Missouri Wrestling
KENT, Ohio – After falling behind 9-0 after the first two matches, Mizzou Wrestling battled back to win seven of the final eight matches to defeat Kent State, 35-12, Sunday in Kent, Ohio. Four #TigerStyle grapplers scored pins in the dual and two posted major decisions as Mizzou won its 33rd consecutive dual.
Redshirt freshman 165-pounder Daniel Lewis (Blue Springs, Mo.), redshirt sophomore 184-pounder Willie Miklus (Altoona, Iowa), junior 197-pounder J’den Cox (Columbia, Mo.), and freshman heavyweight James Romero (Albuquerque, N.M.) all picked up pins, earning six points each for the Tigers. Lewis, Cox, and Romero’s pins were in the first period.
Redshirt junior 141-pounder Matt Manley (Perry, Okla.) picked up the first win of the day for Mizzou when he beat Anthony Tutolo by way of a 10-1 major decision. Manley had a big second period, posting a takedown and a near-fall to go up 6-1 after two periods. Redshirt junior 149-pounder Lavion Mayes (Mascoutah, Ill.) followed up Manley’s win with a 9-3 decision win of his own over Mike DePalma.
After Kent State won the 157 pound match, Lewis faced off against Tyler Buckwalter. Around two minutes into the match, Lewis got Buckwalter in a cradle hold which resulted in a pin at 2:30. The six points gave Mizzou its first lead of the day at 13-12 and was the first of five-in-a-row for the Tigers. Next was redshirt senior 174-pounder Blaise Butler (Belvidere, Ill.), who beat Mike Vollant with a 14-5 major decision.
Miklus matched up against Cole Baxter in the 184 pound match. Miklus was up 4-1 after the first, and after a four-point near-fall in the second, Miklus got the fall at 3:55. Next up was Cox, who matched up against Jerald Spohn. Spohn was overmatched against the national champion Cox, as he got the pin at 1:02. Romero picked up the fourth pin of the night and the third in a row in the heavyweight match. His pin came at 0:58 over Devin Nye to cap the score at 35-12.
Mizzou will next wrestle on Jan. 8 when the Tigers host Buffalo for the annual Beauty and the Beast event with gymnastics. The dual will begin at 7 PM CT and will be streamed on the Mizzou Network.
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: Del Vinas [Kent State] def. Barlow McGhee [Mizzou] by forfeit
133: Mack McGuire [Kent State] def. Zach Synon [Mizzou] by 8-5 decision
141: Matt Manley [Mizzou] def. Anthony Tutolo [Kent State] by 10-1 major decision
149: Lavion Mayes [Mizzou] def. Mike DePalma [Kent State] by 9-3 decision
157: Casey Sparkman [Kent State] def. Blake Pepper [Mizzou] by 7-2 decision
165: Daniel Lewis [Mizzou] def. Tyler Buckwalter [Kent State] by fall (2:30)
174: Blaise Butler [Mizzou] def. Mike Vollant [Kent State] by 14-5 major decision
184: Willie Miklus [Mizzou] def. Cole Baxter [Kent State] by fall (3:55)
197: J’den Cox [Mizzou] def. Jerald Spohn [Kent State] by fall (1:02)
HWT: James Romero [Mizzou] def. Devin Nye [Kent State] by fall (0:58)