April 20, 2005

Columbia, Mo. - Missouri sophomore Matt Pell was named Wrestler of the Week today by TheMat.com after earning a gold medal at the 2005 University Freestyle National Championships in Evanston, Ill., April 15.

A 2005 All-American at 184-pounds, Pell went 7-0 at the University Freestyle National Championships while wrestling at 74 kg (163 pounds). The Luxemburg, Wis., native secured his first-place finish with 8-2 and 4-2 victories over 2004 NCAA National Champion Matt Gentry (Stanford) in the final bout of the evening. Pell did not surrender a single point in five of his seven matches on the day and recorded two falls to advance through the championship bracket.

Pell closed his sophomore collegiate wrestling campaign with a 5-2 decision over Ben Wissell (Purdue) to finish seventh in the nation and earn his first All-America honor. Pell was 35-10 on the season and 66-22 on his career.