Printer-Friendly Format     E-mail this article     Michael Chandler finished first at the UCM Open, Sunday, Nov. 16.

 
Chandler on The Past Week

Monday's With Michael Chandler Continues

Nov. 17, 2008

This weekend went pretty well for the Tigers. We sent our squad out to Pennsylvania to dual Lock Haven and Bucknell. We beat Bucknell, 25-16, and Lock Haven by a decisive, 32-9. Two very impressive wins over to very good teams. This was a good way to get the season started as we head into a very big dual against Hofstra this Saturday.

The dual this weekend is at 2 p.m. and it is very important for us to get as many of our fans out there as possible. We want to show a nationally ranked team (Hofstra) how to really pack a house and see what Missouri wrestling is all about, and that we are for real. If you recall last year, we opened our season up with Hofstra and it was one of the most exciting duals of my career. The match came down to heavyweight, and Mark Ellis had to not only score bonus points, but he had to get a tech or a pin for us to win the dual. Luckily, Ellis has the gas tank of a marathon runner and got takedown after takedown to get the tech fall and the 5 team points. This goes to show that Hofstra is going to come back with only one thing on their minds...BEAT MISSOURI!

This weekend, we will also be hosting the Missouri Open. The open tournament is always filed with talent. We invite many nationally ranked teams such as Illinois, Indiana, Edinboro, Oklahoma and many more. Coach Smith is always trying to get the best competition for us and the Missouri Open is no slouch tournament. Speaking of Open Tournaments, this weekend was also the CMSU Open in Warrensburg, Missouri. The Tigers entered about 10 guys and we came out with 5 medals.

Two talented freshmen, Brent Haynes and Taylor Crane, fought hard all day and came home with some hardware. Well, when I say hardware, I mean a sweet CMSU T-Shirt. Pat Wright, one of my favorite workout partners, came in sixth place. Pat wrestled very well and will have a very good shot at taking over for me when I graduate at 157. He's got a lot of heart and does a great job of sticking to his game plan in matches.

Mark Ellis and I both made it to the finals after Mark pinned his first three opponents and I got a tech fall, a 12-0 major decision, and a very decisive win over Oklahoma State's Neil Erisman. In the finals, Ellis faced #1 ranked Jared Rosholt. It was a very exciting match with a lot of action. The Cowboy got a third period takedown and ended up with the win, 3-1. I also had an Oklahoma State opponent in Newly McSpadden, who I have wrestled about 8 times in my career. He beat me our true freshman year at the Oklahoma Open and hasn't beaten me since then I don't think. I ended up with the win, 3-2, and was happy to get the "W" but not too impressed with my performance. McSpadden is the type of guy who wants to keep a match close, and I was about to let him do that. This to me is like a win for him. Maybe I'm being a little to hard on myself, but hey...that's the way Missouri does it. We have one goal in every match...SCORE BONUS POINTS!

So all in all, we crushed two east coast powerhouses, Bucknell and Lockhaven. Also, we finished with two 5th place, a 6th, a 2nd, and a 1st place medal at the CMSU Open. There is a lot to be proud of, but we know we are capable of getting a lot better. There is a lot of time before nationals, and there is much room for improvement. We are going to continue to be in the wrestling room everyday (well 6 days per week because of NCAA rules) and continue to strive for greatness. Have a great day and thank you very much for your support. Every fan is appreciated more than they know.

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