James Hackney
Mizzou used the momentum of the Iowa State win to come in and win their 12th consecutive conference title, and second in the Big 12. The team put six in the finals, and had all ten make the podium. I believe they technically only qualified nine with Jacques placing 7th. There was some discussion as to how many AQ spots there were at 157, while originally seven, a late roster change from WVU should have dropped it to six. Regardless, he should be a lock for an at-large to make it an even ten for the Tigers.
Surtin, Hart, and Rocky all placed higher than seeds by making the finals. Brown probably would have been in place to finish higher than he did, but an injury in the consolation semis forced a default out. Day one they went 24-3, while day two had a record of 5-7. The finals were a rough one, with Mizzou going 1-5. None of the matches were shocking results in a vacuum, but to experience so many in one session was a tough pill to end on.
125lbs: #13 Noah Surtin – 2nd Place (18.0 Points)
- Champ. Round 1 – Noah Surtin Fall Carlos Negrete Jr (Fall 3:27)
- Quarterfinal – Noah Surtin Maj. #28 Tanner Jordan (MD 13-2)
- Semifinal – Noah Surtin Dec. #29 Joey Prata (Dec 5-3)
- 1st Place Match – #27 Stevo Poulin Dec. Noah Surtin (Dec 11-4)
While Surtin struggled early in the year he’s really come on strong since coming back. His top game showed in this tournament, getting turns in his first two matches with big bonus points. He didn’t forget his bread and butter however, as he had to go big against Prata down three points for a four point move to take the lead. That plus an escape gave him the lead. In the finals he had a favorable match on paper against four seed Stevo Poulin, who has been close to big wins but hadn’t been able to break through yet.
Poulin broke through here, taking an early lead with two first period takedowns. Surtin ended up scoring two nearfall to tie it in the third, and had a cradle locked up to take Poulin over. He got loose for just a second though and Poulin was able to bring his arm to not only stop the turn, but get a reversal for six back points and really steal the match. If Surtin could have gotten the title, he could be looking at a top 12 seed. Even with the loss, I think he should be in play for a top 16 spot which would be his highest at NCAA’s.
