Nov. 16, 2007
Freshman/Sophomore Division Brackets 
Complete Release in PDF Format
The Comforts of Home
Fresh off of back-to-back wins over No. 27 Rider (34-4) and 13th-ranked Hofstra (22-21) the Missouri wrestling team has returned home to host the eighth annual Missouri Open, Sunday, Nov. 18, beginning at 9 a.m. (CT) in the Fieldhouse. Doors open at 8 a.m. (CT) and admission is $5 for adults and $3 for students. Finals for the Missouri Open are slated to begin around 3 p.m. (CT).
This year's Missouri Open features 25 wrestlers who qualified for the 2007 NCAA Championships and six All-Americans. In addition, five of last year's Missouri Open tournament champions are back to defend their title.
Thirty-five members of Missouri's sixth-ranked wrestling squad are expected to compete in the all-day tournament including nine of the nation's top-25 grapplers. Four Tigers from Missouri's starting lineup will put their perfect records on the line including Michael Chandler (157 pounds), Nicholas Marable (165 pounds), Raymond Jordan (184 pounds) and Mark Ellis (heavyweight). Of the 14 Missouri grapplers to finish among the top-six of their respective weight class in last season's Missouri Open, 11 are in the hunt for a tournament title. Among the 11 are 2007 tournament champions Jordan and 197 pounder Maxwell Askren.
A total of 31 NCAA Division I wrestlers and nine NCAA Division II wrestlers enter the all-day meet ranked among the top-20 in the nation at their respective weight class. Two Division I grapplers are currently ranked first in the nation, Ryan Lang of Northwestern at 141 pounds and Dustin Fox of Northwestern at heavyweight. In addition, two NCAA Division II wrestlers are ranked No. 1 in their weight class, Tyler Ukerman of Central Oklahoma (125 pounds) and Kyle Evans of Central Oklahoma at 141 pounds. The Bronchos of Central Oklahoma are now tied for first in the nation in the most recent NCAA Division II Wrestling Coaches' Association poll. In the Division I ranks, Missouri holds the highest team standing at sixth in the nation. A total of five Division I programs and three Division II wrestling squads that are currently ranked among the top-20 in the nation will be in attendance at the meet. Eighteen teams from across the nation are sending at least 10 wrestling representatives.
The 197 pound weight class holds the highest number of ranked wrestlers, five. Northwestern's Mike Tamillow ranks third in the nation, while Askren stands at sixth, Matt Koz of Chattanooga is at 10th, Patrick Bond of Illinois is 13th and David Mendoza of Old Dominion is 19th. Three of the four grapplers were 2007 NCAA qualifiers and Tamillow earned All-America honors with his seventh place finish.
Make Note
Senior 133 pounder Tyler McCormick looks to become the 15th Tiger in program history to join the 100-win club. With 71 wins on his career, McCormick could become the fifth consecutive Tiger to hit the century mark and the ninth Tiger since Head Coach Brian Smith took the reigns in 1998 to join the prestigious club.
Nicholas Marable, Missouri's 165 pound starter, is ranked as high as 12th in the nation and will likely face two of the nation's top-10 competitors at the Missouri Open. Fourth-ranked Matt Coughlin (Indiana) and 2007 NCAA Qualifier Roger Smith-Bergsrud (Illinois) are expected to compete in the all-day tournament.
Wrestling Higher Ranked Opponents
Sunday's Missouri Open has the potential to move a few of Missouri's already ranked wrestlers up in the polls. Michael Chandler, currenlty ranked 10th at 157 pounds, could potentially compete with two higher ranked opponents, third-ranked Mike Poeta of Illinois and ninth-ranked Brandon Becker of Indiana. As mentioned earlier, Marable will also likely face two higher ranked opponents. Maxwell Askren, Missouri's 197 pounder, is ranked seventh in the nation and could possibly come into competition with third-ranked Mike Tamillow. Finally, Missouri's heavyweight Mark Ellis, ranked as high as 13th in the nation, will likely battle with No. 1 ranked Dustin Fox, the 2007 third-place finisher at the NCAA Championships.
At The Open
The first year Missouri hosted the Missouri Open was 2000. In that innaguaral competition, only three Tigers finished among the top six of their respective weight class. Fast forward seven years to 2007 when Missouri collected four individual titles, and 11 Tiger wrestlers finished among the top six of their respective weight class. What a difference seven years makes.
Five In A Row
For the fifth straight year, the Missouri wrestling team has started the season with a 2-0 record. Earning a season opening win against No. 27 Rider on Nov. 9, Missouri is now 33-29 in season openers and 6-4 under the direction of Head Coach Brian Smith. This ties Missouri's longest season-opening win streak of five straight seasons with dual opening wins. The previous two five-year periods were from 1964-1968 and 1983-1987, In 1969, Missouri lost its season-opening dual to Purdue, 25-6 and in 1988, the Tigers opened with a 19-19 tied against Nebraska.
Heavy-Hitter
Missouri's sophomore heavyweight Mark Ellis becomes the first Tiger heavyweight in over five seasons to start back-to-back campaings. Prior to Ellis' start at heavyweight in 2006, five individuals have held the title of starter. Ellis became the first heavyweight starter since Kevin Herron (2003) to qualfiy for the NCAA Championships. Ellis is currently 2-0 on the season, having won both of his matches with bonus point victories.
Seven Out of 20
Of Missouri's first 20 bouts of the season, seven have been won by extra point wins. Sophomore 165 pounder Nicholas Marable owns two extra point wins earning a technical fall against Mark Darling of Rider and major decision against 12th-ranked Ryan Patrovich of Hofstra. Sophomore heavyweight Mark Ellis has also collected two bonus point wins, a fall in 2:18 over Peter Reid of Rider and a dual-deciding win by technical fall over James Guerin of Hofstra. Additionally, junior Raymond Jordan has won two matches, the first by technical fall over Rider's ninth ranked 184 pounder and the second by fall in 4:20 over Hofstra's Jeff Siciliano. Junior Michael Chandler's 15-6 win by major decision over 15th-ranked Johnny Bonilla-Bowman is the Tigers' seventh extra point victory.
Against Those Ranked
This season, Missouri grapplers have wrestled 12 individuals that are currently ranked among the top-25 in their respective weight class. Six of Missouri's 20 matches so far have been won against ranked opponents.
Smith Hits Decade Mark
Missouri Head Coach Brian Smith enters his 10th year at the helm of the Tiger wrestling program. Owning a 112-56-1 record with the Tigers, Smith holds the highest winning percentage of any wrestling coach in Missouri history at 67 percent.
MatChat Returns
Monday, Nov. 5, Missouri wrestling Head Coach Brian Smith opened the second season of MatChat. An interactive 30-minute session in which you, the fans, can ask a Missouri wrestler whatever questions you want, the weekly chat begins at 3 p.m. (CT) and lasts approximatley 20 minutes. This week's guest, for Monday, Nov. 19, is sophomore 165 pounder Nicholas Marable. Marable ranks 12th in the nation entering the Missouri Open. A win over either of his two higher ranked opponents could propel the Tiger to top-10 territory. Fans are encouraged to submit their questions early, so check back to www.mutigers.com to see when the latest chat is posted.
Tiger Wrestlers Come From Behind For 22-21 Win over No. 13 Hofstra
Hempstead, N.Y. -In a dual that came down to the final bout of the night, the sixth-ranked Missouri wrestling team came from behind to take down No. 13 Hofstra, 22-21, in the David S. Mack Sports Complex. A technical fall by sophomore heavyweight Mark Ellis (Blue Springs, Mo.) proved the deciding factor in the night's dual. Needing five points to win the battle, Ellis managed a 21-6 win in 6:39 to help the Tigers improve to 2-0 on the season.
"I'm pleased with the way our team fought back tonight," Head Coach Brian Smith said. "We suffered some tough losses and we'll have to go back to the practice room and work on several things. But, it's still early in the season. We'll use these early duals to really find out where we are and what we need to work on."
Down 14-0 entering the 149 pound match, Tiger senior Josh Wagner (Milton, Wis.) was first to put points on the Tiger's side of the scoreboard. Holding on for a 5-2 win over 17th-ranked Mitch Smith, ninth-ranked Wagner and Smith entered the second period tied at two, but Wagner managed an escape in six seconds and a takedown with nine seconds left on the clock to take a 5-2 lead into the third period. Allowing Smith a single escape in the third, Wagner collected his first win of the season and started Missouri on a three-bout win streak.
Junior NCAA qualifier and ninth-ranked Michael Chandler (High Ridge, Mo.) helped cut the Pride's lead in half by recording a 15-6 win by major decision over 15th-ranked Johnny Bonilla-Bowman. In his first start of the season, Chandler collected seven of his 14 points by nearfall, all in the third period. Each wrestler was awarded one point for either a stall call (Bonilla-Bowman) or technical violation (Chandler). Chandler was the first Tiger to score first in a bout, taking down Bonilla-Bowman 1:25 into the match.
After quieting the large Pride crowd sophomore Nicholas Marable (Colliersville, Tenn.) moved to 2-0 on the season, shutting down 12th-ranked Ryan Patrovich, 10-2, at 165 pounds. Marable held the Hofstra wrestler to only two escapes, scoring a takedown and reversal in the second period and a takedown in the third.
Hofstra increased its lead to seven points, but junior Raymond Jordan was quick to close the gap, pinning Jeff Siciliano in 4:20. The second Tiger fall of the very young season, Jordan showed his dominance at 184 pounds taking down Siciliano three times in the first period and scoring four points through back points before sticking the Pride wrestler.
A loss at 197 pounds put the Tigers down 21-17, but Ellis' technical fall helped Missouri to its win. Ellis took downJames Guerin eight times in the match and managed 1:55 of riding time. Two duals into the season and Missouri has won seven of its 20 matches by bonus point victories.