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Beyond
the Mat
By Emily Gatewood
Most people when they hit 100 tend to feel
a little tired and run down. That’s not the case for senior
Kenny
Burleson. A captain on the second-ranked Missouri wrestling
team, Burleson had his 100th career-win on Jan. 4, at the Sun
Devil Duals in Tempe, Ariz. Only the ninth Tiger in Missouri’s
60-year wrestling program to hit the century mark, 23-year old
Burleson scored a 7-4 decision over the 13th-ranked wrestler in
the nation. One week later, Burleson moved from sixth to fourth
in the nation at 157-pounds and is hopeful he can guide his team
to its first NCAA Wrestling Championship title.
“This season is obviously a lot different
that ones we’ve had in the past,” Burleson said. “We’ve
had a lot more success on the mat, but that doesn’t mean
we won’t continue to work hard and try to constantly improve.
We all have one goal in mind, which is to bring home an NCAA Championship
title.”
Entering the 2003-04 season with an 84-28
record, the Neosho, Mo., native opened the campaign with an explosive
beginning. Earning a win over Oklahoma State’s Kevin Ward,
Burleson was part of Missouri wrestling history as the Tigers
defeated the number one ranked, defending national champion Cowboys
for the first time in their 29 meetings (21-17). Snapping OSU’s
dual winning streak that dated back to the 2001-02 season, it
was the first time any Missouri team had knocked off a number
one program since the 1997 men’s basketball team took down
Kansas in a double overtime game.
Now going strong with a 103-31 record, Burleson
still has plenty to look forward to through the rest of the season.
Leading the team in technical falls (a win over an opponent by
15 or more points), Burleson took a first place finish at the
Southern Scuffle on Dec. 28-29, in Greensboro, N.C. The two-day
tournament saw Burleson go a perfect 5-0, taking his final win
over 17th-ranked Matt Nagel of Minnesota in a 10-4 decision in
the championship round.
Excelling both on and off the mat, Burleson
is a three-time first team Academic All-Big 12 honoree, and a
National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) Academic All-American
(honorable mention). Majoring in business, Burleson plans to attend
law school at Missouri.
“One of the most important skills I’ve
learned since starting at Missouri is time management,”
Burleson said. “The first two years of school it was somewhat
of a challenge to balance both my academics and wrestling. But,
I’ve learned to manage my time so that I can dedicate myself
equally to both.”
The 2003 NCAA qualifier is hopeful he can
make a return trip to the National Championships, hosted March
18-20, in St. Louis. Currently 7-0 in duals and 2-0 against Big
12 opponents, Burleson and the rest of the Missouri wrestling
team will face tough challenges as they take on Big 12 competitors
and top-ranked teams Nebraska, Iowa State and Oklahoma before
closing out the regular-season.
“Every day I go into practice and put
in everything I can to my workouts,” Burleson said. “As
a captain I think one of the biggest impacts I can make on the
team is by working to my highest potential. If I can somehow make
an impression on others in the practice room, and push them to
work up to their potential, it makes me feel pretty good.”
The University of Missouri will co-host the
2004 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, March 18-20, in
the Savvis Center in St. Louis. For more information visit the
MU Athletics web site.
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Last Update:
November 15, 2007
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