Nov. 5, 2004
Columbia, Mo. - The 10th-ranked Missouri wrestling team will host Black and Gold wrestle-offs Saturday, Nov. 6, one hour following the conclusion of the Missouri-Kansas State football game. Matches are expected to begin at 4 p.m. in the Hearnes Center and admission is free to the public.
Twenty-eight matches will run simultaneously on two mats in the arena. Competing in the wrestle-offs are five returning NCAA qualifiers, including two All-Americans (Ben Askren and Tyron Woodley) Askren, a sophomore, enters the preseason ranked second in the nation at 174 pounds. Currently, the No. 1 spot is held by Big 12 opponent Chris Pendleton of Oklahoma State. Woodley, a senior and 2003 All-American, stands sixth in the country at 165 pounds.
Junior Jeff Foust (197) and sophomore Matt Pell (184) enter the season ranked 12th and fifth, respectively. Both competed at the 2004 NCAA Championships in St. Louis and helped Missouri to a 13th place finish, the highest MU finish in 20 years.
New to the Tiger team is transfer Brad Cieleski, a graduate student. Cieleski will wrestle at 157 pounds, a weight recently left void with the graduation of 2004 All-American Kenny Burleson. Ranked 14th in the preseason polls, Cieleski is a two- time NCAA qualifier and two-time East Region and Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Champion.
"We have a lot of really competitive weight classes in our room this season," Head Coach Brian Smith said. "There is just so much talent and depth in our room that the wrestle-offs on Saturday should be fairly intense and exciting to watch."
Fans will have an opportunity to see several of the 13 Tiger freshmen in action Saturday afternoon. Coming off of a successful weekend at the Lindenwood Open, Raymond Jordan, who took first place on Sunday, will challenge Woodley at 165 pounds, with third place finishers Marcus Hoehn (141), Seth Robison (149) and Leremie Shaffer (157) also expected to compete in various matches.
"I'm hoping for a good turnout to the Black and Gold," Smith said. "The larger the crowd the better it helps to prepare our team for the upcoming season. For many of our younger wrestlers, this is their first opportunity to step onto a mat in the Hearnes Center with a Missouri singlet on. It's also the first time they have the chance to perform in an actual collegiate level match with the three-two-two timing format and referees calling the action in front of a loud crowd. It's exciting for them and should be exciting for the fans as well."