Mark of a champion
Mark Ellis takes on Iowa State’s David Zabriskie at the Hearnes Center Feb. 15, about a month before Ellis went on to win a national championship.
Mark Ellis, an MU junior from Peculiar, Mo., won a national championship at the NCAA Division I Wrestling Tournament on Saturday night in St. Louis. Wrestling in the heavyweight division, Ellis accrued a 30-3 record for the year, losing only to Oklahoma State’s Jerrod Roshold and Iowa State’s David Zabriskie earlier in the season.
Ellis is Mizzou’s second wrestler in history to win a national title, preceded by Ben Askren, who won national titles in 2006 and 2007. This was Ellis’s third time to qualify for the national tournament and his first to finish as not only an All-American but also a national champion.
Four of his teammates also earned All-American honors:
Raymond Jordan, 3rd place in the 174 division
Michael Chandler, 5th place in the 157 division
Max Askren, 5th place in the 197 division
Nick Marable, 7th place in the 165 division
As a team, the University of Missouri finished in seventh place with 70 points and tied the No. 1 team, Iowa, with for the most All-American wrestlers on one team.
Congratulations to Mark. As a graduate of a high school that won 14 Missouri state wrestling championships in a row (Ritenour) and a holder of two degrees from Iowa State (enough said), I am glad to see that Mizzou is in the competition in wrestling. Also, I was proud of our basketball team making the “elite eight” for the second time in history. As a resident of North Carolina, I at least had some bragging rights.
Raymond Ferell | March15, 2009
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