Dec. 28, 2006
Coming off of a 35-9 victory over No. 24 Pittsburgh last Thursday night in Columbia, Mo., the Tigers are making their third trip in four years to the Southern Scuffle, Dec. 29-30 in Greensboro, N.C. Hosted by the University of North Carolina-Greensboro, 32 teams, including seven of the nation's top-ranked wrestling programs, are expected to compete in the two-day event, with Missouri entering as the No. 1 ranked team.
Nineteen Missouri wrestlers are expected to compete in the tournament, with nine ranked among the top-25 of their respective weight class. In all, 500 wrestlers, including 70 of the country's top-25 grapplers, will converge on the 10-mat layout in the Greensboro Coliseum's Special Events Center.
Action for the annual tournament will begin Friday, Dec. 29 at 9 a.m. (CT) with championship finals slated for a 5:30 p.m. (CT) start Saturday, Dec. 30. Fans unable to attend the event can sign up for a live webcast available through SouthernScuffle.com at a cost of $9.95.
Seedings and brackets for the Southern Scuffle were released Thursday with No. 1 ranked brothers Ben (174 pounds) and Maxwell (197 pounds) Askren taking top billing in their respective weight class. Beginning at 125 pounds, redshirt freshman John Olanowski was awarded the eighth seed, while junior 2006 All-American Tyler McCormick enters as the No. 2 seed at 133 pounds behind second-ranked Matt Keller of UTC. McCormick and Keller squared off three times last season and a meeting in Greensboro would be their first of the 2006-07 season. Sophomore 157 pounder Michael Chandler has been seeded third behind wrestlers from Edinboro and Lock Haven. Missouri sophomore 184 pound grappler Raymond Jordan was also seeded third. In the heavyweight division, redshirt freshman Mark Ellis, 6-5 on the season, was awarded the 10th seed in a division that features the 2006 National Champion (No. 1 seed Cole Konrad).
Other Missouri wrestlers expected to compete in the tournament are 125 pounder Tim Kephart, Willie Saxton at 133 pounds, Marcus Hoehn, Ashtin Primus and Amond Prater at 141 pounds, Dane Espinosa, Andrew Sherry and Josh Wagner at 149 pounds, Nick Marable at 157 pounds, James Williamson at 165 pounds, Joey Garrity at 174 pounds and Sean Connole at heavyweight.
Missouri's highest finish at the annual tournament came during the 2003-04 season when the Tigers claimed first place honors with four grapplers earning titles in their respective weight class and Ben Askren named the Outstanding Wrestler. Last season, Missouri finished second with eight Tigers finishing among the top eight.