Jan. 3, 2004
Coming off of a first place win at the Southern Scuffle, the eighth-ranked Missouri wrestling team will venture out west for this year's Sun Devil Duals at the Wells Fargo Arena in Tempe, Ariz., on Sunday, Jan. 4. Competing against No.16 West Virginia, No. 19 Cal-Poly and non-ranked American University, the Tigers will send 14 wrestlers in hopes of returning home to Columbia with a 5-0 season record.
"Last week's win at the Southern Scuffle, gave the team some of the confidence they'll need heading into the tough grind of a month (January) that lies ahead," head Coach Brian Smith said.
"Starting with the Sun Devil Duals on Sunday, we will continue to meet with some of the top-ranked wrestling programs in the country throughout the month. We have a challenging road ahead of us."
Big 12 competitor No. 2 Iowa State will also be in attendance at the Sun Devil Duals, as will No. 11 Arizona State, Emby-State and Stanford.
The pairings between Missouri and West Virginia and Missouri and American University will bring about another first on the Tiger's continued history making season. Throughout the 60 years that make up the Missouri wrestling program, the Tigers have never met with either school.
In a strange coincidence, the Tigers will meet with the Mustangs of Cal-Poly exactly one year after their first pairing. On Jan. 4, 2003, MU took a 26-18 win at the Lonestar Duals in Dallas, Texas. Three of Missouri's winner's from last season's matchup return for a second opportunity on the mat. (Austin DeVoe, Kenny Burleson, Tyron Woodley).
"Cal-Poly has a wrestling program that is on the rise," Smith said. "They are a very talented team, and I look forward to meeting with them in Arizona."
Junior transfer Paul Collum (133) and sophomore DeVoe (125) are expected to rejoin the Tigers starting lineup on Sunday. The two wrestlers did not compete at the Southern Scuffle.
"We should have our complete starting lineup at the Dun Devil Duals," Smith said.
Rounding out the team are seniors J.P. Reese (141), Jeremy Spates (149), Burleson (157) and Mike Whitehead (HWT), junior Woodley (165), sophomore Jeff Foust (197) and redshirt freshmen Ben Askren (174) and Matt Pell (184). Also traveling with the team are juniors Cody Greene (149), J.C. Russell (184), sophomore T.J. Hansen (165) and true freshman Brett Watkins (125). Greene and Russell took second and fifth place, respectively in their weight classes at the Southern Scuffle.
Nine of Missouri's 10 expected starters are ranked among the top-20 wrestlers in the nation, while one, DeVoe, has received honorable mention votes. These ranking come from the Intermat Magazine weekly poll last released on Dec. 16.