Editorial: Wrestling team, Ellis win big
Ellis is a prime example of the wrestling team's prowess.
Published May 7, 2009
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Junior Mark Ellis wrestles Duke's Konrad Dudziak in a championship match during the NCAA Tournament on March 21 in St. Louis. Ellis is the second MU wrestler to win a national title and MU's wrestling team placed seventh at nationals this year.
Missouri wrestling continued to cement itself as a national powerhouse in 2009 and found its second-ever national champion in junior Mark Ellis.
As the Tigers' first heavyweight All-American, Ellis took down Duke University's Konrad Dudziak in overtime and scored the victory 3-2. With his performance, Ellis joined former Tiger Ben Askren in the pantheon of Missouri's NCAA champions.
When recognizing Ellis for his achievement, it is impossible to ignore the performance of the team as a whole.
Missouri finished in seventh place at nationals and earned its sixth consecutive top-15 finish.
Four other Tiger wrestlers earned All-American status, which gave Missouri a school record total of five.
During the regular season, Missouri spent most of its time ranked in the top 10 nationally and had two competitors win titles at the Big 12 Championships.
Ellis might have won the big prize, but his supporting cast turned some heads of its own this season.