Tyler's Profile:
Tyler McCormick
Class: Senior
Hometown: Leawood, Kan
High School: Blue Valley North
Weight: 133
OUTLOOK: Tyler McCormick returns for his senior campaign as Missouri's lone All-American. Looking to become the Tigers' second grappler to earn three All-America honors, McCormick enters the season ranked second in the nation at 133 pounds. One of four team captains on the Missouri squad, this marks McCormick's third season as a leader on the team.
"Tyler has very quietly achieved one of the most successful wrestling careers in Missouri history," Head Coach Brian Smith said. "He's stood in the shadow of Ben Askren and Matt Pell for the past three years and now is his chance to take center stage. Tyler is the perfect example of what a student-athlete should be. He's an All-American in wrestling, holds a 3.98 grade-point average in business management and dedicates numerous hours to community service. He's not only viewed as a leader by the wrestling staff and his teammates, but by the entire Missouri athletic department. A lot of people would look at the amount of success Tyler has had over the past three years and be content. But not Tyler. He won't be happy until he reaches the top tier of the podium at the NCAA finals in St. Louis."
2006-07: Earning his second consecutive All-America honor at 133 pounds, McCormick went 5-3 at the 77th annual NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships at The Palace in Auburn Hills, Mich. Opening the tournament with a fall over Christian Staylor (Old Dominion) in 3:52, McCormick's first loss of the tournament was in the form of a one point decision by James Kennedy of Illinois. Battling his way through wrestle-backs, McCormick went on a four-bout win streak before suffering back-to-back losses to Nick Simmons of Michigan State (9-0) and Darrell Vasquez of Cal Poly (7-4) in a fight for fifth. McCormick earned his second Big 12 runner-up finish March 3 in Columbia Mo., after suffering a hard-fought loss, 6-5, to Coleman Scott of Oklahoma State in the finals. Earlier in the day, McCormick managed a 7-0 shutout of Nate Gallick of Iowa State. McCormick was one of three returning All-Americans for the 2006-07 campaign and opened and closed the regular season with wins. Wrestling at 133 pounds, McCormick recorded three dual wins against Big 12 opponents, the first coming Jan. 14 against then-No. 3 Scott, 3-2, at the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) Cliff Keen Duals in Cedar Falls, Iowa. Forced to the sidelines by a shoulder strain, McCormick closed his regular season competition with a 2-1 decision of Staylor (ODU), Feb. 18. McCormick finished fourth at the prestigious Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational.
2005-06: Holding off eighth-ranked Matt Keller of UTC, 6-4, in the medal round of the NCAA Championships, McCormick earned Missouri's 32nd wrestling All-America honor in 62 years and finished seventh out of the 34 competitors in the 133-pound weight class. The honor was a first for McCormick who went 5-2 throughout the course of the three day National event in Oklahoma City, Okla. Opening with a 7-1 decision over Ryan Williams of Old Dominion, McCormick battled with No. 1 ranked Shawn Bunch for the third time of the season and suffered a 13-2 loss. McCormick wrestled through the consolation bracket, shutting out Pittsburgh opponent Mike Ciotti, 5-0, and pinning Cleveland State's David Armstrong in 1:26. After holding off Jason Borrelli of Central Michigan, 5-3, McCormick faced off with third-ranked Tom Clum of Wisconsin and lost the bout, 7-4, forcing him into his third meeting of the campaign against Keller. Overall, McCormick was 2-1 against his 133-pound Moc opponent. McCormick made his first NCAA appearance after finishing second at 133 pounds at the Big 12 Championships March 4 in Ames, Iowa. 5-2 against league competitors, McCormick lost a 5-1 decision to No. 2 Nathan Morgan (Oklahoma State) finishing second in his second Big 12 tournament appearance. In his sophomore season, McCormick won six matches against ranked opponents, three of which came over grapplers ranked among the top 10 in the nation. Competing in his first tournament of the season, the Missouri Open, McCormick opened with a fall over Illinois' Ryan Klinger in 3:33 and finished the day in second place. McCormick closed out 2005 with a third place finish at the Southern Scuffle Dec. 30 later earning Big 12 Wrestler of the Week honors, Feb. 20, after going 3-0 against Chris Elgeson of Northern Iowa (2-0), then-No. 7 Matt Keller of UTC (4-2) and Chris Bencivenga of UNC-Greensboro (8-4).
Academically, McCormick was the sole Big 12 grappler to finish the season with a perfect 4.00 grade-point average, earning Academic All-Big 12 accolades for his work. On the national level, McCormick was named to the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) All-America in Academics team and also ESPN The Magazine men's at-large All-America third team and District Seven first team.
2004-05: One of two redshirt freshmen in the starting lineup, McCormick finished 20-13 on the season and earned his first dual victory Dec. 19, in the form of an 18-0 technical fall over Ohio University's Frank Brown. Scoring six of his wins by major decision, three coming consecutively at the start of the season in the Central Missouri State Open (CMSU), McCormick finished second at the CMSU Open (Nov. 14) and was one of only two Tigers to finish first at the Missouri Open (Nov. 21). McCormick holds three strings of five bout victories including a five-dual win streak that extended from his Dec. 19 win in Ohio to Jan. 6, when he shutout Central Missouri State's Mike Hansene 4-0 in the Hearnes Center. Competing in the Big 12 Championships, McCormick suffered an injury against Dominick Moyer of Nebraska that knocked him out of the tournament despite a valiant effort to keep wrestling.
2003-04: McCormick redshirted the 2003-04 season, recording a 13-7 overall record to go along with his perfect 4.00 grade-point average. Starting his wrestling campaign strong, McCormick scored a fall in his first match over Brad Mattix (Bacone College) in 2:39 at the Lindenwood Open. Closing his year with five straight wins between Jan. 10 and Jan. 31, McCormick recorded his fastest pin of the season in 29 seconds. Competing at the Federation Internationale des Luttes Associees (FILA) Junior World Team Trial at 132 pounds, McCormick finished the day in second place.
HIGH SCHOOL: Wrestling in the 103-pound weight class as a freshman (2000), McCormick worked his way into the 125-pound weight class by his senior year and became the Kansas State Champion. McCormick's undefeated senior year, (48-0) helped him on his road to All-America honors. Coached by Jeff Mildner at Blue Valley North High School in Overland Park, Kan., McCormick finished third (2002) and fourth (2003) at the state championships in the 119-pound weight class and was a state qualifier as a freshman (2000). A captain both his junior (2002) and senior year (2003), McCormick was a regional champion, Eastern Kansas League Champion, First-Team All-Johnson County, First Team-All-Metro and First Team All-Sun Country in 2002 and 2003 and Second Team All-Metro (2002). In freestyle wrestling, McCormick was the Kansas State Champion at 125 pounds in 2002.
PERSONAL: Brother to former Tiger wrestler Chris (24), Tyler was born Nov. 5, 1984, in Independence, Mo., and has a younger brother Nathan (17). The three are sons to Mike and Jennifer McCormick. Tyler is a business management major.
