Missouri Opens NCAA Championships in St. Louis
3/18/2004 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
March 18, 2004
Five Missouri wrestlers will head to St. Louis for the 74th annual NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships beginning today at 11 a.m. Perhaps not the largest number of qualifiers in Missouri's 60-year wrestling history, the group is seen as one of the strongest and Head Coach Brian Smith is confident in the skills of his team.
"I feel pretty good going into the Championships," Smith said. "The five wrestlers that we qualified are strong and have competed with some of the strongest opponents in the nation They have the experience and skill; it's just a matter of putting it all together on the mat come Thursday."
Wrestling at 157 pounds, senior captain and Big 12 Champion Kenny Burleson will make his second NCAA Championship appearance. Fellow senior captain Jeremy Soates will also weight in, wrestling at 149 pounds. Three MU underclassmen qualified for the Championships with sophomore Jeff Foust (197) and redshirt freshman Ben Askren claiming Big 12 individual titles and redshirt freshman Matt Pell (184) finishing second in a highly competitive conference weight class.
Each wrestler brings varying strengths to the mat. Burleson currently leads the team in wins on the season, and stands fourth on the Missouri all-time wins list with an incredible 115 victories to his name.
A three-time captain and now three-time NCAA Qualifier, Spates is ranked seventh in the nation, and looks to rebound from two disheartening losses at the Big 12 Championships. Taking wins earler in the season over both of his Big 12 Championship opponents, Spates knows his capabilities and hopes to wrestle his way to his first All-American title.
Wrestling at 197 pounds, Foust is one of two Missouri locals heading to St. Louis Foust earned his first Big 12 title of his young collegiate career in the form of an 11-6 decision over Oklahoma State's Rusty Blackmon March 6, in Ames, Iowa,
Two Wisconsin natives will head to the Savvis Center for today's opening competition. Pell and Foust both stand among the top five wrestlers in the nation at their respective weight, with both wrestlers ranked as high as fifth in the nation. After managing a win over No. 1 Chris Pendleton of Oklahoma State, Askren was name Most Outstanding Wrestler of the Big 12 Conference Championships as voted on by the coaches of the Big 12 Conference.
Pell, who was expected to wrestle at 157 pounds during the preseason, has made an immediate epact of the team, providing solid wins for Missouri at 184 pounds.
Traveling two hours east to St. Louis, Smith and his team are pleased to have the opportunity to compete in front of a home crowd.
"We're all looking forward to competing in front of a home crowd," Smith said. We should have around 700-800 fans in the stands and I know they'll be loud. It should be a really great experience for everyone involved."
