March 16, 2006
Oklahoma City, Okla. - The No. 9 Tigers completed the first session of wrestling at the NCAA Championships, with junior Ben Askren and sophomore Tyler McCormick earning wins in the first round. The other five Missouri wrestlers remain alive in the tournament, but will compete in the consolation bracket.
Sophomore Tyler McCormick (Leawood, Kan.) opened his bout against Ryan Williams of Old Dominion with a takedown 2:08 into the first period. Williams chose down to open the second frame, and McCormick was able to turn his opponent for a two-point nearfall to stretch his lead to 4-0. Choosing down to start the final two-minute set at 133 pounds, McCormick was able to reverse his opponent's hold and rack up 1:51of riding time to win the bout, 7-1.
The No. 1 seed at 174 pounds, junior Ben Askren (Hartland, Wis.) scored takedowns in each of the first two periods to take the lead against Christian Arellano of Cal-State Bakersfield, 4-1. Scoring five more points on a pair of takedowns and over three minutes of riding time, Askren advanced with a 9-2 decision.
Competing in the opening pigtail bout of the NCAA Championships, senior Austin DeVoe (Columbus, Kan.) gave up an early takedown to Oregon State's Eric Stevenson, then countered with a pair of escapes to tie the score 2-2 30 seconds into the second period. DeVoe added a takedown with 11 seconds left in the frame that sealed the bout, 4-3. Facing Troy Nickerson of Cornell, DeVoe was unable to overcome the fifth seed at 125 pounds and was defeated 10-5, to fall into the consolation bracket.
Wrestling at 165 pounds, junior Matt Pell (Luxemburg, Wis.) fought to a draw with Oregon's Joey Bracamonte through the first period, 0-0. Keeping things even in the second period, each grappler scored two points to end the second, 2-2. Wrestling in the final frame, No. 5 seed Pell gave up a takedown and three-point nearfall to fall to the consolation bracket, 8-3.
Facing two-time All-American Paul Bradley of Iowa, No. 9 seed Raymond Jordan (New Bern, N.C.) After the pair fought to a scoreless draw through the opening three-minutes, Jordan escaped early in the second to take a 1-0 lead. Bradley was able to take Jordan down from the neutral position, and after the pair traded escapes Bradley took a 3-2 lead with over 1:30 left in the bout. Jordan was unable to complete a takedown at the end of the bout to fall to the consolation bracket.
Senior Jeff Foust (Blue Springs, Mo.) squared off against Adam Wright of Old Dominion at 197 pounds, scoring two points on a first-period takedown. Foust was unable to hold on to the lead, falling 5-2 to Wright, who entered the tournament with a 33-9 record over the course of the season.
Redshirt freshman Michael Chandler (High Ridge, Mo.) advanced to the second round with a bye. The second session of grappling begins at 6:30 p.m. CST in the Ford Center in Oklahoma City, Okla, with all seven Tiger wrestlers in action.
Pigtail Results
125 - Austin DeVoe (MU) dec. Eric Stevenson (OSU): 4-3
First-Round Results
125 - No. 5 Troy Nickerson dec. Austin DeVoe (MU): 10-5
133 - Tyler McCormick (MU) dec. Ryan Williams (ODU): 7-1
157 - Michael Chandler (MU) advanced with a bye
165 - Joey Bracamonte (UO) dec. No. 5 Matt Pell (MU): 7-2
174 - No. 1 Ben Askren (MU) dec. Christian Arellano (CSBU): 9-2
184 - Paul Bradley (IU) dec. No. 9 Raymond Jordan (MU): 3-2
197 - Adam Wright (ODU) dec. Jeff Foust (MU): 5-2
Second-Session Matches/Championship Bracket
133 - Tyler McCormick (MU) vs. No. 1 Shawn Bunch (Edinboro)
157 - Michael Chandler (MU) vs. No. 4 Matt Lebe (WVU)
174 - No. 1 Ben Askren (MU) vs. Wes Roberts (OU)
Second-Session Matches/Consolation Bracket
125 - Austin DeVoe (MU) - bye
165 - No. 5 Matt Pell (MU) vs. Marc Harwood (NU)
184 - No. 9 Raymond Jordan (MU) vs. Greg Perz (EIU)
197 - Jeff Foust (MU) vs. Willie Breyer (Michigan)