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Melroe, Andrew B. [email protected]
@MizzouWrestling Rounds out 2016 Recruiting Class with Bohlken, Flynn, Karsten
May 5, 2016 at 3:50 PM
undisclosed-recipients:;
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - Thursday, May 05, 2016
MIZZOU WRESTLING – @MizzouWrestling | MIZZOU ATHLETICS – @MizzouAthletics
CONTACT – Andrew Melroe ([email protected])
@MizzouWrestling Rounds out 2016 Recruiting Class with Bohlken, Flynn,
Karsten
Each%wrestler%owns%at%least%one%Missouri%State%Championship,%increases%2016%recrui:ng%class%to%eight
COLUMBIA, Mo.!–!Mizzou!Wrestling!head!coach!Brian!Smith!announced!the!addi7on!of!three!wrestlers!to!the
2016!recrui7ng!class!on!Wednesday,!all!with!at!least!one!Missouri!State!Championship!to!his!resume.!Among!the
three!wrestlers!to!sign!with!Mizzou,!two;!Jacob!Bohlken!and!Ethan!Karsten,!are!high!school!seniors!and!one;!Connor
Flynn,!is!a!transfer!from!West!Virginia.!The!three!addi7ons!brings!Mizzou’s!Class!of!2016!recrui7ng!class!to!a!total!of
eight,!with!five!signing!last!fall.
!
“We! have! added! a! lot! of! depth! to! the! room! with! this! signing! class.! With! an! experienced! team! coming! back! next
year,!we!were!able!to!address!some!areas!of!need!and!also!add!depth!to!weights!where!we!will!have!guys!graduate
in!the!upcoming!years.!I’m!really!excited!to!see!this!next!genera7on!of!#TigerStyle!get!into!the!room!and!compete
right!away.”
%
Jacob%Bohlken%//%Smithville,%Mo.%//%Smithville%HS%//%HWT
!
Bohlken! joins! Mizzou! following! a! Missouri! Class! 2! State! Championship! at! 285! pounds! for! Smithville! High! School,
who!also!captured!the!Class!2!team!7tle!this!past!February.!In!addi7on!to!a!state!7tle,!Bohlken!carries!an!impressive
prep!career!resume!to!his!credit,!owning!the!career!wins!record!(183[28!record)!at!Smithville!and!earning!12!varsity
le]ers! (four! in! football,! baseball! and! wrestling).! The! heavyweight! prospect! was! awarded! 10! academic! all[state
honors!while!in!high!school!and!valued!academics!heavily!during!his!college!search.
!
“I! chose! #TigerStyle! because! of! the! great! combina7on! of! excellent! academics! and! an! outstanding! wrestling
program,”! said! Bohlken.! “From! the! first! day! I! got! in! contact! with! the! coaching! staff,! I! could! tell! they! are! very
commi]ed!to!their!athletes!and!I!am!ready!to!give!everything!I!have!to!the!program.”
!
“Coming!off!a!state!7tle,!Jacob!will!have!a!chance!to!compete!in!the!star7ng!lineup!immediately,”!said!Smith.!“We
look!for!him!to!come!into!the!room!and!bring!depth!to!the!heavyweight!posi7on.”
%
Connor%Flynn%//%Dardenne%Prairie,%Mo.%//%Francis%Howell%HS%//%165%pounds
!
Flynn!returns!to!his!home!state!following!a!one!year!s7nt!at!West!Virginia!where!he!posted!a!14[18!record,!made!10
dual!starts!and!finished!in!fourth!place!at!the!Big!12!Championships!at!165!pounds.!During!his!prep!career!at!Francis
Howell! High! School! in! St.! Charles,! Mo.,! Flynn! went! 164[9! and! captured! the! 2015! Missouri! Class! 4! State
Championship!at!160!pounds.!The!Missouri!na7ve!won!the!final!74!matches!of!his!career!and!was!named!the!2015
St.!Louis!Post[Dispatch!All[Metro! wrestler! of! the! year.! Flynn’s! sister,! Lauren,! was! a! member! of! the! Mizzou! Soccer
team!from!2011[15.
!
“I’ve!watched!Connor!wrestle!all!throughout!high!school,!and!he!is!just!a!great!kid!who!loves!Missouri,”!said!Smith.
“I’ve!watched!Connor!wrestle!all!throughout!high!school,!and!he!is!just!a!great!kid!who!loves!Missouri,”!said!Smith.
“He!comes!from!a!Missouri!family!and!I!know!he’s!excited!to!get!here!and!fight!for!a!spot!in!the!lineup!next!year.”
!
Flynn!will!be!eligible!to!compete!immediately!for!Mizzou!due!to!West!Virginia!gran7ng!a!full!release.
!
“I!chose!#TigerStyle!because!it!gives!me!the!chance!to!represent!the!state!I!love,”!said!Flynn.!“I!know!I!can!have!a!lot
of!success!here.”
%
Ethan%Karsten%//%PlaMe%City,%Mo.%//%PlaMe%County%HS%//%149/157%pounds
!
Karsten,!from!Pla]e!County!High!School,!brings!a!championship!pedigree!to!the!Mizzou!wrestling!room.!A!three[
7me! Missouri! Class! State! 3! State! Champion! (132! pounds! as! a! sophomore,! 145! pounds! as! a! junior! and! a! senior),
Karsten! compiled! a! 191[30! prep! record.! At! the! na7onal! level,! Karsten! captured! gold! twice! at! the! 2014! Fargo
Championships,!winning!the!Cadet!Greco[Roman!and!Freestyle!Na7onals!at!138!pounds.!The!Missouri!na7ve!also
competed!in!the!UWW!Freestyle!Junior!Na7onals!in!Las!Vegas!this!past!April.
!
“I’ve!wanted!to!be!a!Tiger!for!as!long!as!I!can!remember,”!said!Karsten!“When!the!opportunity!presented!itself,!I
could!not!say!no.”
!
“Ethan! is! one! of! the! be]er! kids! in! the! Missouri! senior! class,”! said! Smith.! “He! has! a! lot! of! talent! and! wrestles
aggressively.! I’m! really! excited! about! his! under[hooks,! how! he! a]acks! on! the! mat! and! how! he! has! a! knack! for
pinning!people.!We!look!forward!to!seeing!him!wrestle!in!the!room!and!compete!for!a!spot!in!the!lineup.”
!
For!all!the!latest!on!Mizzou!Wrestling,!stay!tuned!to!MUTigers.com!and!follow!the!team!on!Facebook,!Twi]er,!and
Instagram!(MizzouWrestling).
%
Recrui:ng%Class
Name!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Hometown!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!High!School/Prev.!School!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Projected!Weight!Class
Jacob!Bohlken!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Smithville,!Mo.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Smithville!HS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!HWT
Rodrigo!Diaz!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Lafaye]e,!La.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Lafaye]e!HS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!197/HWT
Connor!Flynn!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Dardenne!Prairie,!Mo.!!!Francis!Howell!HS/West!Virginia!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!165
Sean!Hosford!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Kansas!City,!Mo.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Park!Hill!HS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!141/149
Dante!Jiovene]a!!!!!!!!!!!!!Islamorada,!Fla.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Coral!Shores!HS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!HWT
Ethan!Karsten!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Pla]e!County!HS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Pla]e!City!HS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!149/157
Wya]!Koelling!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Kaysville,!UT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Davis!HS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!197
Canten!Marrio] !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Excelsior!Springs,!Mo.!!!!Park!Hill!HS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!174
–MIZZOU–
!
ANDREW MELROE
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS ASSOCIATE
WRESTLING, WOMEN’S TENNIS, MEN’S BASKETBALL
MIZZOU ATHLETICS
O 573.882.7167 | C 651.343.3272
E [email protected] |
@AndrewMelroe |
Andrew Melroe
Hearnes Center 370 | 600 E. Stadium Blvd. | Columbia, MO 65211
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