Jan. 13, 2006
Columbia, Mo. - Competing at the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals for the third time in four years, Missouri will test its undefeated (6-0) dual record against some of the best teams in the country. The No. 8 seed in a field that features 15 ranked teams, the Tigers open action against No. 18 Arizona State Saturday, Jan. 14, in Cedar Falls, Iowa.
Head Coach Brian Smith has taken Missouri teams to the National Duals twice in his career, making the trip back-to-back in 2003 and 2004. Facing tough opposition in 2003, the Tigers lost a pair of heartbreaking duals by two points to Arizona State and Northern Iowa. Smith was able to turn things around one year later, taking down then-No. 24 Michigan State, No. 7 Hofstra and No. 11 Penn State to reach the championship round against No. 2 Oklahoma State. Ranked No. 5 in the nation at the time, the Tigers were unable to overcome their Big 12 rival, but the second-place finish ranks as one of Smith's top-10 achievements since beginning his coaching career at Mizzou.
The Sun Devils have compiled a deceiving 4-4 record to this point in the season, with four losses to national powerhouses No. 2 Minnesota, No. 6 Iowa, No. 8 Iowa State and No. 11 Lehigh. A solid dual lineup, Arizona State boasts six members of the starting lineup ranked among the top 15. Countering with a talented group that has wrestled extremely well recently, Missouri has eight grapplers ranked among the top 20.
The top pairing of the dual figures to be at 165 pounds, where Missouri will send out No. 4 Matt Pell (Luxemburg, Wis.) to face No. 11 Patrick Pitsch. A first-place finisher at the Southern Scuffle Dec. 29-30, Pell is wrestling well, pinning both of his opponents in the first period against Eastern Illinois and Central Missouri State last weekend. Riding a 10-match winning streak, Pell faces a tough competitor in Pitsch.
Another featured bout will be at 125 pounds, where senior Austin DeVoe (Columbus, Kan.), ranked No. 15 in the nation, will shake hands with No. 6 Jeremy Mendoza. DeVoe is 24-5 on the season, but Mendoza is the second-highest ranked grappler that the Tiger senior has come across this year.
Redshirt freshman Raymond Jordan (New Bern, N.C.) has beaten four ranked opponents at 184 pounds, and he'll get to see another one in C.B. Dolloway this weekend. In a matchup between the No. 17 (Jordan) and No. 8 (Dolloway) grapplers in their weight class, Jordan has a chance to make another mark on the collegiate wrestling world. . The rest of the tournament field includes eight of the top ten teams in the country. By virtue of its No. 1 ranking, Oklahoma State received the top seed, setting up a possible showdown with Smith's squad in the second round. Such a pairing would serve as a preview for Missouri's Big 12 opener on Jan. 22, when the Tigers shake hands with the Cowboys at 2 p.m. CST in the Hearnes Center.