Missouri Wrestling
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Junior 197-pounder J’den Cox (Columbia, Mo.) provided the magic No. 4 Mizzou Wrestling (7-0) needed to erase a 17-10 deficit to defeat No. 14 Cornell (1-3), 18-17, Sunday at Jesse Auditorium. Head Coach Brian Smith bumped redshirt sophomore Willie Miklus (Altoona, Iowa) and Cox up one weight class to 197 pounds and heavyweight, respectively. The strategy paid off, as Miklus won his match by decision, and Cox earned a victory by technical fall over Jeramy Sweany, 24-9, to push Mizzou over the top for the 18-17 win.
Mizzou’s dual win-streak improved to 35 duals with the defeat of the No. 14-rated Big Red. 1,224 fans were in attendance Sunday to witness the Tigers’ win, the second time in program history Mizzou has wrestled in Jesse Auditorium. The Tigers defeated Ohio, 23-10, on Dec. 6, 2013.
Cornell had a 6-0 lead after two matches when redshirt junior 141-pounder Matt Manley (Perry, Okla.) took to the mat. The Tiger junior earned a 9-1 major decision against Will Koll, scoring four points for the Tigers. Manley scored a near-fall in the closing seconds of the third period, then riding time gave him his ninth point for the 9-1 major decision. Manley improved to 6-0 in dual competition and 20-4 overall with the victory.
Next, redshirt junior Lavion Mayes (Mascoutah, Ill.) continued his undefeated season with a 9-2 decision win over Joey Galasso. Mayes took control early with a takedown in the first period, and never looked back. Mayes is now 16-0 this year and 7-0 in duals. The decision victory gave Mizzou a 7-6 lead after four matches, the first lead of the day for the Tigers.
Redshirt freshman 165-pounder Daniel Lewis (Blue Springs, Mo.) squared up against Duke Pickett in the 165-pound match. Lewis earned a 3-2 victory by decision in overtime. In the third period, Lewis scored an escape with 1:39 left and another escape with 32 seconds left to make the score 2-2. The score remained tied at 2-2 through two overtime periods, despite excellent wrestling by Lewis, who came close to scoring takedowns on two separate occasions. Finally, in the third overtime, Lewis scored an escape with just eight seconds left on the clock to secure the win, 3-2. The victory by decision gave the lead back to Mizzou by the score of 10-9.
Cornell led 17-10 heading into the 197-pound match between W. Miklus and Jake Taylor. Miklus was awarded a stalling point with one minute left in the third period, giving him an 8-7 victory by decision. Miklus improved to 11-2 this year and a perfect 7-0 in duals. The victory cut the Cornell lead to 17-13 going into the final heavyweight match.
Cox took to the mat needing a technical fall against Cornell’s Jeramy Sweany for Mizzou to win the dual. Cox used 10 takedowns, including four in the third period to make the score, 23-9. At the end of the match, riding time was in Cox’s favor, giving him the victory by technical fall, 24-9, and Mizzou the dual, 18-17.
The Tigers will be back in action again on Friday, Jan. 15 when they take on MAC rival Eastern Michigan at the Hearnes Center. The dual will begin at 7 p.m. CT and will be streamed on the ESPN3/Watch ESPN.
For all the latest on Mizzou Wrestling, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the team on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram (MizzouWrestling).
Match-By-Match Results
125: Dalton Macri (Cornell) def. Barlow McGhee (Mizzou) by 7-6 decision
133: Nahshon Garrett (Cornell) def. Zach Synon (Mizzou) by 12-5 decision
141: Matt Manley (Mizzou) def. William Koll (Cornell) by 9-1 major decision
149: Lavion Mayes (Mizzou) def. Joey Galasso (Cornell) by 9-2 decision
157: Chris Dowdy (Cornell) def. Le’Roy Barnes (Mizzou) by 9-7 decision
165: Daniel Lewis (Mizzou) def. George Pickett (Cornell) by 3-2 TB-1
174: Brian Realbuto (Cornell) def. Blaise Butler (Mizzou) by 3-2 decision
184: Gabriel Dean (Cornell) def. Tim Miklus (Mizzou) by 18-1 technical fall
197: Willie Miklus (Mizzou) def. Jacob Taylor (Cornell) by 8-7 decision
HWT: J’den Cox (Mizzou) def. Jeramy Sweany (Cornell) by 24-9 technical fall
