The Big 12 Championship should further raise the Tigers’ profile.
Missouri is hoping to get help from the home crowd when they host the Big 12 Conference Wrestling Championship on Saturday at Hearnes Center. At the same time, the tournament could provide a boost for the entire wrestling community in the area.
“Hopefully, it’ll put a lot of publicity out there for youths to get involved with the sport and increase the growth of the youth clubs in town,” said Hickman coach J.D. Coffman, who said he and several of his wrestlers would likely attend the event.
Youth wrestling clubs have already seen an increase in interest over the past two years to coincide with the Tigers’ increasing success in the sport and the emergence of defending national champion Ben Askren as a Columbia hero.
“It really has (made a difference),” Columbia Wrestling Club coach Pat Seitz said. “Our program has increased in great numbers. They really like Ben a lot, and his younger brother (Max Askren).”
Seitz said there are 59 wrestlers in the program this season compared to about 25 two years ago. He said he attributes the growth to kids wanting to be like their favorite Tiger wrestlers. Laura Lewis, coordinator of the Rock Bridge Wrestling Club, said her program has seen a similar increase, with the amount of wrestlers on the team doubling in the last year.
Missouri will host the Big 12 Championship for the third time in the 11-year history of the event, providing fans in the community with a rare opportunity to see five of the country’s top 20 teams in one event.
“It allows them to come see it,” Missouri coach Brian Smith said. “A lot of them wouldn’t travel the six or seven hours down to Oklahoma or four or five to (Nebraska or Iowa State). “That’s what’s great for the community. Even if they’re not 100 percent wrestling fans, they’re Tiger fans, and they’ll come out and watch.”
The tournament will begin with first-round competition at 11 a.m., and championship matches are expected to begin at 7 p.m.
There has already been a noticeable increase of interest in the Missouri wrestling program. Their fan base, long considered a small group of diehards, has grown this season. The Tigers finished the season ranked fifth in the country in attendance with an average of 2,961 fans per dual, according to a report by Roby Publishing. Before this year, Missouri had never finished in the top 10 in attendance. Last year’s average was 1,324. Although this year’s average attendance might be skewed because of to the 6,197 fans that came to watch both wrestling and gymnastics at the Beauty and the Beast meet on Feb. 9, the Tigers had their three biggest dual crowds ever this year, and a record 2,722 fans were on hand for the dual with Iowa State.
Missouri finished second in the Big 12 tournament, its highest finish ever, in 2003. Smith said the crowd helped them out that year, and expects his team to get even better support this year. He said ticket sales are well ahead of that year’s pace and that reserved seats in Section A of Hearnes Center are nearly sold out. Seitz said she expects many of her wrestlers to be part of the crowd.
“It brings a lot of people together,” she said. “It’s really exciting, and it’s great for the boys. It’s not just kids their age competing, they have a chance to watch older kids wrestle.”
COACH SPEAK: In Wednesday’s Big 12 coaches’ teleconference, all coaches agreed that No. 2 Iowa State and No. 3 Missouri are the favorites going into the championship, but that any team is capable of winning the title.
“We have to be considered the favorite,” said Iowa State coach Cael Sanderson. “But, that really makes no difference to us. It’s anybody’s tournament, whichever team shows up and has a great day.”
No. 4 Oklahoma State has won four consecutive conference titles, but coach John Smith said it was will take a great performance from his team to extend that streak to five.
“It looks like Missouri and Iowa State obviously have an upper hand,” he said. “For us to capture the Big 12 Championship, we’re going to have to do something special Saturday. Guys that have struggled a bit are going to have to have their best matches of the year.”
ALL EYES ON ASKREN: The conference coaches were full of praise for Missouri’s Ben Askren.
“He is an absolutely incredible wrestler,” said Oklahoma coach Jack Spates. “He has a tremendous flair. He’s got the hair, he’s got the funk, he’s got the attention of everyone in wrestling and he’s earned it.”
Askren is getting noticed by those outside of wrestling, as well. In a Feb. 20 article on ESPN.com about Barry Zito’s increasing interest in wrestling, the San Francisco Giants’ ace pitcher is said to be a fan of Askren. The article said Zito “marveled at the exploits” of Askren when Zito attended the National Duals on Jan. 14.