Nov. 28, 2006

Columbia, Mo. - After opening the 2006-07 wrestling season with its highest ranking in program history, third, the Missouri Tigers have moved up to No. 2 in the nation according to three recently released regular season polls by USA Today/Intermat/NWCA, Revwrestling.com and Thewrestlingreport.com. Nine of Missouri's grapplers are ranked among the top-20 of their respective weight class with senior defending National Champion Ben Askren holding the highest individual ranking at No. 1 in the country at 174 pounds.

Shifting among the top-five ranked programs came about after previous No. 1 Minnesota Golden Gophers fell to Hofstra, 18-17, with the Pride taking six of the 10 matches.

Missouri opened its season, Nov. 16, with a 29-9 victory over 10th-ranked Ohio State and continues competition this weekend at the 25th annual Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. Among Missouri's ranked wrestlers are seniors Askren (174, 1st), Matt Pell (165, 7th) and Amond Prater (141, 18th), juniors Tyler McCormick (133, 4th) and Josh Wagner (149, 19th), sophomores Michael Chandler (157, 7th) and Raymond Jordan (184, 4th) and redshirt freshmen John Olanowski (125, 20th) and Maxwell Askren (197, 3rd).

Wrestling at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational begins Friday, Dec. 1 at 11 a.m. (CT) in Primm, Nev.