Dec. 20, 2004

Columbia, Mo. -Missouri senior Belinda Wood (swimming) and sophomore Tyler McCormick (wrestling) were named this week's Lathrop & Gage student-athletes of the week. Both honorees hold above a 3.0 grade-point average, contribute significantly to their sport and donate their free-time to the surrounding community.

Wood came to Missouri from Johannesburg, South Africa, and participates in the butterfly and IM for the Tigers' swim team. Competing against Southern Illinois on Nov. 6, Wood took second place in the 100-yard butterfly and finished fourth in the 50-yard butterfly at the TYR Invitational at Northwestern Nov. 19-21. A nutritional science major with a 3.77 grade-point average, Wood and her teammates rode their bikes in the Multiple Sclerosis 150, raising money for continued research into MS.

A redshirt freshman in eligibility from Leawood, Kan., McCormick wrestles at 133 pounds and holds an 11-6 record. On Sunday, McCormick shutout Ohio University opponent Frank Brown with an 18-0 technical fall at the Convention Center in Athens, Ohio. Earlier in the season, McCormick earned his first Missouri Open title with a spotless 4-0 record. McCormick is a business major with a 3.88 grade-point average. Away from the mat and outside of the classroom, McCormick gives his time to the NCAA Yes Clinic, talking with parents about balancing life as a student-athlete.

Ranked 12th in the nation, the Missouri wrestling team will host the Missouri Duals on Sunday, Jan. 2, in the Hearnes Center. The Tigers will take on Utah Valley at 1:30 p.m., followed by Southern Illinois-Edwardsville at 3 p.m. and Maryland at 5 p.m. Returning to competition on Jan. 14, the men's and women's swimming and diving teams will travel to Kirksville, Mo., for a triangular including Truman State and South Dakota. For ticket information to any of Missouri's upcoming sporting events, visit the website at www.mutigers.com or call 1-800-CAT-PAWS.