University of Missouri Men's Wrestling

Smith and the many men that have come through the varsity program have slowly but surely checked items off that original list. Individual Big 12 and MAC Conference Champions, improved grade-point averages, record-setting attendances, a No. 1 national ranking and Missouri's first-ever NCAA National Champion in wrestling were all on Smith's "to-do" list. His unique Tiger Style training program has molded today's team into a national powerhouse that looks to contend for the program's first team NCAA title. Since being introduced as Missouri's Head Wrestling Coach May 5, 1998, Smith has demanded nothing but the best from himself, his coaches and his wrestlers. Owning 15 consecutive seasons with a dual record at or above .500, beginning with the 2001-02 season, Smith has coached 22 All-Americans to 42 top-eight performances and five Tigers to seven national championships. The winningest coach in program history, Smith has compiled a 237-92-3 record at Missouri over his 18 season tenure. On Nov. 15, 2014 in the teams season opener, Smith and his Tigers claimed a 54-0 victory over Truman State and gave the legendary coach his 200th career win at Mizzou. Smiths 100th career victory came on Dec. 9, 2006 in Mount Pleasant, Mich., as the team bested then-No. 11 Central Michigan, 31-9. The win made Smith just the second Tiger wrestling coach to reach the 100-win plateau. With a .718 career winning percentage, Smith holds the highest winning percentage in Mizzou wrestling history. Smith has taken home five consecutive conference Coach of the Year honors dating back to 2012, including four straight awards by the MAC league office. Additionally, in May 2007, Smith was honored with the Dan Gable Coach of the Year Award, presented by W.I.N. Magazine. Five Tiger wrestlers have reached the pinnacle of collegiate wrestling, collecting seven NCAA Championships under Smiths tenure, beginning with Ben Askren. During Askren's Tiger career, Smith guided the 174-pound grappler Askren to the program's first back-to-back National Championship titles (2006 and 2007). On March 21, 2009, Mark Ellis became the second Missouri wrestler in program history to collect top honors. Wrestling at heavyweight, Ellis bested his opponent, 3-2, in overtime with Smith coaching from the corner. In March 2010, Max Askren became the third national champion in the history of the program, as he dominated the No. 1 seed in the 184-pound weight class by a 10-3 score. After a four-year drought, true freshman Jden Cox claimed the programs fifth national title in 2013-14 after defeating Ohio States Nick Heflin, 2-1. A year later, redshirt senior Drake Houdashelt concluded his historical Tiger Style career with a 149 pound National Championship at 2015 NCAAs. On March 19, 2016, Cox returned to the top of the podium at Madison Square Garden, becoming the second two-time NCAA Champ in program history. Cox defeated No. 1 seed Morgan McIntosh (Penn State), 4-2, to capture the title at 197 pounds. Additionally, Smith has helped guide two wrestlers to the Olympics. Ben Askren was the first wrestler in program history to compete in the summer games with an appearance in the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics, followed by Jden Cox, who won bronze at the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics this past summer. The whirlwind summer for Cox included trips to Iowa City, New York City, Los Angeles, Mongolia and Germany, all serving as qualifying or tune-up tournaments leading up to Rio. In four Olympic matches, Cox was not taken down once, an incredible feat for a wrestler who had under five months to prepare for freestyle competition after the completion of the folkstyle wrestling season. Cox narrowly missed out on the opportunity to wrestle for gold, falling 2-1 in the semifinals before defeating Cubas Reineris Salas Perez in the bronze medal match. Cox was awarded a two-point takedown in the closing seconds of the match after a video review. The match concluded after Perez failed to return to the mat after the video review, resulting in a disqualification.  In 2015-16, Mizzou captured its fifth consecutive conference title and seventh NCAA top-10 finish in program history, finishing the 2016 NCAAs in sixth place. Four Tigers (Lavion Mayes, Daniel Lewis, Willie Miklus and Jden Cox) earned All-America honors inside the worlds most famous arena, Madison Square Garden. Cox became the second two-time National Champion and fourth three-time All-American in program history with his NCAA Title at 197 pounds, while Mayes and Miklus earned All-American honors for the second time in their careers. Mizzou swept the MAC end-of-the-year honors for the third straight season, as Smith was named Coach of the Year, Jden Cox Wrestler of the Year and Daniel Lewis Freshman of the Year. Dating back to the 2013-14 season, the Tigers reeled off 37 straight dual wins, marking the longest winning streak in program history, before falling to Oklahoma State, 23-9, on Jan. 22, 2016. The 2014-15 Mizzou wrestling campaign will arguably go down as the best season in program history. Under Smiths guidance, the Tigers finished with a perfect 24-0 regular season, marking only the second undefeated season in program history (joining 1967-68 Tiger squad). As the only unbeaten program in Division I wrestling this past season, the Tigers also racked up national accolades with a title at the 2015 National Duals Finals, and 2014-15 MAC Regular Season and Postseason Championships. The 8-0 record and first place honors during the MAC regular season was the first ever regular season title in Mizzou wrestling history. After the teams fourth consecutive conference championship and new all-time MAC Championships team points record of 139.5, all 10 Tiger Style grapplers earned automatic bids to the 2015 NCAA Championships. Led by five All-Americans (Alan Waters, Lavion Mayes, Drake Houdashelt, Willie Miklus and Jden Cox) and the programs sixth all-time individual National Champion, the Tigers finished in fourth place overall. The team trophy finish gave Mizzou their fourth top-10 NCAAs finish in the past nine years, and their sixth top-10 NCAAs finish in program history. During the 2013-14 season, Smith helped the Tigers claim their third consecutive conference championship, while also earning back-to-back MAC Coach of the Year honors. Mizzou sent eight wrestlers to 2014 NCAAs, and came away with two more All-Americans (Houdashelt and Cox) and the programs fifth all-time individual National Champion. In 2012-13, after the University of Missouri departed from the Big 12 Conference, Smith would do it all again. This time in the new Mid-American Conference (MAC), he led the Tigers as an affiliate member, and took the conference crown by storm, ending an 11-year reign by the Chippewas from Central Michigan. His squad posted a total of 136.0 team points, which shattered the then MAC Championship record for team points. And again, all 10 of his wrestlers qualified for the NCAAs. He was named Mid-American Conference Coach of the Year for his accomplishments. In 2011-12, the program reached several feats that had never been touched in the 67 years of Missouri wrestling. First, the team won the program's first conference championship ever, placing first at the 2012 Big 12 Championships with 77.0 points in front of their hometown fans at the Hearnes Center. They sent eight of their 10 wrestlers to the championship bout and crowned four individual champions while qualifying nine grapplers for that years NCAA Championship. For their success at the Big 12 Championship, Smith was named Big 12 Coach of the Year for the first time in his career. A few days later, the Tigers learned their 10th wrestler, redshirt freshman heavyweight Devin Mellon, earned a wild card bid to the NCAA Championship, marking the first time in program history that Mizzou had qualified all 10 of their starters. Additionally, it was announced that the Tigers were the only team in the country to qualify every starter for NCAA's in 2012. At least one Tiger grappler has been selected to compete at the NCAA Championship event in each of Smith's 17 seasons at Missouri and his squads have finished among the top-20 programs at the NCAA Championships in 13 of the last 14 seasons. In 2008-09 and 2014-15, Missouri set the bar higher with a program-high five Tigers earning All-American accolades, the previous high, three, had been set on four occasions. Smith's teams have made a remarkable turnaround. Inheriting a program that had not seen a winning record since the 1991-92 campaign, the Tigers are now continuously ranked among the top-10 in the nation, reaching as high as No. 1 during both the 2006-07 and 2014-15 campaigns. On Dec. 12, 2006, the Missouri wrestling team became just the 11th wrestling program in history to earn a No. 1 ranking. Only a loss to eventual National Champion Minnesota forced the Tigers down in the polls. On Feb. 14, 2015, following their National Duals Finals Championship and clinching of an undefeated season, the Tigers once again reached the top spot in the USA Today / NWCA Division I Coaches Poll. The 2010-11 squad also accomplished something that no other Tiger team had done before, as they took home the team title at the 2010 Midlands Championships. Despite not having a single finalist, the Tigers cruised past the rest of the field with 103.5 points, beating out Wisconsin (93.5), Lehigh (93.0) and Iowa (91.0). Building excitement and interest for the sport of wrestling, not only in Columbia but across the nation, Smith and his team have helped turn out record crowds in the Hearnes Center. On Feb. 11, 2007, competing against Iowa State, the Tigers packed in 2,772 fans with several thousand more watching the dual live on the Mizzou Sports Network (MSN). The mark bested the previous high by 644 spectators, a record set one year prior against Oklahoma State, Jan. 22, 2006. With record numbers of fans attending Missouri's duals during the 2006-07 season, the Tigers ranked fifth in the nation for attendance. The demands that Smith puts on his wrestlers extend well beyond the mat. In the fall of 2002, his team had a grade-point average of 2.81, the highest GPA for a Missouri wrestling team under Coach Smith. In 2010, Smith had eight wrestlers with GPA's over 3.0. In all, 21 wrestlers have been recognized by the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA), Big 12 and CoSIDA for their academic achievements since he took the reins in 1998. Among that list is Tyler McCormick, a 2008 graduate and two-time All-American. In 2006, McCormick headlined the Big 12 All-Academic first team as the only grappler in the conference to post a 4.0 grade-point average. The Tiger All-American went on to become the first wrestler since Shaon Fry (1993) to earn ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America first team accolades and was later awarded one of 29 prestigious NCAA Postgraduate Scholarships in 2008. Away from the mat and outside of the classroom, Smith's squad is committed to giving back to the community. Over the past seven years, four Tiger grapplers have served on the Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) as president. A 1990 graduate of Michigan State University, Smith's coaching career began at Western High School in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. From 1991-92, Smith led Western High to its first top-10 finish at the state tournament, claiming a second place finish in 1991 and a fourth place showing in 1992. Smith coached two state champions and led five wrestlers to top finishes at the Florida state tournament. Smith's collegiate coaching career began at Cornell University in 1992. While an assistant at Cornell, he put together two of the nation's top-10 recruiting classes, a feat he accomplished without athletic scholarships, (Ivy League schools do not offer athletic scholarships). Those recruiting classes helped Cornell take two Ivy League Championships, a 10th-place finish at the 1993 NCAA Championships and a 17th-place finish in 1994. At the 1994 NCAA Championships, one of Smith's top athletes, David Hirsch, became Cornell's first national champion since 1960. In 1997, Smith took over the head coaching position at Syracuse University, helping to stabilize a program that was nearly eliminated. Before leaving for Missouri in May of 1998, Smith coached Jason Gleasman (HWT) to All-America honors. A competitor himself, Smith was a three-time All-Big Ten wrestler and a four-time letterman at Michigan State from 1986-1990. As a senior, he was selected as the Spartan's Most Outstanding Wrestler. Competing at 126-pounds, Smith finished fifth at the Big Ten Championships in 1988, third in 1989 and second in 1990. Smith stands among the top-25 on Michigan State's all-time wins list with 84 career victories as a Spartan. He also stands tied for 19th on MSU's single-season wins list with 32 victories in 1990. A native of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., where his father coached football, Smith was a two-time wrestling state champion in 1984 with Oviedo High School and 1985 while competing at St. Thomas Aquinas High School. During the summer of 2003, Smith took 12 wrestlers, including graduates Austin DeVoe and Jeremy Spates, on the NWCA Collegiate All-Star International Tour. Smith served as head coach as the men competed in three cities in Greece; Athens, Thessaloniki and Larisa as well as Sophia, Bulgaria. Both DeVoe and Spates went 7-2 in their individual competitions. The Florida native graduated from Michigan State with a degree in education and married the former Denise Dean in 1993. Brian and Denise, have three children, Quinn, Kylie and Braden. In the spring of 2009, Smith received his Master's Degree in Athletic Administration from William Woods University.

Clemsen returned to Columbia prior to the 2014-15 season after five years as the wrestling assistant coach at the University of Virginia. In his first two seasons on staff, Clemsen has helped coach Mizzou wrestlers to two NCAA Titles, nine All-America honors and 10 individual Conference Championships. In 2014-15, Mizzou enjoyed one of the best seasons in school history, where the Tigers claimed a fourth straight conference championship, sent 10 wrestlers to the NCAA Championships and claimed fourth place overall nationally. Clemsen also helped guide senior Drake Houdashelt to an individual national title at 149 pounds. In 2015-16, Mizzou repeated as MAC Champions, sent nine wrestlers to the NCAA Championships and finished sixth nationally with four All-Americans. One Tiger, Jden Cox, claimed an NCAA Title, marking the third straight year a Tiger has reached the top of the podium. Clemsen brought with him a tradition of success as he has coached 38 NCAA qualifiers, six All-Americans and eight ACC Champions at Virginia. He helped the program reach No. 11 in the nation during the 2012-13 season, which stands as a program-best ranking. With Clemsen's assistance, the Cavaliers defeated then-No. 9 Central Michigan, marking the program's first-ever win over a top-10 opponent. In his first season with the Cavaliers, Clemsen helped lead the team to an ACC Championship, the first for the program since 1977. The team went on to earn a 15th-place finish at the NCAA Championships. It was the Cavs' second consecutive top-25 finish at the NCAA Championships in his second season with the program. Not only did Clemsen help lead Virginia to success on the mat, but his teams were consistently successful in the classroom as well. The Cavs recorded the fifth-best team GPA in the country during the 2012-13 season, and eight Cavaliers were named to the NWCA All-Academic Team as well. Seven Cavaliers were named to the team the previous season. Prior to his time at Virginia, Clemsen served as the director of wrestling operations at Oregon State for two seasons. A 2007 graduate of Edinboro, Clemsen was an All-American wrestler and four-time NCAA qualifier. He finished his career with a 121-35 record, good for ninth in the school's history. Clemsen stands as Edinboro's 14th wrestler to win four Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Championships, and he was also named an Eastern Wrestling League Champion. A two-time Academic All-American, Clemsen graduated with the highest GPA of any wrestler in Edinboro history. Clemsen continued his career at the international level as a University Nationals All-American and a University World Team Trials runner-up. Clemsen was a standout wrestler at Moberly senior high school, winning three Missouri State Championship titles during his high school career. Clemsen and his wife, Lindsay, have two children: a daughter, Payten and a son, Porter.

Johnston coached the team to a seventh place finish at the 2008 NCAA Division III Wrestling Championships in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He produced six All-Americans in his two years as a coach for the Rams. Johnston brings both collegiate coaching and wrestling experience to Mizzou. He was a two-time All-American for the University of Iowa at 157 pounds, placing 2nd as a junior in 2005, and 6th as a senior in 2006. He tallied a 113-45 career record as a Hawkeye, managing at least 26 victories in each season of competition. A two-time team captain and Most Valuable Wrestler, the Hawkeye was a top-notch student in the classroom, earning J. Donald McPike senior award for highest grade-point average. Johnston graduated from Iowa in 2006 with a bachelor's degree in art education, and went on to earn his master's degree in educational psychology from the University of Missouri in 2013. Johnston competed internationally in freestyle wrestling from 2006-12 placing multiple times in the U.S. nationals and qualifying for the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Trials. A native of Kansas City, Mo., Johnston is married to the former Melisa Katterhenry. They have a daughter, Ruby.

Shoemaker Director of Operations Experience: 1st Year Hometown: Dover, Pennsylvania Alma Mater: Northwood University (Mich.), 2014 Cody Shoemaker enters his second season as Mizzou Wrestling's Director of Operations after four years at Michigan State, where he assisted the Spartans' wrestling program with internal operations and served as the team's videographer and manager. As director of operations, Shoemaker will assist the team and the staff with everything off the mat, including scheduling, travel, marketing and promotions, finance and supervision of the team's managers. He will also help continue to build and operate the Missouri Wrestling Foundation, which is a nonprofit organization that offers opportunities and funding to wrestlers who want to compete at the international and national level. Shoemaker graduated Magna Cum Laude from Northwood University in Midland, Michigan, with a bachelor's degree in Marketing. He's currently enrolled in a master's program in Management, Strategy and Leadership at Michigan State.  Shoemaker also served a two-year mission trip for his church to Sao Paulo, Brazil, prior to his time at Michigan State. He is originally from Dover, Pennsylvania. Shoemaker is married to wife, Eliana and has two sons, Kade and Kole.