Big 12 Wrestling Championship Central
Live Stream of first and second rounds
March 5, 2010
Columbia, Mo. -
Five of the nation's top-20 programs are set to compete at the 14th annual Big 12 wrestling Championships March, 6, 2010, in Norman, Okla. The teams will compete not only for Big 12 titles, but automatic bids to the 80th annual NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, March 18-20, 2010, in Omaha, Neb.
The all-day event will stream first and second round, as well as consolation match events live on Big12sporsts.com, while Fox Sports Network (FSN) will air the finals live beginning at 7 p.m. (CT). The entire day of action will be held in the Howard McCasland Field House. Fans unable to attend the event can keep up with live stats courtesy of Soonersports.com.
Three of the five Big 12 schools carry a top 10 ranking into the annual event with Iowa State, Oklahoma State, and Oklahoma standing at second, third, and ninth, respectively. Missouri, who is the only Big 12 school to yet win a share of the team title, ranks 17th, while unranked Nebraska, led by Head Coach Mark Manning, captured a piece of the Big 12 title last year, tying for 70 points with Iowa State.
Finishing the dual season 7-7 overall, the Tigers have spent nearly the past three weeks doing some fine-tuning to best situate them for the postseason. Five of Missouri's 10 starters sit ranked among the top 20 of their respective weight classes, with four of the five coming at the bottom of the lineup. Senior Max Askren holds the highest ranking of his teammates at third. Askren, with a Big 12 Championship win this weekend, could become Missouri's first wrestler to win a Big 12 Title at more than one weight class, and hit his 100 career wins mark.
Senior 165-pounder Nick Marable eyes his third career Big 12 Championship title this weekend. Ranked as high as fourth in the nation, he owns a 3-1 record in conference, with his only loss coming to Iowa State's Jon Reader.
Official seeds for the annual event will be released the evening of Friday, March 5. Askren finished the season with a spotless 4-0 record in conference duals, and is likely to earn the No. 1 seed in the 184-pound weight class.
As a team, Missouri's highest finish at the league championships came in 2003 and 2007 when the Tigers took second.
Five Tigers First Appearance
This year, five Missouri wrestlers will compete in their first Big 12 Championships. Redshirt freshmen Brent Haynes, Nathan McCormick and Nick Hucke join sophomore Patrick Wright and freshman Eric Wilson in competing for a big to the NCAA National Championships. In a season fueled by the success of young wrestlers, these five have combined for 81 wins, and 69 dual points.
Three Tigers Earn Automatic Bids
With the number of automatic qualifiers set for the Big 12 Conference, it is already a given that Missouri's Dorian Henderson, Brent Haynes, and Mark Ellis have qualified for the 2010 NCAA Championships. All five Big 12 grapplers in each of the three weight classes will contend for a National Title, March 18-20, in the Qwest Center in Omaha, Neb.
Ellis is a defending National Champion at heavyweight, and Henderson is a returning NCAA qualifier. This will be redshirt freshman Brent Haynes' first time taking the mat at the Championships.
Academic All-Big 12
Three members of Missouri's wrestling team received Academic All-Big 12 accolades as announced by the league office. Two Tigers, Maxwell Askren (Harland, Wis.) and Nathan McCormick (Leawood, Kan.) received first-team honors, while redshirt freshman Brent Haynes (Kansas City, Mo.) was named to the second team.
Askren is a four-time first team academic All-Big 12 recipient, while McCormick and Haynes are receiving their first honors.
Nominated by each institution's director of student-athlete support services and media relations offices, the wrestling academic all-league squad consisted of 14 first team members combined with two on the second team. First team members have recorded a 3.20 or better grade-point average (GPA), while the second team are those with a 3.00 to 3.19 GPA.
To qualify, student-athletes must maintain a 3.00 GPA or higher either cumulative or in the two previous semesters and have participated in 60 percent of his team's scheduled contests. Freshman and transfers are not eligible in their first year of academic residence. Senior student-athletes who have participated for a minimum of two years and meet all the criteria except percent of participation are also eligible.
Hucke Steps Up At 149 Pounds
One of Missouri's five wrestlers making their first Big 12 postseason appearance, redshirt freshman Nick Hucke has replaced sophomore Scott O'Donnell in Missouri's lineup. Hucke owns an 8-8 record, and is 1-0 in duals. Hucke closed out his redshirt season with a 22-5 record.