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Welcome to a new recurring feature on InterMat celebrating the first 25 years of the 21st century. Every couple of days, we’ll examine a particular collegiate program and highlight its accomplishments over the past quarter century. We’ve already looked at: Lehigh Minnesota Missouri is a unique program, as it really came into its own as a national power during the last quarter century. Coming into 2001, Missouri had never produced an individual national champion. 25 years later, they’ve seen a handful of wrestlers get to the top step of the podium - a couple of them on multiple occasions. As you’ll see below, Missouri's best work has been done by the back half of their lineup. They can go three-deep with four-time All-Americans at one upperweight, which is not the norm for any team at any weight. Trying to assemble Missouri’s first team from this quarter century was generally pretty straightforward. At the same time, there were some four-time All-Americans and high placers that couldn’t get onto the first team. It says something about the state of Missouri wrestling where a second team could have the type of firepower that this one would have. Wrestlers considered for the three teams had to compete from 2001-25. For the wrestlers early in this timeframe, their entire collegiate body of work was considered. Only collegiate results were taken into consideration. Even if a wrestler was successful at multiple weights, they were only selected for one weight - typically it was based on the strongest possible first team. After the three All-Century teams, there are some fun facts about Missouri’s results over the past 25 years. Missouri First Team 125 lbs - Alan Waters: Kansas City, Missouri: 2x AA (3,4), 3x conference champ (2x MAC, 1x Big 12), 2x NCAA #1 seed 133 lbs - Tyler McCormick: Leawood, Kansas: 2x AA (6,7), 3x Big 12 Runner-Up 141 lbs - Jaydin Eierman: Columbia, Missouri: 4x AA (2,3,4,5), 4x conference champ (3x MAC, 1x Big Ten) 149 lbs - Drake Houdashelt: O’Fallon, Missouri: 3x AA (1,5,6), 2015 NCAA champion, 4x conference champ (3x MAC, 1x Big 12) 157 lbs - Joey Lavallee: Reno, Nevada: 1x AA (2), 2x NCAA Round of 12 finisher, 2x MAC champion 165 lbs - Keegan O’Toole: Hartland, Wisconsin: 5x AA (2,3,1,1,3), 2x NCAA champion, 4x conference champ (3x Big 12, 1x MAC) 174 lbs - Ben Askren: Hartland, Wisconsin: 4x AA (1,1,2,2), 2x NCAA champion, 3x Big 12 champion, 2x Hodge winner 184 lbs - Max Askren: Hartland, Wisconsin: 3x AA (1,5,7), 2010 NCAA champion, 2x Big 12 champion 197 lbs - J’den Cox: Columbia, Missouri: 4x AA (1,1,5,1), 3x NCAA champion, 4x MAC champion 285 lbs - Mark Ellis: Peculiar, Missouri: 2x AA (6,1), 2009 NCAA champion, Big 12 runner-up Second Team 125 lbs - Barlow McGhee: Rock Island, Illinois: 4x NCAA qualifier, NCAA Round of 12 finisher, MAC champion 133 lbs - John Erneste: Kansas City, Missouri: 1x AA (6), NCAA Round of 12 finisher, 3x MAC champion 141 lbs - Lavion Mayes: Mascoutah, Illinois: 3x AA (2,3,7), MAC Champion, 3x NCAA #3 seed 149 lbs - Brock Mauller: Columbia, Missouri: 3x AA (7,5,6), NWCA 1st Team AA, 3x MAC champion 157 lbs - Michael Chandler: High Ridge, Missouri: 1x AA (5), 2x Big 12 runner-up, 2x NCAA Round of 12 finisher 165 lbs - Nick Marable: Collierville, Tennessee: 2x AA (7,3), 3x Big 12 champion, 2x NCAA #3 seed 174 lbs - Daniel Lewis: Blue Springs, Missouri: 4x AA (4,4,6,4), 4x MAC champion, NCAA #2 seed 184 lbs - Raymond Jordan: New Bern, North Carolina: 2x AA (3,5), Big 12 champion, NCAA Round of 12 finisher 197 lbs - Rocky Elam: Kansas City, Missouri: 4x AA (6,3,4,5), 2x conference champion (1x Big 12, 1x MAC), NCAA #3 seed 285 lbs - Dom Bradley: Blue Springs, Missouri: 2x AA (4,3), 2x conference champion (1x Big 12, 1x MAC), NCAA #1 seed Third Team 125 lbs - Noah Surtin: Edwardsville, Illinois: 4x NCAA qualifier, NCAA Round of 12 finisher, 2x conference runner-Up (1x MAC, 1x Big 12) 133 lbs - Nathan McCormick: Leawood, Kansas: 1x AA (6), MAC champion, Big 12 runner-up 141 lbs - Jeremy Spates: Norman, Oklahoma: 1x AA (5) 149 lbs - Grant Leeth: Kearney, Missouri: 1x AA (6), MAC champion, NCAA #3 seed 157 lbs - Kenny Burleson: Neosho, Missouri: 1x AA (7), Big 12 champion, 2x Big 12 finalist 165 lbs - Matt Pell: Luxemburg, Wisconsin: 2x AA (3,7), 2x Big 12 runner-up, 2x NCAA Round of 12 finisher 174 lbs - Peyton Mocco: West Allis, Wisconsin: 1x AA (8), 3x Conference runner-up (2x Big 12, 1x MAC) 184 lbs - Mike Larson: McKinleyville, California: 1x AA (8), Big 12 champion, NCAA Round of 12 finisher 197 lbs - Willie Miklus: Altoona, Iowa: 4x AA (6,8,6,7), MAC champion, Big 12 runner-up 285 lbs - Zach Elam: Kansas City, Missouri: 2x AA (4,6), 2x NCAA Round of 12 finisher Fun Facts In 2006, Ben Askren became the first Missouri wrestler to win a national championship Now they have six wrestlers who have combined to win 10 national titles After coming into the 2000’s without a national champion, Missouri now has 3 multi-time champs (B. Askren, Cox, O’Toole) In 2007, Ben Askren became just the second wrestler to win the Dan Hodge Trophy twice. He remains the only Missouri wrestler with one. Since 2002, Missouri has finished in the top 20 at NCAA’s in all but one season (2012) In 2007, Missouri captured the first NCAA team trophy (3rd) in school history - they got a second in 2015 (4th) Despite not winning a team trophy, the 2017 team’s 86.5 points are the highest in program history (they finished fifth) Missouri has only known one head coach during this entire quarter century (Brian Smith) The Tigers had a streak where they won 12 straight conference championships. One in the Big 12 to start the run. Nine straight in the MAC. Two more after rejoining the Big 12 Ben Askren was also Missouri’s first four-time All-American in 2007. Since then, six others have joined him (counting transfers Miklus/Eierman). Brock Mauller was also a three-time AA and named an NWCA AA in 2020. Three of those four-time AA’s have wrestled at 197 lbs (Cox, R. Elam, Miklus) 70 wrestlers have earned NCAA All-American honors during this quarter century. Plus Mauller’s one honor from the NWCA Of the 70 All-Americans, 37 have been earned by a Missouri native Five times this quarter century Missouri has placed five wrestlers on the NCAA podium in the same season (2009, 2013, 2015, 2013, 2023). 16 Missouri wrestlers have wrestled in the national finals since 2001 12 Missouri wrestlers have earned the #1 seed at NCAA’s - with all of them coming in 2006 or later Missouri has produced 63 conference champions over this quarter century The top four wins leaders in Mizzou’s all-time list wrestled in this time period (B. Askren, Cox, Waters, Houdashelt).