Jan. 17, 2009
Columbia, Mo. - Wrestling fans will have a chance to watch their 12th-ranked Tigers in action as they return to the Hearnes Center and host instate opponent Missouri Valley (6-2) at 2:30 p.m. (CT) followed with a 5:30 p.m. (CT) dual against Chattanooga (7-6) on Sunday, Jan. 18. Missouri's second home contest of the campaign, the Tigers, now 12-2 on the season, look to extend their home unbeaten streak to nine duals with wins over both of their Sunday afternoon foes.
A total of 14 Tigers are expected to weigh in for a chance to compete against the Vikings of Missouri Valley and/or Mocs of Chattanooga. Missouri's 10-man lineup is likely to have the familiar faces of several nationally ranked grapplers. Senior Marcus Hoehn (Farmington, Mo.), ranked 12th in the nation at 141 pounds, will likely take on Chattanooga's, eighth ranked Cody Cleveland in Missouri's second matchup of the day. Co-captain Michael Chandler (High Ridge, Mo.) and All-American Nicholas Marable (Collierville, Tenn.) will also battle with ranked opponents when they go head-to-head with No. 19 Joey Knox and No. 19 Seth Gavin at 157 and 165-pounds respectively. Chandler currently carries a No. 9 ranking at 157 pounds, while Marable is ranked as high as seventh in the nation at 165 pounds.
Missouri Valley, located 62 miles northwest of Columbia in Marshall, Mo., ranks seventh in the nation in the NAIA and boasts five ranked wrestlers in their lineup. The Vikings are coming off of a fifth place showing at the NAIA National Duals last weekend. Brian Graham, a junior, owns the highest ranking of his teammates and stands at No. 1 in the nation at 149 pounds. The Tigers are 8-0-1 in duals with the Vikings, the only tie coming during the 2000-01 campaign, 19-19.
Coming off of a 23-14 loss to Oklahoma Jan. 11, Chattanooga enters the Hearnes Center at 7-6 on the season. Missouri owns a 6-1 advantage over the Mocs most recently collecting a 24-10 victory last season in Chattanooga. Missouri's last home dual with the Mocs came in 2007. With several members of Missouri's lineup fighting the flu, the Tigers were forced to forfeit at five weight classes giving the Mocs an automatic 30 point advantage. It was later ruled that the dual did not count as a loss towards the Tigers (a minimum of six matches are necessary to count as an official dual), however wins and losses were credited towards each teams competitors.
Wrestling will begin at 1 p.m. (CT) in the Hearnes Center as Missouri Valley and Chattanooga meet at center circle. The Tigers dual against Missouri Valley will begin at 2:30 p.m. and a contest between Missouri High Schools, Park Hill and Wentzville Holt is set for 4 p.m. The high scholl dual pits to of the state's top-five programs against each other. The afternoon of wrestling will wrap up with Missouri 5:30 p.m. matchup with Chattanooga.
Tickets for the all-afternoon wrestling event are $5 for adults and $3 for students and children. All fans wearing Missouri gear or fans with a ticket from Saturday's men's basketball game against Iowa State can purchase tickets at a discounted price of $2.
Live streaming of the dual will be available to fans through Missouri's official athletic website, www.mutigers.com.