Dec. 8, 2006
After securing the program's first-ever Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational title last weekend, the second-ranked Tiger wrestling team is off to the state of Michigan for a pair of duals against No. 11 Central Michigan and No. 14 Michigan State, Saturday and Sunday, respectively. Missouri's second dual since opening the season Nov. 16 with a win over No. 10 Ohio State, the Tigers are hoping to move to 3-0 for the fourth consecutive season.
Askren brothers Ben (senior, 174 pounds) and Maxwell (redshirt freshman, 197 pounds) look to improve on their perfect records this season. Ben Askren holds the nation's longest active winning streak at 60 victories, while Maxwell is 10-0 on his young career. A unanimous No. 1 pick in all of the wrestling polls, Ben Askren has won 13 of his 15 matches by fall and has set the new Missouri career falls record at 75. In addition, Askren owns a 126-8 record and is six wins shy of taking over the Missouri career wins record currently held by former All-American and Tiger wrestling coach Wes Roper (131).
Wrestling at 197 pounds, Maxwell Askren was named Big 12 Wrestler of the Month for November. This marked Missouri's earliest Big 12 honor since the formation of the league in 1996. The first league honor of the season, Askren has claimed wins over three top-five ranked opponents including two All-Americans. Askren earned his first Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational Title last Sunday after holding off the-No. 2 Jerry Rinaldi of Cornell, 4-3, in the title bout.
Nine members of Missouri's 10-man lineup are currently ranked among the top-20 in the nation in their respective weight class, with six among the top 10 and four in the top five. Senior co-captain and All-American Matt Pell is currently 8-1 on the season and ranks as high as No. 7 in the nation at 165 pounds. Pell's only loss of the new campaign was to No. 5 Eric Tannenbaum of Michigan in the championship finals of the 25th annual Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. To date, Pell is 3-1 against ranked opponents since beginning action Nov. 16.
OF NOTE: Missouri Head Coach Brian Smith stands with 99 wins to his name since taking the helm of the wrestling program in 1998. A win over Central Michigan would be his 100th as a Tiger.
LOOKING AHEAD: Missouri's first home dual of the season is coming up fast! The second-ranked Tigers will take on No. 20 Pittsburgh Thursday, Dec. 21 at 7 p.m. (CT) in the Hearnes Center. This marks Missouri's fourth ranked opponent of the season and first of eight home events that includes the 11th annual Big 12 Wrestling Championships, Saturday, March 3.
Practically Perfect... Senior Ben Askren finished first at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational in his past three outings, but took runner-up honors as a redshirt freshman in 2003. His only loss in the competition came to third-ranked Ryan Lange of Purdue in a 3-2 decision. Throughout the past four years, Askren has compiled a 21-1 record at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. 13 of Askren's 21 wins have come by fall, with three wins marked as tech fall victories and one as a major decision.
How sweet it is.. The Tigers took first place at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational for the first time in team history. Ben Askren and Max Askren both took home championships, and eight Tiger wrestlers finished in the top 8. The team netted 157 points to lead the way in front of No. 8 Michigan (109) and No. 15 Penn (100.5).
A New Era... Smith, now in his ninth year with the Missouri wrestling program, holds a 99-53-1 record or 65 percent winning percentage, the highest of any of the seven coaches in the Tiger program history.
Coach Years Record Percentage Charles Fischer 1923-36 22-44-1 .336 Guy Sappington 1936-37 1-5-0 .167 Marshall Esteppe 1959-64 20-31-0 .392 Hap Whitney 1964-74 84-55-3 .602 Bob Kopnisky 1974-86 125-72-3 .633 Wes Roper 1986-98 73-94-4 .439 Brian Smith 1998-Present 99-53-1 .650
All-Time Records... Missouri's second dual of the still young season comes to No. 11 Central Michigan Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. in Rose Arena. Down 1-2-1 in the all-time series, the two teams last met during the 2000-2001 season and Missouri suffered a 22-9 loss to the Chippewas. The Tigers' only win over Central Michigan came during the 1995-96 season when then-Head Coach Wes Roper guided Missouri to an 18-16 win. The following season, 1996-97, Missouri tied with the Chippewas, 17-17, marking Missouri's first of two ties on the season and the only time in the history of the program when a Tiger wrestling team recorded two ties in a single season.
Missouri leads the Michigan State Spartans 3-2 in the all-time series with two of the Tiger's three wins coming under the direction of former Spartan and current Missouri Head Coach Brian Smith. Both of Missouri's wins under Smith were decided by 20 points or more.
Wrestling Rewind... Take your mind back to the year 1990. Sixteen years ago, current Missouri Head Coach Brian Smith, now one win away from his 100th career victory with the Tigers, was a mere senior at Michigan State. Wrestling at 126 pounds, Smith tallied 32 victories during his senior campaign, a fete that ranks him 19th on the Spartans' single-season wins list. Smith was a three-time All-Big Ten wrestler and four-time letterman at Michigan State and was named the Most Outstanding Wrestler in 1990.
That same year in Missouri history, Wes Roper, Missouri's current Tiger wins holder (131) was in his fourth year with the wrestling program and helped Missouri to a 27th place team showing (an improvement from the 50th place finish one year prior).
Shakin' up the polls... Ranked as high as No. 2 in the nation by Revwrestling.com, TheWrestlingReport.com and USA Today/Intermat/NWCA, nine members of Missouri's 10-man lineup are ranked among the top-20 in the nation of their respective weight class. This marks the second straight week that the Tigers have had nine wrestlers ranked.
Eight Straight... Missouri's defending national champion is setting a new streak. Currently, senior co-captain and three-time All-American Ben Askren has recorded eight straight wins by fall. Both of Askren's tournament titles, the Missouri Open and Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational involved rolling through the championship bracket with falls, three at the Missouri Open and five in Vegas. Honors and awards... Within a period of three days, Missouri wrestlers Ben Askren and Maxwell Askren received some noteworthy honors. Both Askrens claimed Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational titles at their respective weight class and for his work on the mat during the two days of competition, Ben was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Wrestler and Gorrarian Award recipient for most falls. Maxwell Askren was named Big 12 Wrestler of the Month for his spotless, 10-0 record and two tournament titles.
Take That... In Missouri's 29-9 defeat of No. 10 Ohio State, the third-ranked Tigers held the Buckeyes to only THREE takedowns on the day. Missouri tallied 25 meaning that 50 of their 64 team points came from takedowns. Senior Ben Askren notched 10 in his bout, while senior Matt Pell recorded seven.
Picking Up Where He Left Off... After ending his junior season with a 14-2 major decision victory over previously unbeaten Jake Herbert of Northwestern at the NCAA Championships (the title bout to be exact), senior co-captain Ben Askren has extended the nation's longest win streak to 60 consecutive matches. Askren is 15-0 on the season and 126-8 in his four years at Missouri. Although not confirmed, it is believed that the nation's longest active win streak is held by Iowa State standout and current Head Coach Cale Sanderson at 159 wins. Askren also could be the first repeat winner of the Hodge Trophy since Sanderson.
Join the Club... Senior Matt Pell became the 14th wrestler in Missouri history to reach the century mark, doing so Nov. 16 with a 15-5 major decision victory over Chris Vondruska of Ohio State. Pell is currently 8-1 on the season and 107-29 for his career. The Luxemburg, Wis., native stands at 8th in the Missouri career wins record book as he passed John Kopniski and Brad Cieleski. With several tournaments and duals left, both Pell and Askren could finish in the top five. Over the past three years, six individuals have added their name to the 100-win club, Ben Askren, Kenny Burleson, Brad Cieleski, Matt Pell, Jeremy Spates and Tyron Woodley. Making a Run... Askren, as previously noted, holds 126 wins to his name and is a mere six shy of taking the lead in the Missouri Career Wins record book. The current record for most wins by a Tiger wrestler is 131 held by 1982 All-American, former Missouri Head Coach and 2006 Hall of Fame Inductee Wes Roper.
Monday MatChat... Be sure to catch all the latest news by chatting with Missouri's wrestlers every Monday at 2:30 p.m. (CT) on www.mutigers.com. Each week throughout the season a member of the Missouri wrestling team or coaching staff will be on line to answer your questions. Fans interested in submitting questions should visit mutigers.com and locate the link on the Missouri wrestling section of the website.
Defending National Champion, three-time All-American and Dan Hodge Award winner Ben Askren will field your questions this Monday, Dec. 11 at 2:30 p.m. (CT) with 125-pound newcomer John Olanowski on deck for Monday, Dec. 18. Fans are encouraged to submit their questions in early as the chats will last approximately 15 to 20 minutes. Makin' a move... Through the power of the Internet, the Missouri wrestling team presents you with the Move of the Week. Ever wondered about what steps Ben Askren takes when performing an outside cradle? Or how does Tyler McCormick manage that arm bar? Now you can watch and learn from the comfort of your own home. Throughout the season the Tiger team and coaching staff will present a Move of the Week in which fans will have the opportunity to learn how a move is done and see first hand how it's completed in competition. A new move will be presented each Tuesday of the season. The All-Access videos are FREE, but fans must register (no credit card information necessary) in order to watch the videos. Also, NO SPAM E-MAIL WILL BE SENT AFTER REGISTERING UNLESS YOU CLICK TO RECEIVE EMAILS. Visit www.mutigers.com for more information.
Making a Name... Redshirt freshman Maxwell Askren is attracting national attention at 197 pounds. After opening the season Nov. 16 with a win over former All-American and then No. 2 J.D. Bergman (8-4) of Ohio State, Askren improved to 5-0 taking a win over then No. 4 Joel Flaggert of Oklahoma (2-1). In his most recent outing, Askren bested previous No. 2 Jerry Rinaldi, 4-3, at the 25th annual Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational, Dec. 3 to earn the tournament title and move to No. 2 in the weekly polls.
The Wisconsinites ... This has to be some sort of first. Take a close look at Missouri's starting lineup. FOUR members of the starting lineup are from the state of Wisconsin. These Cheeseheads include Josh Wagner at 149 pounds, Matt Pell at 165 pounds, Ben Askren at 174 pounds and Maxwell Askren at 197 pounds. Together this group has combined for 42 of Missouri's 85 wins this season.
Brotherly love... Missouri wrestlers Ben Askren and Maxwell Askren are brothers. Despite little Askren's lack of a `fro, he is definitively an Askren. His four tournament titles as a redshirt freshman and eighth place showing at the FILA Junior World Championships this past summer are enough proof that he has the same determination and competitive spirit as older brother Ben. They showed it in Vegas as both walked away with first place titles.
Ben and Max are the fourth brother tandem on the Missouri wrestling team in six years. Chris McCormick, a 2006 graduate and current Director of Wrestling Operations and Tyler McCormick were last year's Missouri brother duo to watch.
Max Askren Named Big 12 Wrestler of the Month Redshirt freshman Maxwell Askren (Hartland, Wis.) was named November's Big 12 Wrestler of the Month after knocking off three of the nation's top-five wrestlers as announced Tuesday by the league office. A perfect 10-0 on the season, Askren most recently collected his first Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational title at 197 pounds becoming Missouri's first freshman to take top honors at the prestigious event.
Opening the season Nov. 16 against Ohio State, Askren, then ranked No. 12 in the nation, took down All-American and then No. 2 J.D. Bergman, 8-4. Adding to the wins list, Askren went 4-0 at the Missouri Open, Nov. 19, besting two-time All-American and then No. 4 Joel Flaggert of Oklahoma, 2-1.
In his next outing of the campaign, Askren went 5-0 and finished first at the 25th annual Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational in Primm, Nev., Dec. 2. Ranked No. 3 in the country, Askren held off No. 2 Jerry Rinaldi of Cornell, 4-3, in the title match.
Wrestling Recap... Primm, Nev. - The No. 2 Missouri wrestling team earned its first-ever Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational Title tallying 157 points to finish ahead of runner-up No. 8 Michigan (109) and No. 15 Pennsylvania (100.5). Askren brothers Ben and Maxwell (Hartland, Wis.) each claimed individual crowns in their respective weight class (174 and 197 pounds) with Ben earning Most Outstanding Wrestler and Gorrarian honors for his work on the mat. Senior All-American Matt Pell (Luxemburg, Wis.) finished second at 165 pounds bringing Missouri's total of top-eight finishers to eight, the most ever for a Missouri wrestling program.
A perfect 5-0 throughout the two-day tournament, senior defending National Champion Ben Askren breezed through the championship bracket pinning all five of his opponents including runner-up and fourth-ranked Matt Harrington of Pennsylvania in 46 seconds. With his title, Askren claimed Most Outstanding Wrestler as well as the Gorrarian honors for most pins in the tournament. Askren has collected 75 falls in his four year career with the Tigers. The tournament win by Askren is his third consecutive at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. With the five wins, Askren has extended the nation's longest win streak to 60 victories.
Younger brother and 197 pound grappler Maxwell Askren finished first in his first appearance at the 25th annual Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. Askren won his semi-final bout by default and notched a 4-3 decision victory over second-ranked Jerry Rinaldi of Cornell in the title round. To date, No. 3 Askren has knocked off three of the nation's top-five ranked wrestlers.
Pell, a 2005 All-American tied his career high finish at the Invitational finishing second to No. 5 Eric Tannenbaum of Michigan. Prior to the championship finals, Pell bested Indiana's 13th-ranked Max Dean 9-6, but suffered a 5-3 loss in the final hard-fought bout.
Redshirt freshman John Olanowski (Virginia Beach, Va.) finished seventh at 125 pounds after taking a win by forfeit over Tennessee Chattanooga's Javier Maldonado. Fellow redshirt freshman Mark Ellis, a heavyweight from Peculiar, Mo., took sixth. Junior All-American Tyler McCormick (Leawood, Kan.) grappled his way to a fourth place finish at 133 pounds with sophomores Michael Chandler (High Ridge, Mo.) and Raymond Jordan (New Bern, N.C.) landing sixth-place finishes at 157 and 184 pounds, respectively.
Tigers Sign Seven for 2007-08 class Missouri wrestling Head Coach Brian Smith announced Nov. 9 that the Tigers have signed seven wrestlers for the 2007-08 season, including four from the state of Missouri. Together, Dom Bradley (Blue Springs, Mo.), Trever Collins (Nixa, Mo.), Troy Dolan (Blairsville, Penn.), Dorian Henderson (Columbus, Ga.), K.C. Pescaglia (Columbia, Mo.), Michael Schmitz (Stewartville, Minn.) and Brandon Wiest (O'Fallon, Mo.) have combined for nine state championship titles in their respective weight class.
"Our coaching staff has recruited a very talented class," Head Coach Brian Smith said. "We've managed to fill our needs for the future and bring in some of the top wrestlers from across the country. We're all very excited about the potential this class brings to the Missouri wrestling program."
A three-time Missouri state qualifier (2003, 2004, 2005) and two-time state champion (2004 at 215 pounds and 2005 at 275 pounds), Bradley is currently ranked No. 1 in the nation by USA Wrestling, Amateur Wrestling News and W.I.N. Magazine. Led by Head Coach Mike Hagerty, Bradley and the Wildcats of Blue Springs High School finished third in the 2005 and 2006 Missouri Class 4 State Championships. During the summer of 2006, Bradley wrestled his way to a Junior National Freestyle title at 275 pounds. Bradley is expected to wrestle at heavyweight for the Tigers.
Competing at 171 and 189 pounds, Nixa, Mo., native Collins earned his first Class 3 state title as a sophomore (171 pounds), repeating the feat as a junior at 189 pounds. Expected to grapple at 197 pounds or heavyweight for Missouri, Collins is currently coached by Jason Carter at Nixa High School and stands at No. 11 in the nation by Amateur Wrestling News. Earlier this fall, Collins claimed the Super 32 title at 215 pounds.
Dolan becomes the fifth Pennsylvania resident in four years to join the Tiger wrestling program. Currently ranked 11th in the country by W.I.N. Magazine, Dolan closed out his junior campaign with a first place finish at the Pennsylvania State Championship at 119 pounds and stood second in the nation (Intermat) of his classmates. A two-time state champion, Dolan took first at 112 pounds as a sophomore and was named the 2005 Powerade Champion at 119 pounds. Under the direction of Derry Area High School Head Coach Mike Wood, Dolan was crowned the Super 32 Champion in 2006. Dolan is expected to compete at 125 or 133 pounds for Missouri.
Expected to wrestle at 174 pounds for the Tigers, Henderson earned back-to-back state titles at 171 pounds in the state of Georgia. Henderson becomes the first Georgia grappler since current senior Amond Prater (Marietta, Ga.) to join the ranks of the Missouri wrestling team. Competing for the Blue Devils of Columbus High School, Henderson and his teammates claimed the 2006 3A state title coached by Larry Morgan.
Younger brother to current Missouri freshman Tony Pescaglia, K.C. is ranked as high as seventh in the nation at 125 pounds by W.I.N. Magazine. Pescaglia owns a 121-14 record entering his senior year of competition with the Kewpies and has notched 81 falls in three years. Coached by J.D. Coffman, Pescaglia was the 2006 Missouri Class 4 State Champion, improving on his fourth place finish at states one year prior. With a 3.80 grade-point average, Pescaglia has earned numerous academic honors including 2005 and 2006 National High School Coaches Association Academic All-America awards.
Ranked as high as 11th in the nation at 160-pounds by W.I.N. Magazine, Schmitz opens his senior campaign with the Stewartville Tigers with a 166-31 record. Schmitz finished first at the Minnesota State Championships and Junior National Folkstyle Championships in 2006 while wrestling at 160 pounds, finishing second as a sophomore in 2005. Schmitz is coached by Dennis Kuisle and will likely wrestle at 165 pounds during his time at Missouri.
Rounding out the incoming freshmen class, is Missouri native Wiest of Ft. Zumwalt West High School. Coached by former Missouri wrestler Danny Hayes, Wiest is a three-time state runner up and was named the Jaguars nominee for the Wendy's High School Heisman Trophy. Wiest holds a 3.9 grade-point average and is a three-time academic all-conference honoree.
"This class has the potential to continue to build on the success our team has achieved over the past few years," Smith said. "Things such as the commitment of our administration, staff and team, combined with our outstanding athletic facilities and strong academics have helped Missouri stand out from some of the other top wrestling programs in the nation."