Jan. 7, 2004

Columbia, Mo. - In a revision to an earlier release, the Missouri wrestling team received its highest ranking in the history if the program today as released by The Wrestling Mall. Placing the Tigers in second behind Big 10 team Illinois, Missouri has eight of its wrestlers ranked among the top-20 of their respective weight classes.

The weekly poll, available on-line at www.thewrestlingmall.com, rounds out the top five teams with Big 12 competitors Oklahoma State and Iowa State in third and fourth and Lehigh from the Patriot League in fifth. Missouri's Jan. 24, opponent, Nebraska, stands in sixth-place.

Ranked highest for Missouri in the individual weight classes, is junior All-American Tyron Woodley (165). Woodley enters the poll in fifth place, with seniors J.P. Reese (141), Jeremy Spates (149), and Kenny Burleson (157) all taking sixth. Redshirt freshman Ben Askren and junior Paul Collum hold on to top-10 rankings in eighth and ninth, respectively. Redshirt freshman Matt Pell and senior transfer Mike Whitehead help round out the top-20 with 20th and 17th-place rankings, respectively.

The Missouri wrestling team will travel to Chattanooga, Tenn., this weekend for a three-way meet against No. 15 Ohio State and host school University of Tennessee-Chattanooga on Saturday, Jan. 10, beginning at 11 a.m. CT.