University of Missouri
Southern Scuffle
Missouri Wrestling Stands In Second Place In North Carolina
12/29/2005 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Dec. 29, 2005
Greensboro, N.C. - The No. 11 Tigers wrapped up the first day of competition in good position at the Southern Scuffle, Dec. 29, trailing only No. 3 Minnesota in the team standings. Nine Missouri wrestlers will open their second day in the Greensboro Coliseum Complex Special Events Center in the hunt for a title, although only seven count toward the team score. Head Coach Brian Smith's squad compiled 51.5 points on the opening day of competition.
Teams are only allowed to count one wrestler per weight class, and at both 141 and 197 pounds two Tigers advanced to quarterfinal competition. At 141 pounds, No. 19 senior Chris McCormick (Leawood, Kan.) is joined by redshirt freshman Marcus Hoehn (Farmington, Mo.), who posted a perfect 3-0 record in only his second action of the season. Showing his ability to win the tough matches, Hoehn picked up two victories by one point each, then earned the third with a three-point advantage, 6-3 over Rick McLaughlin of Edinboro.
Missouri's one-two punch of youth and experience at 197 pounds experienced similar success, as No. 13 senior Jeff Foust (Blue Springs, Mo.) and freshman Max Askren (Hartland, Wis.) each enter the second day undefeated. Picking up extra points in each of his three matches, Foust won his first bout by pinning Nick Lorenzano of Chattanooga, then major decisioned his next two opponents by the same 10-2 score. In the process of completing a redshirt season, Askren competed unattached and pinned both of his opponents in less than two minutes, dropping Jim Gibson of Edinboro in 1:57 and dispatching of Maryland's Jerry Afari in 1:51.
Not to be outdone by his younger brother, No. 1-ranked junior Ben Askren (Hartland, Wis.) pinned all three of his opponents on the day at 174 pounds, the fastest coming in his first match over Matthias Piasecki of Gardner-Webb in 37 seconds. Askren's three falls raised his season total to 18, just two behind his own Missouri record of 20, which he established in 2004-05.
Ranked No. 4 in the nation at 165 pounds, junior Matt Pell (Luxemburg, Wis.) dominated in his two trips to center circle, pinning Aaron Glover of Duke in 3:44 in his opening match, then trapping the shoulders of Rider's Chris Marold in just 58 seconds. The two victories make Pell 14-1, the second-best record on the team behind the elder Askren's unblemished 22-0 mark.
Raymond Jordan (New Bern, N.C.), Austin DeVoe (Columbus, Kan.), and Tyler McCormick (Leawood, Kan.) round out the list of Missouri wrestlers that will do battle in the quarterfinals tomorrow. The only member of the team who is a native of North Carolina, Jordan earned decisions in a pair of tough matches. A redshirt freshman who has earned the No. 17 rank at 184 pounds, Jordan beat senior Brian Malay of Lehigh 9-5 in his opening match, then shut out Kyle Narkiewicz of Virginia, 6-0, to finish the day. Ranked No. 16 and No. 15 at 125 and 133 pounds, respectively, DeVoe and McCormick also recorded two victories on the day.
Former Tiger Tyron Woodley, competing unattached at 174 pounds, also enters the second day undefeated. A two-time All-American who graduated last year, Woodley proved that his skills haven't diminished in a year, pinning his last two opponents of the day.
Team Standings
1 58 Minnesota
2 51.5 Missouri
3 49.5 Edinboro
4 43.5 Cornell
5 42.5 Kent State
Updated Records: Southern Scuffle, Season, Career
125 - Austin DeVoe: 2-0, 19-4, 62-35
125 - Tim Kephart: 2-2, 15-7, 35-24
125 - John Olanowski: 3-1, 20-8, NA (Redshirt Season)
133 - Tyler McCormick: 2-0, 10-3, 30-18
133 - Amond Prater: 3-1, 14-6, 56-22
141 - Chris McCormick: 3-0, 21-4, 72-46
141 - Marcus Hoehn: 3-0, 3-2, 3-2
149 - Josh Wagner: 2-1, 11-8, 29-18
149 - Justin Cole: 1-2, 11-7, 28-10
157 - James Williamson: 0-1, 15-3, 31-11
165 - Matt Pell: 2-0, 14-1, 80-23
174 - Ben Askren: 3-0, 22-0, 88-8
174 - Joey Garrity: 1-2, 15-14, 15-14
184 - Raymond Jordan: 2-0, 17-4, 17-4
197 - Jeff Foust: 3-0, 10-2, 80-31
197 - Max Askren: 2-0, 21-2, NA (Redshirt Season)
HWT - Sean Connole: 2-1, 17-11, 17-11
