Tiger Wrestlers Advance at National Duals with 22-18 Win Over Indiana

Mark Ellis' Fall at Heavyweight Proves Deciding Factor Jan. 12, 2008

Cedar Falls, Iowa -The eighth-ranked Missouri wrestling team (6-0) came from behind to defeat No. 15 Indiana, 22-18, in their opening dual of the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA)/Cliff Keen National Duals. With the win, Missouri advances in the championship bracket and will meet with No. 2 Iowa at 3 p.m. (CT) on mat five in the UNI Dome in Cedar Falls, Iowa.

Missouri junior Marcus Hoehn (Farmington, Mo.) helped cut Indiana's team lead in half, 6-3, earning a 3-1 win by decision over Scott Kelly at 141 pounds. A hand fight through the first two minutes of action, Hoehn scored first with a takedown 2:43 into the bout. Kelly earned his escape after choosing down to start the second period and the two went into the third with Hoehn leading, 2-1. With Hoehn down to start the third, the Tiger grappler managed an escape with 1:26 remaining in the period and held on for his 12th win of the season.

Still down, 12-3, after Missouri 149-pounder Josh Wagner (Milton, Wis.) suffered a fall in 2:46, it was teammate Michael Chandler (High Ridge, Mo.) who once again brought the Tigers within six of the Hoosiers. Wrestling at 157 pounds, Chandler, entering the match ranked 12th in the nation, held off No. 9 Brandon Becker, 3-2, winning the bout on 1:25 of riding time. Chandler held Becker to only two escapes and improves to 16-1 on the season.

Second-ranked Nicholas Marable (Collierville, Tenn.) helped the Tigers string back-to-back wins together for the first time of the bout. Battling with No. 7 Matt Coughlin at 165 pounds, Marable won his fourth bout of the year over a top-20 ranked opponent, with a 5-2 win by decision. Marable led the match 3-1 heading into the third period allowing Coughlin an escape to pull within one. In the end, Marable scored a takedown on the edge of the mat with one second remaining in the match.

Wrestling at 184 pounds, sixth-ranked junior Raymond Jordan (New Bern, N.C.) won his sixth straight bout with a 4-1 win by decision over Marc Bennett. Scoreless through the first period, Jordan chose down to start the second and escaped in 17 seconds for the one point lead. Scoring a takedown in the third period and accumulating 1:14 of riding time, Jordan won and moves to 15-1 on the year.

Next to the mat at 197 pounds, No. 6 Maxwell Askren (Hartland, Wis.) scored Missouri's first win by major decision against Indiana, outscoring Joe Fagiano, 12-1, with four takedowns, one escape, two points due to Hoosier stalling and one point for 3:41 of riding time.

Down two points, 18-16, heading into the heavyweight bout, Missouri sophomore Mark Ellis came through once again, pinning John Sandberg in 6:48 to give the Tigers a 22-18 win. The ninth fall of the season for Ellis, it marks the second dual of the year in which the heavyweight's final win proved the deciding factor for Missouri. Ellis dominated Sandberg, and held a 10-1 lead before sticking the exhausted Hoosier for the fall.

Missouri will take on Iowa in the quarter-finals of the National Duals, with Iowa entering with an 8-1 record. Iowa also holds a 3-0 lead in the all-time series with the Tigers. The last meeting between the two programs came during the 2006 National Duals, with Iowa managing a 31-12 win.

Wt. Wrestler vs. Wrestler: Result MU IU
125 No. 2 Angel Escobedo (IU) dec. John Olanowski (MU): 10-4 0 3
133 No. 10 Andrae Hernandez (IU) dec. No. 7 Tyler McCormick (MU): 7-3 0 6
141 Marcus Hoehn (MU) dec. Scott Kelly (IU): 3-1 3 6
149 Kurt Kinser (IU) fall No. 12 Josh Wagner (MU): 2:46 3 12
157 No. 12 Michael Chandler (MU) vs. No. 9 Branden Becker (IU): 3-2 6 12
165 No. 2 Nicholas Marable (MU) vs. No. 7 Matt Coughlin (IU): 5-2 9 12
174 Trevor Perry (IU) fall Brock Wittmeyer (MU): 6:11 9 18
184 No. 5 Raymond Jordan (MU) dec. Marc Bennett (IU): 4-1 12 18
197 No. 6 Maxwell Askren (MU) major dec. Joe Fagiano (IU): 12-1 16 18
HWT No. 12 Mark Ellis (MU) fall John Sandberg (IU): 6:48 22 18