Oct. 5, 2009
COLUMBIA, Mo. - The Missouri wrestling team received a No. 10 preseason ranking as announced today by the Wrestling Insider Newsmagazine (WIN). Four Tigers, junior Todd Schavrien (133), Nicholas Marable (165), Maxwell Askren (184) and Mark Ellis (HWT), currently rank among the top-20 grapplers in the nation in their respective weight class, with Ellis ranked No. 1 at heavyweight.
The preseason Division I Tournament Power Index (TPI) poll is compiled by awarding points to each team for the ranked wrestlers listed in WIN's current individual rankings. Teams are awarded points based on how many potential All-Americans they could have and get advancement points for wrestlers ranked No. 9-20. The order of teams in the TPI vary greatly from dual meet rankings.
Missouri's three returning All-Americans stand among the top-10 of their respective weight class with returning National Champion Ellis (Peculiar, Mo.) standing atop the heavyweight list at No. 1 in the country. This marks the third time in four years and second consecutive season in which a Tiger grappler was awarded the No. 1 ranking at his respective weight class. Marable stood No. 1 at 165 pounds prior to the 2008-09 campaign, while Ben Askren was awarded the No. 1 spot at the start of the 2006-07 season.
A two-time All-American at 197 pounds, Askren (Hartland, Wis.) will spend his senior season competing in the 184-pound weight class. Askren enters the season ranked sixth in the nation and is the highest ranked Big 12 grappler at 184 pounds.
Marable, also a two-time All-American, ranks seventh in the nation at 165 pounds. The Tiger starter is one of six seniors ranked among the top 10 165-pounders in the country.
Tiger wrestler Schavrien (Poway, Calif.) kicks off his junior campaign ranked 18th in the nation at 133 pounds. Schavrien was one of eight Missouri grapplers to qualify for the 2009 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships.
All five Big 12 Wrestling programs rank among the top-20 in the nation, with Iowa State earning the highest TPI ranking of second. Nebraska stands just ahead of Missouri at eighth, while Oklahoma State and Oklahoma are tied at 17th.
The Tigers will kick off the 64th season of Missouri wrestling on Sunday, Nov. 1 with the annual Black and Gold match slated for a 1 p.m. (CT) start in the Hearnes Center. Dual competition will begin Thursday, Nov. 12, at 6:30 p.m. (CT) in a border showdown with Illinois, also in the Hearnes Center.
