Missouri won its seventh straight conference title at the MAC Championships (Photo/MUTigers.com)MT. PLEASANT, Mich. -- No. 3 Mizzou Wrestling (19-0, 7-0 MAC) captured its seventh straight conference title at the 2018 Mid-American Conference Championships, as seven Tigers claimed individual conference titles. With 170 points, Mizzou reset the conference record for points scored at a conference tournament for the second consecutive season and third time overall since joining the league in 2013, surpassing its previous totals of 154.5 points in 2017 and 139.5 points in 2015.
Claiming conference championships for Mizzou was redshirt junior 133-pounder John Erneste (Kansas City, Mo.), redshirt sophomore 141-pounder Jaydin Eierman (Columbia, Mo.), redshirt junior 149-pounder Grant Leeth (Kearney, Mo.), redshirt senior 157-pounder Joey Lavallee (Reno, Nev.), redshirt sophomore 165-pounder Connor Flynn (Dardenne Prairie, Mo.), redshirt junior 174-pounder Daniel Lewis (Blue Springs, Mo.) and redshirt senior 197-pounder Willie Miklus (Altoona, Iowa). Mizzou's seven conference champions is a program-best, surpassing its 2017 total of six. Lewis became the sixth wrestler in program history to win at least three conference titles, while Erneste, Eierman and Lavallee claimed their second conference titles. Leeth, Flynn and Miklus all won conference titles for the first time in their careers.
All seven wrestlers clinched berths to the 2018 NCAA Wrestling Championships with their title performances at the MAC Championships.
TEAM SCORES
Mizzou ended the tournament with 177 points, a 22.5 point increase from its 154.5 points it scored at the 2017 MAC Championships. Finishing runner-up behind Mizzou was Central Michigan with 125 points, while Eastern Michigan finished third with 120.5 points. Kent State finished fourth with 98 points, followed by Ohio (84.5 points), Buffalo (81 points), Old Dominion (80 points) and Northern Illinois (78 points).
NOTABLE TIGERS
Lewis put Central Michigan's CJ Brucki on his back at 1:33 for a pin to claim his third conference title. With two falls in the tournament, Lewis now has a team-leading 16 falls this season and 35 in his career. Among program records, Lewis ranks eighth and sixth, respectively. The Tiger junior joins J'den Cox (2014-17), Drake Houdashelt (2012-15), Ben Askren (2004, 06-07), Nick Marable (2008-10) and Alan Waters (2012-13, 15) as the only wrestlers in program history to claim at least three conference titles. Lewis enters the NCAA Tournament with a perfect 29-0 mark on the season with 25 wins coming by bonus points as the two-time All-American has recorded 16 falls, five technical falls and four major decisions.
At 197 pounds, Miklus put Eastern Michigan's Derek Hillman on his back for a pin at 2:58 to claim his first career conference title. The fall was Miklus' 27th of his career, moving him into a five-way tie for the ninth-most career falls in program history. With three wins in the tournament, Miklus improves to 21-3 on the season, with 16 wins coming by bonus points (six falls, seven technical falls, three major decisions).
Following two falls on Saturday, Eierman recorded a 24-9 technical fall over No. 2-seed Mason Smith (Central Michigan) to claim his second consecutive title. The Tiger sophomore improves to 28-1 on the season with 21 wins coming with bonus points. Eierman's 14 falls on the season only trail Lewis' 16 on the team.
At 149 pounds, Leeth captured his first conference title with a 9-0 major decision over Ohio's Kade Kowalski. Leeth will be riding a 17-match win streak heading into his first NCAA appearance, as the Tiger junior has not lost since the Lindenwood Open on Nov. 18. The Kearney, Mo., native will enter the NCAA Championships with a 22-2 record with six wins coming by bonus points (one fall, two technical falls, three major decisions).
Lavallee defeated Kent State's Casey Sparkman, 8-2, to win his second consecutive MAC title at 157 pounds. The returning NCAA finalist will enter his fourth NCAA Tournament with a 28-1 mark, with 19 of his victories coming by bonus points (six falls, six technical falls, seven major decisions). Lavallee's three wins in the tournament give him 111 career victories, moving him above two-time All-American and current UFC Welterweight Champion Tyron Woodley (110 wins) for the 14th-most wins in program history.
Erneste captured his second straight conference title with a 4-2 win over Buffalo's Bryan Lantry. Erneste will wrestle in his second NCAA Tournament in Cleveland after advancing to the round of 12 in 2017. The Tiger junior enters the tournament with a record of 22-2 with 10 bonus point wins (seven falls, three major decisions).
After taking fourth at the 2016 Big 12 Championships while wrestling for West Virginia and redshirting last season, Flynn captured his first MAC title at 165 pounds with a 10-5 win over Eastern Michigan's Zac Carson. Flynn will enter his first NCAA Tournament with a 24-7 record on the season, with 13 victories coming by bonus points (four falls, five technical falls, four major decisions).
QUOTABLES
Mizzou Head Coach Brian Smith
"I was really pleased with everyone's effort this weekend. It took a real team effort, my staff put in a lot of hard work and time to get everybody prepared. We had to deal with a few things that were out of our control, but we tried to focus on what we could control, and everyone did a really good job managing what we were dealt. On the mat, we wrestled our best on the second day of the tournament, which is a big positive. We came out pushing the pace in matches and scored bonus points in numerous finals matches, which I was pleased with. I'm really excited to see what this team can do at the National Tournament. We'll take care of logistics over the next few days, then we'll get locked in for Cleveland. We'll work on a few small things on the mat, but this team has been very consistent throughout the whole year, so we won't be changing much of anything. We are going to have a lot of good seeds at Nationals, now it's a matter of going out and executing on the big stage."
UP NEXT
Mizzou now turns its attention to the 2018 NCAA Wrestling Championships, which will be held March 15-17 in Cleveland, Ohio. A Selection Show for the NCAA Championships will air on Wednesday, March 7, at 5 p.m. (CT). Mizzou wrestlers redshirt senior 125-pounder Barlow McGhee (Rock Island, Ill.) and redshirt freshman 184-pounder Canten Marriott (Excelsior Springs, Mo.) will be seeking at-large bids to the NCAA Championships, which will be announced Monday evening.
For all the latest on Mizzou Wrestling, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the team on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram (MizzouWrestling).
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