COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Wrestling head coach Brian Smith added five wrestlers to his program's fall 2016 recruiting class on Wednesday. Future Tigers Jared Campbell (Burbank, Ohio), Allan Hart (Uniontown, Ohio), Dack Punke (Washington, Ill.), Jake Raschka (Pewaukee, Wis.) and Lane Stigall (Aurora, Ore.) have all chosen to live #TigerStyle and continue their academic and athletic careers at the University of Missouri. Each wrestler in the class has won at least one individual state championship or one high school national championship.
"All five recruits are national-caliber kids," said coach Smith. "I know some of them have a connection to a former Mizzou wrestler coaching them, so they have been told what #TigerStyle is about before we started even recruiting them. Through the process, each one of them believed in our lifestyle and wanted to be a part of it. These kids are bought in to being successful on the mat, but also want to do great things off of it and be a part of a culture like that."
Jared Campbell // St. Edward High School // Burbank, Ohio // Projected Weight Class: Heavyweight
A three-time National High School Coaches Association All-American, Campbell captured two National Championships in the spring of 2016 following his junior campaign. The projected heavyweight stood atop the 220-pound podium at FloNationals and the NHSCA National Wrestling Championships. A two-time Ohio State runner-up, Campbell is currently the No. 4-ranked heavyweight recruit by FloWrestling (No. 34 overall) and chose Mizzou over Ohio State and Virginia Tech.
"Mizzou has a formula for creating national champions," said Campbell. "I want to be a part of that success, be a part of #TigerStyle."
"Jared brings another high-caliber heavyweight into our program," said Smith. "Last year, he won FloNationals and High School Nationals. He comes from one of the best high school program's in the country and will be joined by one of his best friends, Allan Hart."
Campbell plans to major in Animal Science at Mizzou.
Allan Hart // High School // Uniontown, Ohio // Projected Weight Class: 133 pounds
A high school teammate of Campbell at St. Edward High School under the direction of head coach Greg Urbas and assistant coach John Heffernan, Hart captured a National Championship of his own at 126 pounds at the 2016 NHSCA National Wrestling Championships. Hart won a 113-pound Ohio State Championship as a sophomore and finished third as a junior at 126 pounds. Hart chose Mizzou over Pittsburgh, Ohio, Old Dominion and Virginia.
"Allan reminds me of former Mizzou All-American Alan Waters with his lengthiness, the way he attacks and how aggressive he is," said Coach Smith. "I like the way he approaches the sport. He has game plans that he steps onto the mat and executes, and wins with."
"I chose Mizzou Wrestling because I believe in the #TigerStyle mentality and their ability to turn my teammates and I into National Champions," said Hart.
Dack Punke // Washington Community High School // Washington, Ill. // Projected Weight Class: 125 pounds
A Fargo Junior Greco National Champion, Punke joins Mizzou with three top-three finishes at the Illinois High School Association State Tournament. Punke improved each year, placing third as a freshman, second as a sophomore and finally a state championship at 113 pounds as a junior. At the 2016 USA Wrestling Junior Greco-Roman Championships, Punke cruised to his second straight national championship at 113 pounds, winning all six matches via 10-0 technical falls.
"Dack brings another great lightweight to the room," said Coach Smith "He has been unbelievably successful at the national level. What he brings is great positioning, makes few mistakes and knows how to score."
"The Mizzou Wrestling team felt like a family to me," said Punke. "You can do great things with family supporting you."
Punke picked Mizzou over Illinois and Northern Michigan and plans to major in psychology.
Jake Raschka // Pewaukee High School // Pewaukee, Wis. // Projected Weight Class: 184/197 pounds
Following a Wisconsin State Championship at 195 pounds last season, Raschka heads into his senior season at Pewaukee High School with a 155-11 record. Raschka earned All-America status at the Fargo Junior Cadet Nationals in 2014 and 2015, capturing the National Championship in 2015. At 195 pounds, Raschka finished fifth at the 2016 FloNationals. Ranked the No. 58 recruit by FloWrestling, Raschka plans to major in agriculture systems management and chose Mizzou over North Carolina State, Central Michigan and Wisconsin.
"Raschka brings another outstanding upper weight into our program," said Coach Smith. "He is coached by Ben and Max Askren at the club level, who have both done a great job of working with his high school coach to get him ready to compete in our room and to compete with the best in the country."
"I chose Mizzou to be a part of a perennial powerhouse," said Rashcka. "#TigerStyle will help me achieve my goals, on and off the mat."
Lane Stigall // North Marion High School // Aurora, Ore. // Projected Weight Class: 149/157 pounds
A two-time state champion and three-time state finalist, Stigall joins Mizzou as Coach Smith's first recruit from the state of Oregon. After winning state at 152 pounds, Stigall went on to finish fourth at 138 pounds at the 2016 FloNationals. Stigall chose Mizzou over Stanford and Oregon State.
"When I heard Lane was looking at the Ivy League schools, I told him how we have had student-athletes become doctors by studying at the hospital right across the street from our room," said Smith. "He's a great student in the classroom and an even better competitor on the mat. He fits #TigerStyle to a tee. We really pushed to get him here. I got the feeling when his family was on campus that his mom knew he would commit here and to see that she knows Mizzou is the place for him is very important to me."
"I chose Mizzou because I feel like it provides me with the best opportunity to excel both in the classroom and on the wrestling mat," said Stigall. "I really loved the coaches and team and felt like #TigerStyle fit me well."
Stigall, who has excelled in the classroom, plans to major in biological sciences at Mizzou with hopes of becoming an orthopedic surgeon.
Mizzou will officially begin the regular season on Sunday, Nov. 13, with a road dual against Old Dominion. The Tigers home their home schedule on Sunday, Nov. 20 when they host No. 2 Virginia Tech at Jesse Auditorium.
For all the latest on Mizzou Wrestling, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the team on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram (MizzouWrestling).
