Missouri claimed the title at the MAC ChampionshipsCEDAR FALLS, Iowa -- Mizzou Wrestling crowned six individual champions as the Tigers won their sixth consecutive conference championship at the 2017 Mid-American Conference Championships on Sunday. Mizzou set a MAC Tournament record by scoring 154.5 team points, surpassing its 2015 mark of 139.5 points.
"This year has been special," said head coach Brian Smith. "We were up and down all year, but we have a lot of talent on this team and I knew we needed to put a consistent effort together at this tournament. And did I ever get it over the last two days. I'm proud of the program, proud of Mizzou. There are a lot of good guys in our room and our staff did a great job getting them ready to succeed over the last few days."
Senior 197-pounder J'den Cox (Columbia, Mo.) was named the MAC Most Outstanding Wrestler for the third time following his conference championship over Old Dominion's Kevin Beazley. With the title, Cox became the second four-time conference champion in program history, following Drake Houdashelt who captured conference titles from 2012-15.
"I'm honored to accomplish such a feat," said Cox after his title bout. "I'm blessed to be on the board behind Drake Houdashelt. It is a great feeling and I've worked hard for it, but I got to work even harder and have get more done at the national tournament."
"He's a special young man," Smith said of Cox. "I've known him since he was four, and it is kind of a sad thing that his time is coming to an end, because we are very close. The way he works and the way he lives his life is the model of what every student-athlete should be."
Mizzou's six conference champions - Cox, redshirt sophomore 133-pounder John Erneste (Kansas City, Mo.), redshirt freshman 141-pounder Jaydin Eierman (Columbia, Mo.), redshirt senior 149-pounder Lavion Mayes (Mascoutah, Ill.), redshirt junior 157-pounder Joey Lavallee (Reno, Nev.) and redshirt sophomore 165-pounder Daniel Lewis (Blue Springs, Mo.) - is the most conference champions in one season in program history. It marked Lewis' second consecutive conference title, while Erneste, Eierman, Mayes and Lavallee each captured their first conference titles.
Mizzou finished 48 points ahead of second place Northern Iowa, the widest margin in MAC Championships history since the Tigers won by the same margin in 2013, its first MAC Championship. Northern Iowa finished runner-up with 106.5 points, while Central Michigan finished third with 103.5 points, marking the first time in MAC history three teams scored at least 100 points.
After two falls on Saturday, Cox recorded an 8-2 win over Beazley, who entered the tournament as the two-seed and 12th in the nation by WIN Magazine. The win marked the 10th ranked victory of the season for Cox.
Lewis and Mayes each avenged defeats in a Feb. 12 dual against Northern Iowa by beating Panther wrestlers in Sunday's finals. Lewis snuck past Bryce Steiert by a score of 4-3 in the second tiebreaker overtime, while Mayes defeated Max Thomsen by a score of 6-5.
Erneste needed overtime as well to defeat Buffalo's Bryan Lantry. The two wrestlers were tied, 2-2, in the sudden victory overtime when Erneste rolled through a takedown attempt from Lantry, then scored a takedown of his own and two-points for a near-fall to win the title. Eierman recorded his second bonus point win of the tournament to capture his title, defeating Ohio's Noah Forrider by a score of 10-1.
Lavallee and Central Michigan's Collin Heffernan needed overtime as well to determine a winner, as the two were still tied following the second sudden victory overtime. Both wrestlers scored escapes in the second tiebreaker overtime, but Lavallee had the advantage with 24 seconds of riding time, giving him the victory.
Redshirt freshman heavyweight Austin Myers (Alexandria, Ky.) and redshirt junior 125-pounder Barlow McGhee (Rock Island, Ill.) both earned automatic bids to the NCAA Tournament by placing third and fifth, respectively. Myers upended No. 1 seed Zack Parker (Ohio), 3-1, in the third place bout, while McGhee defeated Eastern Michigan's Noah Gosner, 4-1, to earn his second trip to the NCAA Tournament.
Redshirt freshman 184-pounder Matt Lemanowicz (Lee's Summit, Mo.) and redshirt 174-pounder Dylan Wisman (Winchester, Va.) finished fourth and sixth at the tournament, respectively, falling one place short of earning an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
In total, eight Tiger wrestlers earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Wrestling Championships on Sunday, held March 16-18, in St. Louis, Mo. Wisman and Lemanowicz will wait to see if they receive a wild card bid, which will be announced later this week.
For all the latest on Mizzou Wrestling, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the team on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram (MizzouWrestling).
Team Scores
1. Mizzou, 154.5
2. Northern Iowa, 106.5
3. Central Michigan, 103.5
3. Old Dominion, 94.0
5. Northern Illinois, 92.0
6. Buffalo, 80.5
7. Eastern Michigan, 64.0
8. Ohio, 62.5
9. Kent State, 55.0
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