By Mike Finn

As Missouri’s heavyweight, Mark Ellis is obviously one of the big guys in college wrestling. That didn’t make him superman.

            Instead, Ellis — after becoming only Missouri’s second NCAA champion — showed his vulnerability on the medal stand and in the interview room, where he shed tears and tried to explain how there was a time when he didn’t think he would finish a career at Missouri, much less win a national championship.

            “There were some tough times,” admitted Ellis, a native of Peculiar, Mo., where he was a two-sport star for Raymore High School who originally came to Columbia to play football before opting to focus solely on wrestling.

            “I didn’t know what I wanted to do. It’s all those things one goes through going away (to college); from being the big fish in the pond to facing adversity. I thought about walking away a couple times. I’m just so grateful that people believed in me.”

            Among those supporters was Missouri’s only other national champion, Ben Askren. Askren earned NCAA titles and the Dan Hodge Trophy his final two years (2006 and 2007) and shared his experience with teammates like Ellis.

            “If it wasn’t for Ben, there is no way that I’d be here and be a national champ,” Ellis declared after defeating Duke’s Konrad Dudziak 3-2 in a tiebreaker. “He just pushed me and pushed me and pushed me. He wouldn’t let me walk away or quit … even in practice or workouts. He really believed in me. This is my dream come true.”

            According to Askren, who has remained a volunteer assistant coach at Missouri while he adjusts from being a 2008 Olympian to entering the world of mixed martial arts, Ellis was having a hard time adjusting to college life after seeing his friend and roommate, Matt Bright, leave the team while Ellis redshirted.

            “(Missouri) Coach (Brian) Smith sensed that Mark was getting lonely and was off the path that he needed to be,” Askren recalled. “Mark moved in with me and it’s been a great partnership.”

            “There were a bunch of things going through my head,” Ellis said. “I didn’t know if I wanted to wrestle. I thought about playing football at some place smaller. At semester of my redshirt year, that all ended when I moved in with Ben.

            “From then, I learned how he lived; his lifestyle. Everything changed from then on and now I’m a national champ.

            “The mental aspect of wrestling my game has improved so much this year from living with Ben. I couldn’t believe how mentally tough he is.  I had to find a way to get that mental toughness. I had to be more mentally tough.”

            Even after Ellis became a starter for Missouri, there were bumps along the way. In 2007, he became the first Tiger heavyweight to qualify for the NCAAs in four years but went 1-2 at the national tournament. Last year, he came up one victory short of All-American status.

            This year, the Tiger completed a 31-3 record as a junior after going 5-0 in St. Louis.

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