COLUMBIA, Mo. – After a 2014-15 Mizzou Wrestling season that featured a 24-0 dual record, a fourth consecutive conference title, a fourth-place team finish at the NCAA Championships and an NWCA National Duals Finals championship, the Tigers are hungry to reach even greater heights in 2015-16. Mizzou returns three All-Americans who combined for 108 wins last season, but it also welcomes a newcomer that is already a proven winner at the Division I level.
Blaise Butler is a name Tiger Style fans should get used to hearing during the upcoming campaign. Butler, a redshirt senior graduate transfer from the University of Virginia, is a two-time NCAA Championships qualifier. He posted a 56-20 record at Virginia, including a 21-6 mark in 2014-15. Butler captured the 2014 ACC Championship at 157 pounds and reached the NCAA Championships Round of 12 in 2015 at 174 pounds.
Despite his success, Butler wants more. He works relentlessly toward a defined goal: an NCAA Championship. Butler felt like Mizzou offered a place where he could pursue that goal, obtain his master's degree and wrestle alongside his younger brother, Alex, who is a freshman on the squad. Since arriving on campus, he's already embraced Tiger Style and become a part of the Mizzou Wrestling family.
"Once I found out my brother was coming here, it was a pretty big pull," Butler said. "Mizzou is a really good fit in terms of academics and obviously the wrestling is a plus. Here, Tiger Style means commitment. Everyone buys into the system and lives the discipline every day. We're working toward that common goal together."
Butler gives head coach Brian Smith another championship contender come March, helping the program reload after the departures of All-Americans Drake Houdashelt and Alan Waters. The redshirt senior expects his final collegiate campaign to be his most rewarding yet.
"I want to be a champion and nothing less," Butler said. "Everyone is working hard and it's great to get a new perspective here. I work with national champions every day and I feel myself getting better plus our tough schedule will more than prepare me for the national tournament."
Off the mat, Butler already has his bachelor's degree and plans on completing a two-year master's program in Business Administration at Mizzou. He wants to work with the business side of sports and become a sports agent upon graduation.
Those aspirations have molded Butler into a leader for Mizzou Wrestling both on and off the mat. With the season less than three months away, he hopes to help the young wrestlers develop and enjoy the ride while it lasts.
"I try to live the right lifestyle so I feel like a person who can lead by example," Butler said. "I just want to go out there and have fun this year because if you're just thinking about winning all the time, you're not having fun and that's something you have to do in this sport."
For all the latest on Mizzou Wrestling, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the team on Twitter and Instagram @MizzouWrestling.