March 17, 2006
Oklahoma City, Okla. - The Missouri wrestling program sits in 15th-place with one day of competition left, crowning two All-Americans in the fourth session at the Ford Center in Oklahoma City, Okla. Head Coach Brian Smith's team climbed nine spots in the team standings Friday, scoring 39 points during the first two days of competition.
Junior Ben Askren (Hartland, Wis.), the No. 1 seed at 174 pounds, completed a pair of double-leg shots in the opening minute and a half against No. 5 Mike Patrovich (Hofstra), then added another takedown and a three-point nearfall on a cradle to take a 9-2 lead after the first period. Dominating the rest of the bout, Askren racked up 12 more points in the match to record his second technical fall of the day, 21-6. Askren, who boasts the nation's longest current win streak at 44 matches, advances to face No. 2 Jake Herbert of Northwestern, holder of the second-longest streak at 36 consecutive bouts. A two-time NCAA runner-up, Askren will compete in his third consecutive NCAA final at 174 pounds tomorrow night, with a chance to become Missouri's first individual wrestling national champion.
Wrestling at 133 pounds, unseeded sophomore Tyler McCormick (Leawood, Kan.) opened his bout against Central Michigan's Jason Borrelli with a takedown, throwing Borelli to the mat. After choosing down to begin the second frame, McCormick was able to reverse Borrelli's hold to get a 4-0 advantage. Borelli mounted a comeback in the third period, but McCormick fought off his opponent's attacks to become an All-American, 5-3. McCormick moved on to face No. 3 Tom Clum of Wisconsin, but was unable to come out on top in a 7-4 decision. The loss dropped McCormick to the seventh-place match against No. 8 Matt Keller of Chattanooga, whom the Tiger defeated 4-2 Feb. 18.
Redshirt freshman Michael Chandler (High Ridge, Mo.) faced off against sixth-seeded Brandon Becker of Indiana and fell, 10-4, to finish the tournament 1-2. Chandler reached the quarterfinals Thursday with a 3-2 upset of No. 4 Matt Lebe of West Virginia. No. 5 junior Matt Pell wrestled a close match against No. 8 Travis Paulson, but was unable to stop a last-second takedown and fell, 4-2.
"Ben is focused and wrestling at a championship level right now," Smith said. "Tyler McCormick has had a great tournament, entering the tournament unseeded and placing in the top in the nation at 133 pounds.
McCormick will wrestle in the fifth session of competition, which begins at 10 a.m. CST in the Ford Center. Askren will make his third run at a national championship in the finals, which begin at 6:30 p.m. CST and will be televised live on ESPN.
Semifinals
174 - No. 1 Ben Askren (MU) won by tech. fall. over No. 5 Mike Patrovich (Hofstra)
Round of 12
133 - Tyler McCormick (MU) dec. Jason Borrelli (CMU): 5-3
133 - No. 3 Tom Clum (UW) dec. Tyler McCormick (MU): 7-4
157 - No. 6 Brandon Becker (IU) dec. Michael Chandler (MU): 10-4
165 - No. 8 Travis Paulson (ISU) dec. No. 5 Matt Pell: 4-2
Updated Records: Season (Career)
133 - Tyler McCormick: 30-9 (50-23)
157 - Michael Chandler: 19-16 (19-16)
165 - Matt Pell: 33-6 (99-28)
174 - Ben Askren: 44-0 (110-8)