...Missouri Advances to Title Bout of National Duals...
Cedar Falls, Iowa - For only the second time in the history of the Missouri wrestling program, the No. 1 ranked Tigers defeated fourth-ranked Oklahoma State, 27-15, to advance to the championship finals of the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) Cliff Keen National Duals in the UNI Dome on the campus of Northern Iowa. Missouri will take on second-ranked Minnesota at 3 p.m. (CT) in the title bout. With Missouri's win over OSU, the Tigers improved to 7-0 on the season and 32-2 all-time against Oklahoma State.
After suffering a hard-fought overtime loss at 125 pounds, junior All-American Tyler McCormick (Leawood, Kan.), ranked 15th in the nation at 133 pounds, knocked off third-ranked Coleman Scott with a 3-2 decision. Scoreless through the first period, Scott chose down to start the second and managed to escape in 22 seconds. With McCormick down to start the third, the co-captain scored a reversal with 26 seconds remaining on the clock to pull out the upset and tie the dual at three. The win was McCormick's 60th career victory.
Ranked 15th in the nation at 141 pounds, true freshman Ashtin Primus (South Connelsville, Penn.) was able to avoid a loss by major decision scoring three points in the third period to keep the match within four points. The loss, although disappointing, kept the Tigers within three points of OSU's team lead.
An intense match at 149 pounds, 15th-ranked junior Josh Wagner (Milton, Wis.) helped the Tigers to their second lead of the dual with a fall in 6:59 over B.J. Jackson. One of five duals that went scoreless through the first period, Wagner pounced first with a reversal seven seconds into the second. With both wrestlers scrambling in the third, Wagner took advantage of a Jackson mishap and flattened the Cowboy with one second remaining on the clock.
Feeding off of Wagner's win, sophomore Michael Chandler (High Ridge, Mo.) won his 157 pound bout with Newly McSpadden, 4-2, in overtime. Chandler took the early lead in the match with a reversal in the second period, but McSpadden returned in the third with a reversal of his own. Tied at two, the grapplers went through the first one minute period of overtime and Chandler chose down to start the first 30 second tiebreaker. Scoring a reversal in 15 seconds, Chandler was able to ride McSpadden out in the second 30 second tiebreaker period to take the win by decision.
Senior Matt Pell (Luxemburg, Wis.) kept his bout with No. 1 ranked Johny Hendricks close, but fell short of the win when Hendricks managed a takedown and escape to Pell's single escape (3-1).
The Askren brothers, senior Ben and redshirt freshman Maxwell (Hartland, Wis.) recorded Missouri's final two falls of the day. Both wrestlers are ranked No. 1 in the nation in their respective weight class and clocked their falls within one second of one another. Ben Askren, the defending national champion at 174 pounds, stuck 16th-ranked Brandon Mason in 1:16, while Maxwell pinned Jared Shelton in 1:17.
After collecting his 50th career victory yesterday against 14th-ranked Penn, sophomore Raymond Jordan (New Bern, N.C.) tallied No. 51 after winning a 4-3 victory over Jack Jenson. Jordan scored his first two points on a double leg takedown with 41 seconds left in the first period, managed an escape in the second period for the one point advantage and with 1:07 of riding time, closed the door on the match.
Missouri's trip to the final round of the National Duals is its second in three appearances. The Tigers lost their last championship match, 24-12 in 2004, to then No. 1 Oklahoma State. The 3 p.m. (CT) dual with Minnesota is Missouri's first of the season, although the two teams saw a lot of each other at the Southern Scuffle, Dec. 29-30. Missouri won the team-scored tournament, 179.5 to Minnesota's 176 points. In the all-time series, Minnesota leads, 6-2.

MU OSU

125 Tyler Shinn (OSU) decision #18 John Olanowski (MU): 5-3 0 3
133 #15 Tyler McCormick (MU) decision #3 Coleman Scott (OSU): 3-2 3 3
141 #3 Nathan Morgan (OSU) decision #15 Ashtin Primus (MU): 9-5 3 6
149 #15 Josh Wagner (MU) fall B.J. Jackson (OSU): 6:59 9 6
157 #12 Michael Chandler (MU) decision Newly McSpadden (OSU): 4-2 OT 12 6
165 #1 Johny Hendricks (OSU) decision #7 Matt Pell (MU): 3-1 12 9
174 #1 Ben Askren (MU) fall #16 Brandon Mason (OSU): 1:16 18 9
184 #5 Raymond Jordan (MU) decision Jack Jenson (OSU): 4-3 21 9
197 #1 Maxwell Askren (MU) fall Jared Shelton (OSU): 1:17 27 9
HWT Missouri forfeit 27 15

Competing in the finals of the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) Cliff Keen Duals, the No. 1 ranked Missouri Tigers fell to No. 2 Minnesota, 20-16, to finish with runner-up honors in the UNI Dome on the campus of the University of Northern Iowa. Despite a change in lineup and two-point lead going into the heavyweight bout, the Tigers were unable to hold on for the win.

Suffering an 11-0 loss by major decision at 125 pounds, junior All-American Tyler McCormick (Leawood, Kan.) helped bring the Tigers even with Minnesota blanking Mike Thorn, 12-0 at 133 pounds. Controlling the match, McCormick recorded three takedowns, one in each period, with a three-point nearfall call at the buzzer in the second period. Earning one point for Thorn's continual stalling, McCormick racked up 1:30 of riding time for his 10th win of the season and 61st of his career.

Minnesota took its second lead of the dual with fifth-ranked Manuel Rivera's 18-7 major decision over Missouri's 15th-ranked true freshman Ashtin Primus (South Connelsville, Penn.). The Golden Gophers' team lead was extended an additional three points (11-4) after Missouri's No. 15 Josh Wagner (Milton, Wis.) lost a 1-0 bout to No. 1 Dustin Schlatter. The two wrestlers were scoreless through the entire match, with Schlatter earning his only point on two minutes of riding time.

Competing at 157 pounds, sophomore Michael Chandler (High Ridge, Mo.) took the early lead on C.P. Schlatter, but lost by one point (6-5) as Schlatter stormed back to score three takedowns in the final period of action. Chandler had jumped to an early 3-0 lead through the first five minutes but was only able to score two escapes in the third.

Making changes to the lineup, redshirt freshman Nicholas Marable (Colliersville, Tenn.) made his second dual start of the season at 165 pounds. Wrestling 19th-ranked Jeremy Larson, Marable won his match, 5-3 to improve to 26-6 on the season while helping Missouri pull within seven points of the Golden Gophers.

Next up for the Tigers, senior All-American Matt Pell (Luxemburg, Wis.) scored a 9-4 victory over 12th-ranked Gabe Dretsch at 174 pounds. Pell, ranked No. 7 at 165 pounds, and Dretsch stood tied at three entering the third period, but Pell broke loose in the third, scoring two takedowns and an escape while collecting 1:16 of riding time for the win. Pell now holds 112 wins in his career at Missouri and moved ahead of 165 pound All-American Tyron Woodley for sixth place in the record book.

In a rare matchup, senior 174 pound defending National Champion Ben Askren (Hartland, Wis.), ranked No. 1 in the nation, paired with second ranked Roger Kisch at 184 pounds and helped the Tigers come within one point of the Gophers with his 5-4 win by decision. Scoreless through the first period, Askren scored an escape after starting the period down and takedown to end the period with a 3-0 lead. Kisch started the third period down and escaped, but Askren was quick to take the Gopher down for his final two points of the match.

Redshirt freshman Maxwell Askren (Hartland, Wis.) kept his perfect record in tack with an 11-5 decision over Brent Eidenschink. The win helped Missouri to a short-lived two point advantage that came to an end when Missouri's true freshman Tyler Perry (Hannibal, Mo.) was pined by defending National Champion Cole Konrad in 2:13.

...Head Coach Brian Smith Hits the Century Mark...
Mount Pleasant, Mich. - The second-ranked Missouri wrestling team improved to 2-0 on the season after topping No. 11 Central Michigan, 31-9, in Rose Arena. With the victory, Missouri Head Coach Brian Smith collected his 100th career win since taking the helm of the program in 1998 and now owns a 100-53-1 mark and .653 winning percentage.
Opening the night at 125 pounds, redshirt freshman John Olanowski (Virginia Beach, Va.) suffered a 6-1 loss to No. 13 Luke Smith. Ranked No. 24 in the nation at 125 pounds, Olanowski is now 8-3 on the season.
Missouri's first of three wins by fall came from All-American junior Tyler McCormick (Leawood, Kan.) at 133 pounds. Ranked 10th in the nation, McCormick paired with Conor Beebe and dropped the Chippewa's shoulders in 4:52 to help Missouri take the team lead, 6-3.
True freshman Ashtin Primus (South Connelsville, Penn.) made his collegiate debut when he battled with Eric Kruger at 141 pounds. Wrestling a solid seven minutes, Primus fell, 9-2, allowing Central Michigan to regain the lead for the second and last time of the dual.
The Tigers rolled off six straight wins including three extra point victories between 149 and 197 pounds. Junior Josh Wagner (Milton, Wis.) pinned Andy Keller in 5:45 while No. 1 ranked Ben Askren (Hartland, Wis.) pinned his ninth straight opponent of the season when he dropped No. 6 Brandon Sinnott in 2:56. The win is Askren's 16th of the season, 61st consecutive victory and 127th career win.
"The team wrestled very aggressively tonight." Smith said. "We beat a quality team and put people on their back in almost every match. That's something we work on every day in practice so it's good to see the hard work crossing over into competition."
After jumping to No. 2 in the national polls at 197 pounds, redshirt freshman Maxwell Askren (Hartland, Wis.) wrestled with his fourth top-10 ranked opponent and held off No. 8 Wynn Michalak, 10-2.
The Tigers will take on No. 14 Michigan State tomorrow beginning at 1 p.m. (CT).
Wt Wrestler vs. Wrestler: Result, Team Scoring
125: No. 13 Luke Smith (CMU) dec. No. 24 John Olanowski, 6-1; CMU 3-0
133: No. 4 Tyler McCormick (Missouri) pin Conor Beebe, 4:52; Missouri 6-3
141: Eric Kruger (CMU) dec. Ashtin Primus, 9-2; Tied 6-6
149: No. 16 Josh Wagner (Missouri) pin Andy Keller, 5:45; Missouri 12-6
157: No. 7 Michael Chandler (Missouri) dec. Eric Neil, 5-3; Missouri 15-6
165: No. 7 Matt Pell (Missouri) dec. No. 16 Trevor Stewart, 8-1; Missouri 18-6
174: No. 1 Ben Askren (Missouri) pin No. 6 Brandon Sinnott, 2:56; Missouri 24-6
184: No. 4 Raymond Jordan (Missouri) dec. No. 6 Christian Sinnott, 11-8; Missouri 27-6
197: No. 2 Max Askren (Missouri) maj. dec. No. 8 Wynn Michalak, 10-2; Missouri 31-6
285: No. 7 Bubba Gritter (CMU) dec. Mark Ellis, 8-3; Missouri 31-9
Updated Season and Career Records
Wt. Name Season Career
125 John Olanowski 10-4 10-4
133 Tyler McCormick 7-2 58-25
141 Amond Prater 6-5 69-30
149 Josh Wagner 10-4 47-28
157 Michael Chandler 9-4 28-20
165 Matt Pell 9-1 108-29
174 Ben Askren 16-0 127-8
184 Raymond Jordan 9-4 42-16
197 Max Askren 11-0 11-0
HWT Mark Ellis 5-6 5-6