March 16, 2005
After months of preparation, the 13th ranked Missouri wrestling team enters the 2005 NCAA Championships with five qualifiers among them, two returning All-Americans. Seniors Cody Greene (149), Brad Cieleski (157) and Tyron Woodley (165) along with sophomores Ben Askren (174) and Matt Pell (184) will open competition, Thursday, March 17, at the Savvis Center in St Louis, Mo., with finals beginning Saturday, March 19 at 4 p.m. (CT).
Covering day one of competition, ESPN360.com will air sessions one and two. ESPNU joins ESPN360.com to air live coverage of day two's sessions three competition on their respective outlets. The final NCAA Division I Wrestling Championship bouts will be picked up and broadcast live nationally by ESPN.
A three-day tournament, this is the 75th annual NCAA Division I Wrestling Championship and marks Head Coach Brian Smith's seventh season in which he has brought a talented group of Missouri wrestlers to the peak of their collegiate careers. Since joining the Tiger program in 1998, Smith and his team have constantly improved on their NCAA standings, moving from 41st in 1999 to 13th last season. The 2004 13th-place finish , that included the crowning of three Missouri All-Americans, was the highest Tiger finish in two decades.
This campaign, Smith brings yet another strong class t the mats of the Savvis Center. Led by co-captains and All-Americans Woodley and Askren, four of MU's five qualifiers hold previous NCAA experience. Only Greene will make his first and final run at All-America honors.
Askren holds the highest ranking of the quintuplet, entering the tournament at No. 2 in the nation at 174-pounds. Woodley, a 2003 All-American, enters ranked as high as fourth at 165-pounds, with Pell (184) ranked at No. 13, Greene (149) at No. 13 and Cieleski (157) standing at 14th.
Askren is Missouri's most recent All-American and finished second in the 2004 NCAA Championships to Oklahoma State's Chris Pendleton. Only three of Missouri's 23 All-Americans have recorded back-to back honors. Woodley finished eighth at 165 pounds in 2003 and hopes to become Missouri's fifth wrestler to end his career as a two-time All-American.
Hosted by the University of Missouri and the St. Louis Louis Commission, this marks the second straight year that the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships have been held in St. Louis and third time in five years that the city has played host to 330 of the nation's strongest wrestlers.
149 Cody Greene (MU) vs. Mark DiSalvo (Central Michigan) 157 Brad Cieleski (MU) vs. Chris Horning (Clarion) 165 Tyron Woodley (MU) vs. Donny Reynolds (Illinois) Of Note: Competing on Nov. 21, at the Missouri Open, Woodley topped Reynolds 12-5 for a first place tournament finish. 174 Ben Askren (MU) vs. Mark Himes (Duquesne) 184 Matt Pell (MU) vs. Shane Webster (Oregon)