No. 14 Missouri Wrestling Upsets No. 10 Oklahoma
…Askren Becomes Fastest Tiger To Reach 100 Career Wins…
Columbia, Mo. – The No. 14 Missouri wrestling team got its first win in Big 12 action this season, upsetting the No. 10 Oklahoma Sooners 17-16 in front of a crowd of 1,056. A pair of major decisions at 133 pounds and 165 pounds made the difference for the Tigers, who beat the Sooners for the third time in the past four seasons.
No. 1-ranked junior Ben Askren (Hartland, Wis.) became the fastest Tiger grappler to reach the 100 career wins plateau, defeating No. 12 Wes Roberts, 8-6. The only Missouri wrestler to reach the mark as a junior, Askren scored his first points on a takedown late in the second period, closing a 3-0 deficit with his 34th straight victory, the longest active streak in the nation. Taking down his opponent three times in the final frame, Askren took the lead and held on
Sophomore Tyler McCormick (Leawood, Kan.) opened an early advantage over Trey Blakely at 133 pounds, completing a double leg 1:37 into the first period to take a 2-0 lead. Ranked No. 17 in the nation, McCormick earned another takedown to get a three-point advantage with 15 seconds left in the period, 4-1. After scoring three more points in the second, McCormick escaped Blakely’s hold to open the final frame, then added a takedown and 2:36 of riding time to pick up a major decision, 11-1.
After fighting to 0-0 draw through the opening four minutes of the 157-pound bout, redshirt freshman Michael Chandler (High Ridge, Mo.) broke the stalemate with an escape midway through the second frame. Breaking the match wide open in the final minute, Chandler scored eight points on a reversal and a pair of three-point nearfalls to win his second straight dual victory, 9-2.
Continuing the Tiger’s streak at 165 pounds, No. 5 junior Matt Pell (Luxemburg, Wis.) picked up a takedown 58 seconds into the match to open a 2-0 lead over No. 14 Jarrod King. After trading points throughout much of the second period, Pell scored five points on a takedown and three-point nearfall to open a commanding lead heading into the third period, 9-2. Holding on for the victory, Pell racked up 3:39 of riding time to win the bout, 11-2.
Taking Missouri’s fourth match in a row, No. 15 Raymond Jordan (New Bern, N.C.) upset No. 13 Justin Dyer, 2-1, to give the Tigers a 17-9 lead in the dual after the 184-pound bout. Fighting to a draw through the first three minutes, Jordan took the lead with a reversal with 54 seconds left in the bout, gaining the points needed for the victory.
“I’m proud of the way the team wrestled today, “Head Coach Brian Smith said. “We had a hard week of tough practices, but the guys kept working hard and it showed against Oklahoma. Every wrestler grappled hard for the full seven minutes.”
The 14th-ranked Tigers travel to Iowa next weekend for a pair of duals with Iowa State and Northern Iowa on Sunday, Feb.12 at 2 p.m., and Monday, Feb. 13 at 5 p.m.
Results
125 – #2 Sam Hazewinkel (OU) dec. #18 Austin DeVoe (MU): 11-7
133 – #17 Tyler McCormick (MU) maj. dec. Trey Blakely (OU): 11-1
141 – #2 Teyon Ware (OU) dec. Chris McCormick (MU): 9-5
149 – #10 Matt Storniolo (OU) dec. Marcus Hoehn (MU): 6-2
157 – Michael Chandler (MU) dec. Shane Vernon (OU): 9-2
165 – #5 Matt Pell (MU) maj. dec. #14 Jarrod King (OU): 11-2
174 – #1 Ben Askren (MU) dec. #12 Wes Roberts (OU): 8-6
184 – #15 Raymond Jordan (MU) dec. #13 Justin Dyer (OU): 2-1
197 – #5 Joel Flaggert (OU) dec. #15 Jeff Foust (MU): 5-4
HWT – #5 Jake Hager (OU) maj. dec. Sean Connole (MU): 17-4
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