"I was happy with our performance today," Missouri Head Coach Brian Smith said. "We had a lot of guys step up and wrestle well. Marcus Hoehn is really doing a great job in our lineup. He had a big win in our first dual against Old Dominion and finished the day with four wins. The team is really starting to make improvements."
Following its 29-9 victory over Old Dominion, in which two wrestlers, Hoehn and 133 pounder Todd Schavrien (Poway, Calif.) recorded upset victories, the Tigers went on to top Maryland, 28-6. Down 6-0 entering the 141 pound match, Hoehn came through with a 6-5 decision setting the Tigers on an eight match win streak that gave Missouri its second win of the afternoon. Hoehn held off 10th-ranked Ryan Williams of Old Dominion in his first match of the day and then knocked off No. 15 Alex Krom of Maryland.
Missouri junior All-American Maxwell Askren (Hartland, Wis.) also managed an upset, besting second-ranked Hudson Taylor of Maryland, 9-4. Askren, who ranks as high as fifth in the nation, finished the day with a 4-0 record, one of nine Missouri wrestlers to manage a perfect performance at the Northeast Duals.
The Tiger's third dual came against Harvard. Improving to 3-0 all-time against the Crimson, Missouri won five bonus point victories, with two wins coming by forfeit. Among Missouri's victories was redshirt freshman Patrick Wright's (Grand Ledge, Mich,) fall in 6:28 over Michael Sadler at 165 pounds. Wright wrestled in both the 157 and 165 pound weight classes Saturday afternoon, winning both of his matches by fall.
"We had a lot of young wrestlers display their talent today," Smith said. "Patrick did a great job at 157 and 165 pounds. He's going to do great things for us in the years to come."
As a team, Missouri won eight of its 40 bouts by way of fall, with an additional two victories marked as technical falls. Junior heavyweight Mark Ellis (Peculiar, Mo.) contributed to Missouri's pin count with two falls of his own. Ellis, now 11-1 on the season, has won eight of his matches by fall.
Senior All-American Raymond Jordan (New Bern, N.C.) and Askren tied for the fastest fall of the day, with each managing a pin in 1:16 over their Harvard opponents. Wrestling at 174 pounds, Jordan is now 11-0 on the season and one win away from becoming the 15th wrestler to join the 100 win club. Jordan is 99-24 on his career and could become the first Missouri wrestler in over a year to hit the century mark.
Missouri's final win came 41-3 over Brown. Competing at 149 pounds, senior Andrew Sherry (Sewickley, Pa.) improved to 3-0 on the day with his 11-3 major decision over Dave Foxen. All three of Sherry's victories were of the bonus point variety.
The Tiger wrestling squad will have nearly two weeks before returning to competition at the Pac 10/Big 12 Duals, Saturday, Dec. 13, in San Luis Obispo, Calif. On Sunday, Dec. 14, Missouri heads to Oregon State to take on the Beavers in a 4 p.m. (CT) contest. The 2008 year wraps up with the two-day Midlands Tournbament, Dec. 29-30, in Evanston, Ill.
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