March 18, 2005

St. Louis, Mo. -- Opening session three of the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships in the Savvis Center of St. Louis, sophomore Ben Askren (174) advanced to tonight's 6 p.m. (CT) semifinals after holding off 10th-seeded E.K. Waldhaus (Oklahoma), 17-4. With the win, Askren becomes Missouri's first All-American of the 2005 campaign. Senior Tyron Woodley (165) and sophomore Matt Pell (184) suffered their first losses of the tournament and enter tonight's wrestlebacks. Senior Brad Cieleski was 1-1 on the morning and has fallen from contention.

Up first for Missouri, Woodley met at center circle with fourth-seeded Mark Perry (Iowa) and was held scoreless for the first time of the season (3-0). Perry walked away after scoring all three points in the first period, through an illegal hold by Woodley and a takedown. Woodley will return to the Savvis Center tonight to begin his battle through the consolation bracket in search of his second All-America honor.

Dropping Waldhaus for the third time of the season, Askren outscored his Sooner opponent, 17-4, landing a first period takedown and three-point nearfall for the early lead In the bout, Askren tallied five takedowns, one escape, a three-point nearfall and 1:46 of riding time. Askren, the 2004 runner-up at 174 pounds will take on third-seeded Pete Friedl of Illinois in tonight's fourth-round semifinals.

Wrestling live on ESPNU, Pell battled with No. 1 seeded Greg Jones of West Virginia for the first time of his career. Outscored 13-4, Pell was only able to manage escapes, one in the first period and three in the third. The loss drops Pell to the consolation bracket where he will take on Minnesota's Roger Kisch in tonight's fourth session.

Cieleski, a four-time NCAA qualifier competed on outside mat No. 4 against Purdue's Colton Salazar for the second time of the season. In a result similar to their last outing, Cieleski dominated the Boilermaker, 15-3, for his first major decision victory of the tournament. Cieleski scored eight back points in the final two minutes of action to advance to his second consolation round bout. The Brookville, Pa., native competed in his last match of the tournament against C.P. Schlatter (Minnesota) and suffered a disheartening, 8-3, loss.

Tonight's semifinals will be aired live on ESPNU and in syndication on ESPN.

Fourth Round Matches:
165: Tyron Woodley vs. Justin Nestor (Pittsburgh)
174: Ben Askren vs. Pete Fredl (Illinois)
184: Matt Pell vs. Roger Kisch (Minnesota)
Third Round Results:
157: Brad Cieleski (MU) major decision Colton Salazar (Purdue): 15-3
157: C.P. Schlatter (Minnesota) decision Brad Cieleski (MU): 8-3
165: Mark Perry (Iowa) decision Tyron Woodley (MU): 3-0
174: Ben Askren major decision E.K. Waldhaus (Oklahoma): 17-4
184: Greg Jones (West Virginia) major decision Matt Pell (MU): 13-4
Second Round Results
149: Tyde Prater (Va. Tech) decision Cody Greene (MU): 9-7
157: Brad Cieleski (MU) decision Marcus Effner (Cleveland State): 9-3
165 Tyron Woodley (MU) decision Mike Patrovich (Hofstra): 6-1
174 Ben Askren (MU) major decision Brady Richardson (Indiana): 9-0
184: Matt Pell (MU) decision Paul Bradley (Iowa) 7-6
First Round Results
149: Mark DiSalvo (Central Michigan) decision Cody Greene (MU): 7-4
157: Chris Horning (Clarion) decision Brad Cieleski (MU): 2-0
165: Tyron Woodley (MU) fall Donny Reynolds (Illinois): 4:46
174: Ben Askren (MU) tech. fall Mark Himes (Duquense) 18-2 (6:25)
184: Matt Pell (MU) Shane Webster (Oregon): 5-1
Team Scores After Session Three
1 Oklahoma State, 39
2 Minnesota, 28.5
3 Iowa State 27
4 Oklahoma, 26.5
5 Michigan, 25.5
Updated MU Records
149 Cody Greene: 27-10 (66-27)
157 Brad Cieleski: 25-10 (109-30)
165 Tyron Woodley: 35-5 (108-37)
174 Ben Askren: 33-2 (65-7)
184 Matt Pell: 33-9 (64-21)