March 5, 2004
Closing out the regular season with a 15-3 record, the fifth-ranked Missouri wrestling team will travel to Ames, Iowa, for the eighth annual Big 12 Conference Wrestling Championships, Saturday, March 6, in Hilton Coliseum. Beginning at 11 a.m., with semifinals at noon, consolations at 4 p.m. and finals set for 7 p.m., the Tigers are looking for their first conference championship in the history of the Missouri wrestling program (60 years).
Under the direction of Head Coach Brian Smith, eight of his 10 starters are ranked among the top-20 in the nation at their respective weight classes. Senior captain Jeremy Spates (149) holds the highest weekly ranking at third.
Smith will weigh-in his full starting lineup of Austin DeVoe (125), Brett Watkins (133), J.P. Reese (141), Jeremy Spates (149), Kenny Burleson (1578), Tyron Woodley (165), Ben Askren (174), Matt Pell (184), Jeff Foust (197) and Mike Whitehead (HWT).
Only Woodley (165) knows what it's like to be crowned Big 12 Champion. The first Tiger in seven years to claim a conference title, Woodley managed a 5-1 tie breaker decision over Iowa State's Nick Passolano in the 2003 Big 12 Championships held at home in Columbia, Mo.
One of the most challenging wrestling conferences in the country, the Big 12 has 39 wrestlers ranked among the top-20 in the nation at their respective weight. For the 2004 Big 12 Championships, three weight classes contain five ranked wrestlers, 149, 184 and heavyweight. Strong competition is expected at 149 pounds, where all five wrestlers are ranked among the top 10 in the nation. Oklahoma State's Zack Esposito stands at second, with MU's Spates in third.
Entering the championship, all five Big 12 schools are ranked among the top-10 programs in the nation, with defending National Champion Oklahoma State standing firm at first, followed by Iowa State in second, Nebraska in third, Missouri in fifth and Oklahoma in ninth.
"We wrestle in one of the strongest conferences in the nation," Smith said. "There should be a lot of good matchups on Saturday, and I feel like we're prepared to wrestle with anyone."
Missouri had its highest conference finish ever last season, with a second place showing behind Oklahoma State. Previously, the highest a Tiger wrestling team had finished was third during the 1933-34 season. Competing under then head coach Charles Fisher, the Tigers wrestled in the Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association Conference, the early predecessor of the Big Six, Big Seven, Big Eight and today's Big 12 Conference.
Seeding for the Big 12 Championships will be held Friday, March 5, at 6:30 p.m. with results available on Missouri's website at www.mutigers.com.
A total of 36 wrestlers from the Big 12 Conference will advance to the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, March 18-20, in St. Louis. For a full breakdown of qualifiers by conference see page four of the notes.