Jan. 5, 2011
Complete Notes | Division I Bracket | Day One Live Blog | Live Video ($5 fee)
The No. 13 Missouri wrestling team (8-4) looks to build off of last week's Midlands Championship as they head to the NWCA National Duals in Cedar Falls, Iowa, held this Saturday and Sunday. The Tigers, who received the No. 8 seed, get underway at the UNI Dome at 9 a.m. CT and will face off against host Northern Iowa (4-5) to open competition. The winner of Missouri and UNI will face the winner of No. 1 Cornell and Ohio State, with the losers from each match facing off in the first round of consolations.
Missouri is making their eighth trip in 12 years to the NWCA National Duals and are looking to rebound after a couple of tough trips the last two years, where they went 1-2 each season. The Tigers' best overall finish at the National Duals is second, which occured in both 2004 and 2007.
For tickets, visit the McLeod Center ticket office or call 319-273-4TIX. All-session passes are $45 for adults and $35 for seniors and students. One day passes are $25 for adults and $20 for seniors and students.
Scouting Northern Iowa
The Northern Iowa Panthers come into the National Duals with a 4-5 record on the season, having lost their last four dual meets. The Panthers opened the year at the Northwestern Duals and went 2-1 on the day, beating McKendree by a 34-9 score and Wisconsin-Parkside by a 34-6 final before falling to Northwestern, 26-6. A week later, UNI knocked off Old Dominion in their home opener 19-15. At the Northeast Duals to close out November, Northern Iowa defeated Binghamton 18-15 in their first match but then fell to Maryland and Bloomsburg, losing 19-16 and 18-14, respectively. Their last two matches have come against Big Ten competition, as the Panthers fell 39-0 to Iowa and 25-14. The Panthers are led by first year head coach Doug Schwab.
Three of Northern Iowa's starters find themselves ranked in two or more of the major polls, as 157-pounder David Bonin ranks No. 21, Ryan Loder is No. 14 at 184 and heavyweight Christian Brantley is 13th. All three found themselves on the medal stand last week at the Midlands Championships. Loder was highest of the three, finishing fifth in his class, while Bonin came in sixth and Brantley finished seventh.
Northern Iowa leads the all-time series over Missouri with a 17-7 record. The Tigers have won the last two meetings, winning 26-10 in 2006 and 36-13 in 2007.
Follow Live
Live scoring will be available for the NWCA National Duals through the NWCA scorebook. Missouri will also feature a live blog for both days of competition. Links to all can be found on the sidebar on the wrestling page at MUTigers.com. Fans can also watch live at LiveSportsVideo.com, as they will live stream five mats to accompany broadcast calls from Takedown Wrestling Media. Live action from the event is available for a pay-per-view subscription fee of $5.00.
What's Next
Missouri comes home for the first time in 2011, when they host Chattanooga and SIU-Edwardsville next Saturday, Jan. 15, at the Hearnes Center. Mizzou will take on Chattanooga at 2 p.m. CT as part of the annual Beauty and the Beast competition, where the Tiger wrestling and gymnastics squads will compete on the same floor at the same time. Afterwards, at approximately, 3:45 p.m. CT, Mizzou will take on SIU-Edwardsville.
Early Points Helping Tigers
Much of the Tigers' success this season has been because of the success they've had right off the bat in their dual meets. More specifically, the success they've had at 125, 133 and 141 pounds. The Tigers have scored 256 total team points in duals this season, and 113 of those have come from the first three weight classes. Mizzou has accumlated 40 team points at 125 and 141, while picking up 33 at 133. No other weight class has scored more than 30 yet this season. At 125, the Tigers have scored points in all 12 matches, while scoring points in seven of the 12 133 pound matches and 10 of the 12 matches at 141. Bonus points have been big for the Tigers in the early matches as well, as Mizzou has scored bonus points in four of the seven wins at 133 and six of the 10 wins at 141.
Tigers Host Fifth Beauty and the Beast
The Missouri Tigers will host the annual Beauty and the Beast meet on Saturday, Jan. 15., in the Hearnes Center. Mizzou Gymnastics will face SEMO starting at 2 p.m., while the Mizzou Wrestlers will take on both Chattanooga and SIUE at 2 p.m. and 3:45 p.m., respectively. Tickets cost $5 for adults and $3 for youth/senior citizens. Fans can purchase tickets on MUTigers.com or by calling 1-800-CAT-PAWS.
Tigers Win Midlands Team Title
For the first time in program history, the Missouri wrestling team has won the Midlands Championships team title, as the Tigers finished the tournament with 103.5 points to beat out Wisconsin (95.5), Lehigh (93.0) and Iowa (91.0). Missouri wins the Midlands title after finishing third in 2008 and fourth in 2009.
The Tigers entered the day in sixth place but had more wrestlers remaining than any other team in the tournament with eight. Going into the championship session tonight, Missouri had moved up to first place, holding a 13 point edge over second place Wisconsin with five grapplers still alive in the wrestlebacks.
Mizzou ended up placing six wrestlers overall, with freshman Alan Waters leading the way with a third place finish at 125 pounds. Redshirt freshman Zach Toal (165), sophomore Mike Larson (184) and sophomore Brent Haynes (197) each finished fourth. Senior Todd Schavrien took fifth at 141, while junior Patrick Wright took eighth at 174.
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