Dec. 27, 2010
COLUMBIA, Mo. – For the third straight season, the Missouri wrestling team will head to Evanston, Ill., to compete in the Midlands Championships, closing out the 2010 calendar year. The two-day event takes place at the Welsh-Ryan Arena, home of the Northwestern Wildcats, from Dec. 29-30. The No. 18 Tigers are 8-4 on the year and have won five of their last six duals.
Action gets underway on Wednesday at 9:30 a.m. CT with the first session. Day two begins at Noon CT, while the finals will begin at 7:15 p.m. on Thursday evening. Live radio coverage will take place at TakedownRadio.com.
Of the 32 teams attending this year's Midlands, 20 find themselves in Intermat's top-35 rankings. Joining Missouri from the Big 12 are Iowa State, Oklahoma and Nebraska. Last year, the Tigers took fourth place as a team, with seven Tigers placing in the top-eight of their respective classes.
Schedule of Events
Wednesday, Dec. 29
Session I: 9:30 a.m.-4 p.m.
Session II: 7 p.m.-10 p.m.
Thursday, Dec. 30
Session III: Noon-3:30 p.m.
Herbert vs. Askren Super Match: 3:30 p.m.
Session IV (championship, third, fifth-place matches): 7:15 p.m.-9:30 p.m.
Six Tigers Earn Midlands Pre-Seeds
Six Missouri grapplers are among the top eight seeds in their respective weight classes for the Midlands Tournament, as announced Tuesday by the tournament committee. This year's Midlands, held at the Welsh-Ryan Arena in Evanston, Ill., will take place from Dec. 29-30.
Freshman Alan Waters (125), redshirt freshman Zach Toal (165) and junior Dom Bradley (heavyweight) were each selected as the No. 5 seed in their respective classes. Senior Todd Schavrien (141) and junior Dorian Henderson (174) were both picked as seven seeds, while sophomore Brent Haynes (197) was named the eighth seed. Redshirt freshman Kyle Bradley (149) and sophomore Mike Larson (184) were picked as “other contenders” in their classes.
Askren, Herbert to Battle in Midlands Super Match
The Midlands Tournament Committee has arranged for former Tiger Ben Askren, a two-time NCAA champion and the current Bellator welterweight champion, to face off with U.S. World Team member Jake Herbert in a once-in-a-lifetime Super Match. The competition will be a six-minute folkstyle match, expected to begin at approximately 3:30 p.m. CT on Thursday after the semifinal round. Fans can watch the match for free at Flowrestling.org.
Schavrien Tabbed Wrestler of the Week
Missouri senior 141 pounder Todd Schavrien was named Big 12 Wrestler of the Week, as announced by the league office on Monday. It is the first weekly honor for the Poway, Calif., native and the first for the Tigers since the 2008-09 season.
Schavrien helped the Tigers to a 2-0 day at the Indiana Duals on Sunday with a pair of bonus point victories, as he defeated Eastern Michigan's Mike Leholm by a 17-0 score and pinned Indiana's Mitchell Rinsey in 4:50.
Schavrien recorded his technical fall win in the first period, as he made quick work of Leholm. He scored a quick takedown early in the match, and rolled Leholm over five times for three-point near falls, scoring the win with 10 seconds left in the first period. Against Rinsey, Schavrien went up 3-0 with a first period takedown and a second period escape. Late in the second, Rinsey attempted a cradle on Schavrien, but he was able to keep Rinsey on his back and record the pin with 10 seconds remaining in the second.
Schavrien, the lone senior in Missouri's starting lineup this season, is now 10-2 on the year and has won eight straight matches dating back to Nov. 27. He ranks as high as No. 13 in the nation at 141 pounds.
Tiger Wrestling Finalizes 2011-12 Class
The University of Missouri wrestling program added three student-athletes to next year's roster, as Trevor Jauch (Crystal Lake, Ill.), Cody Johnston (Warrensburg, Mo.) and Brandon Rice (Washington, Ill.) have signed national letters of intent to continue their wrestling careers at Mizzou.
Jauch, the 87th ranked high school wrestler overall according to Intermat, has put together a three-year record of 120-9 for Crystal Lake Central for coaches Justin Lehr and Jon Murphy. Wrestling at 135 pounds, Jauch ranks seventh nationally in the weight class according to W.I.N. Magazine and ninth according to Intermat. Last season, Jauch won the Illinois state title at 125 pounds to follow up his 2009 state title at 112 pounds. In the off season, Jauch competes for Team Overtime under coaches Sean Bormet, Kerry Baumens, John Kading and Donny Reynolds.
A three-time state qualifier in Missouri, Johnston is currently 128-15 in his career for Warrensburg High School. Wrestling at 135 pounds his freshman year, Johnston posted a 28-10 record while qualifying for state and earned National High School Coaches Association (NHSCA) All-America honors. At 145 pounds his sophomore year, Johnston was district champion and won 38 of his 41 matches. Last season, Johnston finished third at state and won his second straight district title while posting a record of 46-2. He was an NHSCA Junior Nationals All-American, a Fargo Junior Nationals Greco All-American and finished second at the Super 32 tournament. A three-time conference champ and 2010 District Wrestler of the Year, Johnston wrestles club for MO West Championship Wrestling under coaches Mike Hagerty, Jason Heslop and Jeremy Baker.
Rice was a 2010 Illinois Greco state champion and has a career record of 107-21 through his first three years. A three-year team captain for Washington Community High School, Rice is a two-time Illinois High School Association state qualifier, a two-time regional champion and a two-time conference champion. He was selected to the 2010 Junior Greco Duals All-Tournament Team and a 2009 Fargo Junior Greco All-American.
Tigers Sweep Indiana Duals
The No. 18 Missouri wrestling team (8-4) swept through Eastern Michigan and Indiana at the Indiana Duals on Sunday afternoon, earning team victories of 32-6 over EMU and 26-12 over Indiana.
The theme of the day for Mizzou was the early-match bonus points, which helped guide the Tigers to two big victories. Missouri scored two wins by major, a win by technical fall and a forfeit victory in the first four matches against EMU, and two pins at 133 and 141 against Indiana.