In 2009, senior wrestler Drake Houdashelt was featured on the cover of the St. Louis edition of ESPN Rise Magazine.
The story, written by ESPN’s Mike Grimala, lauded Houdashelt for his aggressive style and recent state championship.
Houdashelt never saw the article.
“There’s a rule in my family; they can’t tell me anything they read about me,” Houdashelt said. “Nobody talks to me about the buzz because they know I don’t like to hear about it. I just worry about wrestling.”
Now, Houdashelt and his fellow Missouri wrestlers are creating so much buzz, he can’t help but hear about it.
The team is 18-0 on the year and 22-0 dating back to last season. Eight of 10 Tiger starters are ranked among the top 10 in the nation for their respective weight classes.
During his time at Mizzou, Houdashelt has collected three conference championships and a fifth- and sixth-place finish at the NCAA National Championships. This year, he is 25-1 and ranked No. 1 in the nation at 149 pounds.
Part of the reason for Houdashelt’s success this year has been his growth and development as a wrestler throughout his career at Mizzou. Grimala’s 2009 article called Houdashelt “uncoordinated on his feet” with an approach that was “more tenacity than technique”.
Houdashelt said that’s no longer the case.
“I’ve always wrestled hard, but I guess the past two years, I’ve started to wrestle smarter,” he said. “Wrestling hard didn’t always turn out good for me against the better guys. Now, I wrestle hard and smart, and it works out.”
Houdashelt said that having so much success in his last year means the world to him, but he gives most of the credit to his teammates.
“The team aspect of it is awesome,” he said. “Everyone is doing so well, feeding off of each other. It’s just fun having teammates dominate their opponents in duels before you. They help set the tone, and it rubs off on everyone else.”
Missouri coach Brian Smith, who’s been coaching the Tigers since 1998, said he’s never had a team wrestle this well.
Smith characterized his team as a bunch of hard-working, fun-loving guys.
“They’re having fun,” he said. “I love that about this team. They enjoy their teammates and they enjoy what’s happening. That’s why this team is successful, because they enjoy what they’re doing.”
Senior 125-pound No. 1 Alan Waters extended his eligibility by redshirting in lieu of wrestling his final season last year. He said that he’s enjoying the team and his own success this year but is careful to remain focused.
Two years ago, Waters was undefeated heading into nationals. He was the top seed but ended up walking away with fourth place at 125 pounds.
This year, Waters sits undefeated once again at 22-0. He’s determined not to let history repeat itself at the national championship this year.
“I’m really looking to finish strong this year, to not lose at nationals again,” Waters said. “These regular season matches let me see where I’m at so that I can improve.”
Missouri senior grapplers have combined for 107 individual duel wins this year.
Houdashelt said that he and the other six seniors on the team are looking forward to nationals but are also enjoying the success they’ve had thus far.
“It’s cool because the team is so relaxed,” he said. “We have so much fun doing everything every day. This is definitely the most fun season I’ve ever had.”