Jan. 9, 2006

Columbia, Mo. - Head Coach Brian Smith announced today that 13 Missouri wrestlers finished the fall semester with grade-point average's above a 3.0, the most student-athletes the team has had crack the barrier in Smith's time in Columbia.

Sophomore Tyler McCormick (Leawood, Kan.), ranked No. 14 in the nation at 133 pounds, led the academic charge for the No. 9 Tigers by achieving a perfect 4.0 GPA. No stranger to success in the classroom, McCormick was the 2004-05 recipient of the Total Person Program Academic Excellence Award, given to the wrestler with the highest grade-point average. A business major, McCormick has been just as successful on the mat, entering the weekend with a 15-4 record.

The Tigers next compete at the National Duals in Cedar Falls, Iowa, Jan. 14-15, before returning home to open Big 12 action against the No. 1 Oklahoma State Cowboys Jan. 22, a match that will be televised live on CSTV at 2 p.m. CST.