March 19, 2008
Missouri Wrestling Practice Photo Gallery
Together, they own a 122-34 record on the season and have taken down 39 of the nation's top-ranked wrestlers. Missouri's seven-man NCAA qualifying squad accounts for 29 of the team's 105 falls this season and 22 of the team's 83 wins by major decision. Each of Missouri's seven qualifiers are ranked among the top-15 of their respective weight class and four are ranked among the top-10. Tyler McCormick, Josh Wagner, Michael Chandler, Nicholas Marable, Raymond Jordan, Maxwell Askren and Mark Ellis have been preparing all season for the 78th annual NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, March 20-22, at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis.
Wrestling in St. Louis for the third time in five years, this marks the sixth straight season in which the Tiger wrestling program has qualified five or more wrestlers for the NCAA Championships and second time in five years that seven individuals will take their turn in the national spotlight. Last year's talented squad of eight helped Missouri to its highest NCAA finish in program history, third. This year's group of seven men hopes to improve upon that finish.
Two Tiger grapplers, McCormick and Wagner, will make their final run at a National Title. For McCormick, a 2007 December graduate, this marks his third trip to the National Tournament, while Wagner, also a senior, will make his second appearance.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, Missouri sophomore Nicholas Marable will be making his first trip to the NCAA Tournament and ranks as high as second in the nation at 165 pounds. Coming off of a 2-0 showing at the Big 12 Championships, March 8 in Stillwater, Okla., the Big 12 Champion looks to add another piece of hardware to his trophy case as he competes for All-America honors.
Three Missouri wrestlers, McCormick along with juniors Chandler and Jordan know the ropes of the NCAA tournament and are making their third showing at the national event. Askren and Ellis round out the Tiger's seven-man squad and will compete for the second time at the season-ending tournament.
Throughout the course of the Missouri wrestling history, 25 Tigers have laid claim to All-America honors, with nine earning top-eight finishes on more than one occasion. This year, Missouri looks to add even more names to its All-American list while each qualifier strives to become only the second Missouri National Champion in program history. Recent graduate Ben Askren earned the program's first National Title in 2006 as a junior and repeated the feat in 2007 as a senior 174-pound wrestler.
As in the past, fans unable to attend the three-day event will have the opportunity to watch the Championships unfold through the power of ESPN. The Championship finals, set to begin at 7:30 p.m. (CT), Saturday, March 22, will air live on ESPN and ESPN360. A complete schedule of ESPN's broadcast can be found on page two.
Stay tuned to Missouri's website, www.mutigers.com, for all of the latest results, notes, quotes and more throughout the 2008 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships.