 to finish in sixth. Making solid contributions at 184-pounds, Pell had an impressive three falls on the evening, the fastest coming at :31 over Mario Thomas of Missouri Valley. Semelroth earned a fall over Big 12 competitor Justin Dyer in a time of 3:18 on his way to a sixth place showing.
In the freshman/sophomore division newcomer Justin Cole claimed a second place finish at 149-pounds, while Joe Williamson took third in a 6-4 decision at 165-pounds. Jake Dieffenbach finished in fourth at 157, earning a major decision with a score of 19-8 over Nathan Kearsley of Lindenwood before advancing to the third place round and falling to Brandon Becker of Indiana. Josh Wagner finished fifth in the freshman/sophomore division of the Missouri Open.
The Tigers will have two weeks of practice before heading to the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational on Dec. 5-6. The all-day tournament will host several of the country's elite wrestlers in a battle for the championship title.
