Dec. 19, 2004
Athens, Ohio - Competing in their third dual in two days, the 12th ranked Missouri wrestling team improved to 4-0 on the season after dominating the Ohio Bobcats 38-9 at the Convention Center in Athens, Ohio. Three of the Tigers' Wisconsin natives pinned their opponents, with sophomore Ben Askren racking up his 10th fall of the season and 27th of his career.
"Our team is healthy and wrestling well right now," Head Coach Brian Smith said. "We're right where we want to be. Of course there's always room for improvement, but right now we're staying consistent and remaining focused which is what it takes to win matches and duals."
Opening the dual at 174 pounds, the returning All-American and second ranked Askren (Hartland, Wis.) recorded his 10th fall of the season. Askren holds the longest active MU winning streak, with a spotless 15-0 record. Nine pins shy of setting an all new Missouri season falls record, Askren dropped Ohio Bobcat Ed Willis in 2:19, giving the Tigers the early 6-0 lead. The current Missouri season falls record is 18, set by 2003 graduate Kevin Herron (HWT).
Up next on the mat was sophomore Matt Pell (Luxemburg, Wis.), ranked ninth in the nation at 184 pounds. Pell pinned his OU opponent Brian Cesear early in the second period (3:30) adding six more points to the Missouri scoreboard.
The Tigers' third Wisconsin native to record a fall was true freshman heavyweight Chase Wetenkamp (Manitowoc, Wis.). Wetenkamp's pin on 2004 Mid-American Conference (MAC) Champion Jeremiah Beltran was the fastest of the dual (35 seconds) and eighth of the young Tiger's collegiate career.
"Heading into the season the coaching staff wasn't sure exactly how Chase would respond to starting as a true freshman," Smith said. "Watching him grow and develop week-by-week is amazing. Every time he walks out onto the mat he gets better and gains more confidence. You can see how much of a competitor he is every time he wrestles, which is exciting for the coaching staff and for the fans to watch."
Missouri's next big win came from redshirt freshman No. 19 Tyler McCormick (Leawood, Kan.) at 133 pounds. Rebounding from a two match loss yesterday against Virginia Tech and Ohio State, McCormick recorded an 18-0 shutout over Frank Brown.
Also earning wins for Missouri was No. 19 junior Jeff Foust at 197 pounds. The only match to pair two top 20 opponents, Foust scored a 5-3 decision on No. 17 Joel Weimer. Ranked 12th in the nation at 141 pounds, junior Chris McCormick landed his fourth straight win, with a 4-2 decision over Jon Spriles. Graduate student Brad Cieleski improved to 15-4 on the season with his 6-0 decision of Mike Allen and senior co-captain Tyron Woodley closed out the dual earning a win by forfeit. With the win, Woodley moves to 90-34 on his career, just 10 wins shy from joining the Missouri 100-win club.
The Missouri wrestling team will return to action Sunday, Jan. 2, 2005, in the first annual Missouri Duals. Wrestling in the Hearnes Center, the Tigers will challenge Utah Valley at 1:30 p.m., followed by Southern Illinois-Edwardsville at 3 p.m. and ACC school Maryland at 5 p.m.
Wt. Wrestler over Wrestler: Result MU OU 125 Caleb Metcalf (OU) fall Tim Kephart (MU): 2:19 21 6 133 #19 Tyler McCormick (MU) technical fall Frank Brown (OU): 18-0 26 6 141 #12 Chris McCormick (MU) decision Jon Spriles (OU): 4-2 29 6 149 Aaron Gomoll (OU) decision Josh Wagner (MU): 3-0 29 9 157 #14 Brad Cieleski (MU) decision Mike Allen (OU):6-0 32 9 165 #8 Tyron Woodley (MU) forfeit 38 0 174 #2 Ben Askren (MU) fall Ed Willis (OU): 2:19 6 0 184 #9 Matt Pell (MU) fall Brian Cesear (OU): 3:30 12 0 197 #14 Jeff Foust (MU) decision #17 Joel Weimer (OU):5-3 15 0 HWT Chase Wetenkamp (MU) fall Jeremiah Beltran (OU):35 21 0Updated Missouri Records Through Dec. 19-season (career) 125 Tim Kephart: 16-9 (16-9) 133 Tyler McCormick: 11-6 (11-6) 141 Chris McCormick: 18-3 (18-3 149 Josh Wagner: 9-3 (9-3) 157 Brad Cieleski:15-4 (15-4) 165 Tyron Woodley: 17-2 (90-34) 174 Ben Askren: 15-0 (47-5) 184 Matt Pell: 20-3 (51-15) 197 Jeff Foust: 13-2 (58-23) HWT Chase Wetenkamp: 15-9 (15-9)