Nov. 23, 2004

Edwardsville, Ill. - Competing against the No. 1 ranked wrestler in the nation at the Marines All-Star tournament on the campus of Southern Illinois-Edwardsville, No. 2 Ben Askren suffered his first loss of the season to Oklahoma State wrestler Chris Pendleton, 6-3 in the 174 pound bout.

One of five matches to feature the No. 1 and No. 2 ranked wrestlers in the nation, Askren was able to score his three points off of a reversal late in the second period and escape early in the third. Pendleton walked away with the win earning two takedowns an escape and one point for riding time.

Entering tonight's All-Star tournament, Askren was 6-0, recording all of his wins by fall, the fastest coming in 21 seconds against Brett Richardson (Dana College) at the Central Missouri State Open on Nov. 14. Currently, Askren is one-third of the way to setting a new Missouri falls season record.

In a pairing that dates back to last season (Nov. 21, 2003), Pendleton holds a 5-1 lead over Askren, with Askren's only victory coming on March 6, at the Big 12 Championships in Ames, Iowa. Askren won the match 9-7.

The 10th-ranked Missouri wrestling team will travel to Las Vegas for the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitationals Dec. 3-4.