Playing Host...

For the second consecutive year and third time in the 75-year history of the NCAA Wrestling Championships, the Savvis Center will be home to over 330 wrestlers March 17-19, as they descend on St. Louis for a chance at a national title.

Reeling off of a successful 2004 campaign, the University of Missouri and St. Louis Sports Commission will once again collaborate on the historical event.

Selected to host both the 2004 and 2005 NCAA Championships, the back-to-back tournaments in St. Louis will mark the first time that the same city has hosted consecutive NCAA Wrestling Championships.

Missouri and the Sports Commission first hosted the 2000 NCAA Championships at the Savvis Center, setting a record attendance of 96,994 fans for the six sessions of wrestling matches.

In 2004, 87,675 fans watched the event from the stands, while the March 20 wrestling finals averaged a 0.6 rating and 542,042 household impressions, making it the highest-rated and most-viewed NCAA wrestling telecast in ESPN2 history. The previous bests were in 2001 when the Division I Wrestling Championships, held in Iowa City, Iowa, averaged a 0.4 rating and were seen in 318,864 households. Catching the attention of a large audience, the 2005 Championships are likely to air live on ESPN nationwide.

Again expected to draw a large crowd, the annual tournament brings together wrestling fans from across the nation for a three-day event packed with excitement.

The central location of St. Louis, in the heart of college wrestling country, makes it one of the most accessible sites in the nation. With four major interstates converging at the Arch and Lambert-St. Louis International Airport serving travelers, St. Louis is an easy, convenient destination for fans traveling to the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships.

The home facility, the Savvis Center, has the ability to seat approximately 20,000 fans and plays host to the St. Louis Blues hockey team, the Saint Louis University Billikens basketball team and a wide variety of other sporting events, ice shows, concerts and family shows. The facility is so popular, that is has been selected to host the 2007 NCAA Division I Hockey Frozen Four Championships.

...College Wrestling Begins and Ends in St. Louis

The ninth-ranked Tigers hope to make two trips to St. Louis this season. Opening against Purdue at Meramec Community College on Friday, Nov. 19, 2004, Head Coach Brian Smith is optimistic that his team can finish among the top-10 in the nation.

"We were really pleased with the turnout at last year's season opener against Oklahoma State in St. Louis Smith said. "This year we're going back to a former tradition of opening our dual schedule against a Big Ten opponent. Purdue is a strong and talented team. The coaching staff is looking for the support of Missouri wrestling fans from all over the state to help cheer us on to a victory."

For Missouri, college wrestling once again begins and ends in St. Louis.