Feb. 15, 2008
Ranked as high as 10th in the nation, the Missouri wrestling team will close out its regular season schedule, Sunday, Feb. 17, at 2 p.m. (CT) against No. 7 Iowa State (14-4, 1-1). Live stats for the afternoon dual will be provided through mutigers.com.
Looking for their 10th dual victory of the season, Missouri enters the afternoon match down 42-3 in the all-time series with the Cyclones. Missouri's most recent win over Iowa State came during the 2005-06 campaign, when the Tigers held off the Cyclones, 16-15, in Ames. The win, at which time Missouri was ranked 10th and Iowa State stood at seventh, marked the first time that a Missouri wrestling squad had beaten Iowa State in Ames since the 1927-28 campaign. Last season, Iowa State came out on top, 27-12, in front of a record-setting 2,772 fans in the Hearnes Center.
The Tigers have collected 10 or more dual wins in seven of the program's last 10 seasons, having won 10 or more duals in the six years leading up to 2008. Entering Sunday's dual with seven Tigers ranked among the top-25 of their respective weight class, Missouri is 1-1-1 in Big 12 competition this season having opened conference action with a tie, 16-16, with Oklahoma State, Jan. 19. Since then, Missouri suffered a loss to second-ranked Nebraska and collected a win over No.18 Oklahoma. Currently, all five Big 12 wrestling programs are ranked among the top-20 in the nation.
Based on InterMat and NWCA rankings, fans should expect to see six bouts in which ranked wrestlers will go head-to-head. Missouri's fourth-ranked Raymond Jordan, currently 21-1 on the season, will put his 12-match win streak on the line when he squares off with No. 1 ranked Jake Varner at 184 pounds. Varner is a perfect 21-0 this season. Jordan holds a 2-0 advantage over Varner, taking wins against his Cyclone opponent last season, 4-3, in dual competition, and 6-4, in the championship match of the Big 12 Tournament.
Second-ranked Nicholas Marable will meet with his ninth, ranked opponent in 10 matches. Marable will challenge No. 6 Jon Reader at 165 pounds.
In need of a Big 12 win at 174 pounds, Missouri's Brock Wittmeyer or James Williamson will likely take on unranked Aron Scott. The battle at 174 pounds marks the only match of the day in which neither team will have a ranked wrestler on the mat.