Nov. 11, 2004
Columbia, Mo. - The Missouri wrestling squad will travel to Warrensburg, Mo., this Sunday, Nov. 14, for the 30th annual Central Missouri State Open. The all-day tournament is the first official competition of the Missouri wrestling program's 2004-05 campaign and will host several of the nation's top-ranked wrestlers. Over 300 wrestlers from across the nation are expected to attend the event.
Senior transfer Brad Cieleski (157) will have his first opportunity to wrestle in the Missouri black and gold on Sunday. Ranked No. 17 in the nation by Intermat, Cieleski will likely challenge returning NCAA Champion Matt Gentry of Stanford and No. 11 Joe Johnston of Iowa.
"Brad is going to face some fierce competition on Sunday," Head Coach Brian Smith said. "But, this is why he transferred to Missouri. Brad wanted to compete against some of the best Division I wrestlers in the nation and he will certainly have that opportunity this weekend."
Missouri's four returning NCAA qualifiers, junior Jeff Foust (197) sophomore Matt Pell (184) and All-American sophomore Ben Askren (174) and senior Tyron Woodley (165) will see their first action of the season this weekend. All are ranked among the top-20 wrestlers in the nation at their respective weight class, with Askren ranked second in all four preseason wrestling polls.
"The CMSU Open will provide a good measuring stick for us to determine where our team stands heading into the season," Smith said. "This will be a great opportunity for us to evaluate how individuals are wrestling and what we need to work on to prepare for the Missouri Open, Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational and other duals and tournaments throughout the year."
The Central Missouri State Open kicks off a week of wrestling that pits the Tigers in three events throughout the course of seven days. No. 10 Missouri will challenge No. 19 Purdue at Meramec College, Nov. 19, at 7:30 p.m. followed with the fifth annual Missouri Open held in the Hearnes Fieldhouse Nov. 21. Smith and Askren will travel directly from the Missouri Open to the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) All-Star tournament on Nov. 22, at 7 p.m. on the campus of Southern Illinois-Edwardsville. Tickets to all of Missouri's home wrestling duals can be purchased by calling the box office at 1-800-CAT-PAWS.