OUTLOOK: Tony Pescaglia suffered a knee injury toward the close of his redshirt freshman campaign and was forced to the sidelines. Still plagued by a nagging injury, Pescaglia is slated to compete in the 125-pound weight class, but will likely miss the start of the 2008-09 season.
"When Tony is healthy, he's one of the top 125 pounders in the nation," Missouri Head Coach Brian Smith said. "We're working to get him back in competition form for the upcoming season."
2007-08: Of the 12 matches in which Pescaglia competed, eight came against wrestlers ranked among the top-15 in the nation of the 125-pound weight class. Pescaglia opened his redshirt freshman campaign Nov. 9 with a 10-4 win by decision over Mitch Fenton of Rider. The bout marked Pescaglia's first appearance in Missouri's 10-man lineup and his first of seven wins on the season. Competing at the prestigious Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational, Nov. 30 and Dec. 1, Pescaglia earned runner-up honors after managing a 5-1 record that included a 12-6 win by decision over Wisconsin's then-sixth-ranked Colin Cudd and an 8-4 decision of Illinois' 11th-ranked Gabriel Flores. Pescaglia's season was cut short due to a knee injury.
2006-07: Wrestling at 125 pounds, the lightest of the 10 collegiate weight classes, Pescaglia took first place at the Missouri Valley Open, Feb. 3 and finished fifth at the University of Northern Iowa (UNI) Open Feb. 3. Pescaglia made his collegiate wrestling debut Dec. 3 at the UNI Open, opening with a 5-2 win by decision over Terrance Young of Iowa Central. Among Pescaglia's victories was an 8-6 sudden victory win over Nate Hansen of Luther College.
HIGH SCHOOL: Under the direction of Head Coach J.D. Coffman, Pescaglia earned the Missouri State Title at 119 pounds his junior (2005) and senior (2006) seasons, ranking as high as seventh in the nation in 2006. A three-time team captain, Pescaglia finished sixth as a freshman (2003) and third as a sophomore (2004) earning all-state and All-America honors in each of his four years at Hickman. For his work on the mat, Pescaglia was inducted into the Hickman Hall of Fame and named a four-time Most Outstanding Wrestler, earning the most career wins (171) and pins (112) of his high school. Pescaglia's 112 falls were just two shy of the current school record (114). As a senior, Pescaglia finished the year with 51 victories, 39 of which were pins. The five-time Most Dedicated Wrestler was also awarded the Most Inspirational Award and two-time Sportsmanship Award. Pescaglia was a member of the National Honor Society and earned Academic All-State and All-America recognition in each of his years at Hickman.
PERSONAL: Born in Columbia, Mo., to Bucky and Cyndi Pescaglia, Tony is the oldest of three sons. K.C. (20), also a member on the Tiger wrestling team, and Vince (17). While at Mizzou Pescaglia is majoring in business.
