Missouri Wrestling
FULL NWCA/USA TODAY DIVISION I COACHES POLL
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Wrestling jumped into the top-five in the nation, coming in at No. 4 in the NWCA/USA Today Division I Coaches Poll, announced on Tuesday. Mizzou was previously ranked No. 8 before picking up two top-25 wins over the weekend, first over then-No. 3 Ohio State on Saturday, and second then-No. 21 Ohio on Sunday.
The No. 4 ranking is the highest for Mizzou since being ranked No. 1 in the country heading into the NCAA Championships a year ago.
#TigerStyle owns a 4-0 record this season and has won 32 consecutive duals dating back to Jan. 31, 2014. The Tigers defeated the defending national champion Ohio State, 26-17 on Saturday. The match was tied 17-17 with two matches remaining when redshirt sophomore 184-pounder Willie Miklus (Altoona, Iowa) defeated Kenny Courts by way of a 15-0 technical fall. Miklus was named the USA Wrestling Athlete of the Week for his performance over the weekend.
Mizzou has two other top-25 wins on the season, a 24-19 win over then-No. 25 Northern Iowa on Nov. 28 and Sunday’s (Dec. 13) win over then-No. 21 Ohio.
Eight of Mizzou’s 10 starters are currently ranked in the top-20 in the individual rankings by at least one publication (Intermat, W.I.N. Magazine, The Open Mat, FloWrestling). Junior 197-pounder J’den Cox ranks in the highest of any #TigerStyle grappler, coming in at No. 2.
The Tigers will next be in action on Sunday, Dec. 20 when it faces Kent State in Kent, Ohio at 1 p.m. CT.
For all the latest on Mizzou Wrestling, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the team on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram (MizzouWrestling).