Tigers travel to Las Vegas for prestigious invitational

By Ryan Huber

Published Dec. 1, 2006

After competing in the prestigious Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational for the past five years, the No. 2 Missouri men's wrestling team travels to Primm, Nev., this weekend with the hopes of adding to its two second-place finishes in 2003 and 2005.

MU enters the tournament as the highest-ranked team, and for good reason, according to nine-year coach Brian Smith.

"We really feel that the team we have coming out here this time is a team that can win it," he said. "That's what we are focused. Ben [Askren] knows if he comes out and takes care of his job, Matt [Pell] takes care of his, and all the way down the line then we are going to walk away and win this tournament."

Twelve Top 25 teams, including four ranked in the Top 10, set the field of play, with 96 competitors among the top 20 in their weight classes. But with that No. 2 ranking, the Tigers will have a target on their backs. Smith said the team looks at it both as motivation and as pressure.

"It's both," he said. "Teams are going to approach us two ways. Teams are going to be like 'Oh no, I have to wrestle the guys from Missouri,' or they are going to approach it the other way and say 'Hey, I can knock off one of the best teams.' You've got to be prepared for both."

Defending national champion senior Ben Askren will have the biggest target on his back, but Smith said that's no problem.

"Nothing bothers him," he said. "He just wants to compete. We don't have to tell him anything."

But Askren isn't the only one on the opponents' radar. Entering this weekend's invitational, nine of the 10 members on the Tigers' lineup are ranked in the top 25 in their respective weight classes.

Senior Matt Pell, who placed second in the invitational last year, said he has worked in the off-season to improve both physically and mentally.

"My mindset this year is not to be focused on any one opponent and what they're going to bring," he said. "I'm more focused on what I'm going to bring to the mat and blowing through everybody."

Smith agreed that Pell can make a big impact this season for the Tigers.

"He is 100 percent focused right now, and he tells me he's going to maintain it the whole year," he said. "In practice every day he's been consistent, and when he steps on the mat, he's dominant."

Another Tiger looking to make a statement this year is junior captain Tyler McCormick, who placed seventh in the national tournament last year.

He hasn't competed in a match so far this season, but said he is ready for action after an off-season focused on improvement.

"I've most worked on pinning this year," he said. "I've got a lot of decisions and major decisions last year. This year I'm going to work on pinning a lot more often."

Smith said he has seen improvement in McCormick's ability to pin opponents.

The invitational presents an early challenge for the Tigers, but Smith said he wouldn't have it any other way.

"You look at our schedule and almost every team is in the Top 25," Smith said. "This team wants to wrestle all the time at the highest level."