Mark Burrell - University of Central Missouri
Wrestling Student-Athlete, 1988-90
Mark Burrell enjoyed a superb two-year career with Mules Wrestling, winning back-to-back individual NCAA Division II championships at 126 pounds in 1989 and 1990.
A graduate of West Des Moines Valley High School in Iowa, he transferred to Central Missouri from Northwest Missouri State University following his sophomore year. As a junior, Burrell set the Mules' single-season record for wins, compiling a record of 44-6-2, en route to his national title. The following season, he produced a record of 40-3-1 and successfully defended his national championship of the previous year to become the first athlete in Central Missouri State history to win two individual national championships.
At that time, individual champions in Division II were allowed to advance to the Division I championship and Burrell became the first and only Mules' wrestler to win a match at the Division I Tournament, winning three and losing two. In addition to his single-season record for wins (44), Burrell still owns the Mules' most points in a season (167) while his eight technical falls in a season now rank second, and his .920 season-winning percentage ranks seventh in the UCM wrestling record books. His career winning percentage of .890 ranks third all-time and his 23 career falls and 10 career technical falls continue to rank in the program’s top ten. He ended his collegiate career with the Mules with a record of 84-9-3.
Burrell was inducted into the University of Central Missouri Athletic Hall of Fame in 1999 – the first Mules' wrestler to be inducted into the UCM Hall of Fame.
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