Jan. 13, 2007

PHOTO GALLERY

Cedar Falls, Iowa - The No. 1 ranked Missouri wrestling team came from behind to hold off 14th-ranked Penn, 27-15, in the first dual of the day at the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) Cliff Keen National Duals in the UNI Dome of Cedar Falls, Iowa.

Down 9-0 entering the 141 pound bout, true freshman Ashtin Primus (South Connelsville, Penn.) came up with the Tigers' first points of the day, besting Rick Rappo, 6-4, on mat three of the 18-mat layout. Scoring first with a takedown at 2:06, Primus and Rappo closed the first period tied at two with Primus falling behind, 4-2, at the end of the second period. Scoring a two-point nearfall with 1:01 remaining in the third period, the two grapplers were forced into overtime, with Primus scoring a takedown for the 6-4 win by decision.

Wrestling at 149 pounds, junior Josh Wagner (Milton, Wis.) brought Missouri within two team points of Penn, shutting out Rob Hitschler, 10-0, for a win by major decision. Scoring a takedown in the first period, Wagner came close to pinning the Quaker, cradling Hitschler on the edge of the mat in the final few seconds of first period. Choosing down to start the second period, Wagner made a quick escape and tacked on seven additional points with a takedown, three-point nearfall and one point for Hitschler's continual stalling. With 2:54 of riding time and no points scored by either wrestler in the final two minutes, Wagner left the mat with his hand raised.

After a hard-fought 8-6 loss by Nicholas Marable (Colliersville, Tenn.) at 157 pounds, senior co-captain Matt Pell (Luxemburg, Wis.) stuck 16th-ranked Zack Shanaman in 2:05. Not to be outdone, defending National Champion Ben Askren (Hartland, Wis.) followed in similar fashion, pinning seventh-ranked All-American Matt Herrington in 39 seconds. The win by fall is Askren's 22nd of the season and 84th of his career.

Sophomore Raymond Jordan (New Bern, N.C.) added an additional three team points to the Tigers' score with his 12-6 decision of 13th-ranked Lior Zamir. The two wrestlers were scoreless through the first period, with Jordan exploding in the second earning eight points, adding four, through a takedown and nearfall, in the third for the eventual win.

Missouri won its fourth straight match when redshirt freshman and No. 1 ranked Maxwell Askren (Hartland, Wis.) scored a 15-0 technical fall. Askren tallied four takedowns, three nearfalls and racked up 5:38 of riding time for the shutout.

Up next, the Tigers will face eighth-ranked Northwestern at 1 p.m. (CT) on mat three. Northwestern has five wrestlers ranked among the top-20 in the nation at their respective weight class with Ryan Lang (141) and Jake Herbert (184) ranked No. 1 in the nation. Herbert wrestled at 174 pounds last season and fell to Ben Askren in the finals of the NCAA Championships.

John Olanowski (MU): 5:44 0 6 133 #2 Matt Valenti (Penn) decision #15 Tyler McCormick (MU): 3-2 0 9 141 #15 Ashtin Primus (MU) decision Rick Rappo (Penn): 6-4 3 9 149 #15 Josh Wagner (MU) major decision Rob Hitschler (Penn): 10-0 7 9 157 #14 Matt Dragon (Penn) decision Nicholas Marable (MU): 8-6 7 12 165 #7 Matt Pell (MU) fall #16 Zack Shanaman (Penn): 2:05 13 12 174 #1 Ben Askren (MU) fall #7 Matt Herrington(Penn): :39 19 12 184 #5 Raymond Jordan (MU) decision #13 Lior Zamir (Penn): 12-6 22 12 197 #1 Maxwell Askren (MU) technical fall Jack Sullivan (Penn): 15-0 27 12 HWT Ben Reiter (Penn) decision Mark Ellis (MU): 2-0 27 15