Feb. 14, 2007

Columbia, Mo. - The third-ranked Missouri wrestling team (11-2, 3-1) will host Old Dominion (12-6) in the second to last home dual of the season, Wednesday, Feb. 14, at 8 p.m. (CT) in the Hearnes Center. Tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for students. Fans who bring a ticket stub from the 6 p.m. men's basketball game against Baylor can get in for only $2.

Coming off of a disappointing 27-12 loss to now No. 2 Iowa State, the Tigers look to rebound and close out the season by tacking on two additional dual wins before heading into post-season. Missouri holds a 4-0 lead over the Monarchs of Old Dominion, the last win coming in Norfolk, Va., during the 2001-02 season, 43-6.

Missouri enters the Valentine's Day dual with eight of its wrestlers ranked among the top-20 in the nation. Senior defending National Champion Ben Askren (Hartland, Wis.), now 143-8 on his career, continues to hold the highest ranking at No. 1 in the nation at 174 pounds. Askren holds a 77 match win streak that dates back to the start of his junior campaign and has tallied 25 pins this season, tying the Missouri season falls record he set one year ago.

Younger brother Maxwell Askren (Hartland, Wis.) stands at No. 2 in the nation at 197 pounds and will likely face ODU's 21st ranked David Mendoza Wednesday night. Askren is 26-1 in his redshirt freshman campaign, while Mendoza is 30-8 overall as a sophomore and 13-5 in dual competition.

Juniors Tyler McCormick (Leawood, Kan.) and Josh Wagner (Milton, Wis.) senior Matt Pell (Luxemburg, Wis.) and sophomore Raymond Jordan (New Bern, N.C.) all hold top-10 rankings in their respective weight class. McCormick, a 133 pound competitor, stands at No. 5 in the nation with his 12-6 record. McCormick has not wrestled in a dual since his Feb. 4, 6-2, decision of Brian Shelton of Oklahoma but will likely see action Wednesday night as he is set to square off with Christian Staylor.

Wagner, now 10-3 in dual competition, is ranked 10th in the nation at 149 pounds. Scoring 10 of his wins by fall, three in duals, \Wagner owns a 61-32 career mark.

Co-captain Pell is one of two seniors in this year's wrestling class and holds a 115-32 record that places him sixth in the Missouri career wins record book. Rounding out the top-10 is Jordan, Missouri's 184 pound starter. Jordan finished the Big 12 season with a spotless 5-0 mark against his league opponents and was one of three Tigers to earn a win in Sunday's battle with Iowa State. Jordan is ranked fifth in the nation.

Sophomore Michael Chandler (High Ridge, Mo.) and redshirt freshman Mark Ellis (Peculiar, Mo.) are ranked No. 12 and No. 20 at 157 pounds and heavyweight respectively.

The Wednesday night dual will bookend the Missouri State High School Wrestling Championships held in Mizzou Arena beginning Thursday, Feb. 15. The Tigers will close out their regular season Sunday, Feb. 18 in a 2 p.m. (CT) dual with No. 13 UTC. Seniors Askren and Pell will be recognized for the outstanding contributions to the team prior to the start of the dual. Fans are encouraged to come early and celebrate the success these two individuals have achieved over the course of the past five seasons with the Tigers.