EDWARDSVILLE – SIUE wrestling matches up with ninth-ranked Missouri Friday at the Vadalabene Center. The first match is set for 7 p.m.
"I think it's big for us to have a top 10 team coming in here," said SIUE Head Coach Jeremy Spates. "They were wrestling for a national championship last season and now they're coming into the Vadalabene Center. It's a great opportunity for our team."
Get The Latest News!
Don't miss our top stories and need-to-know news everyday in your inbox.
The match will be streamed live on siuetv.com.
This is the season opener for Missouri, which is picked to win the Mid-American Conference. Returning All-Americans J'Den Cox (197), Willie Miklus (184) and Lavion Mayes (149) are expected to be in the lineup. Missouri is ranked in the top 10 of numerous national polls, including ninth in the Intermat poll.
The Cougars are in week three of the season after a successful opening weekend at the Grand View Open and a pair of duals against Arizona State and Illinois this past week.
"It's hard to see from the scores, but we took away some positives," said Spates. "We had a great week of practice. We worked on fighting – fighting to get our ties, our points, our setups and our shots."
SIUE has five wrestlers in the lineup with a better than .500 record through the first two weeks, including freshman Troy Gassaway who picked up a win over Illinois' Francis Edelen.
SIUE Lineup
125: Troy Gassaway (5-1)
133: Dakota Leach (0-4)
141: Angelo Silvestro (3-4)
149: John Fahy (5-2)
157: Nate Higgins (2-4)
165: Eric Travers (2-4)
174: Clayton Bass (1-4)
184: Derek Nagel (3-3)
197: Jake Tindle (4-2)
285: Chris Johnson (4-2)
Missouri Lineup
125: Barlow McGhee or Aaron Assad
133: Zach Synon
141: Matt Manley or Le'Roy Barnes
149: Lavion Mayes
157: Matt Lemanowicz or Joey Lavallee
165: Daniel Lewis
174: Blaise Butler or Tim Miklus or Jon Goerke
184: Jayden Bears or Willie Miklus
197: J'den Cox
285: James Romero
