Missouri Wrestling
Storylines:
• Mizzou and Ohio State will face off as reigning champions when they hit the mat. Mizzou won the NWCA National Duals last season, while Ohio State won the NCAA Championship.
• The last matchup between the Tigers and Buckeyes featured heavy drama. Mizzou came away victorious in the dual by a score of 20-19 after being rewarded a bonus point due to the fourth-criteria tiebreaker, which gives the team with the first takedown of the dual a point.
• There will be five ranked vs. ranked matches in the dual. Those matches will be at 125 pounds, 133 pounds, 141 pounds, 165 pounds, and 184 pounds.
• The last top-10 dual at the Hearnes Center was January 23, 2015, when No. 3 Mizzou beat No. 7 Oklahoma State, 22-10.
Mizzou Notables
5 Falls for Lewis
• Redshirt freshman 165-pounder Daniel Lewis (Blue Springs, Mo.) moved into the top-10 in the individual rankings this week after a dominating performance at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. Lewis won the “Most Falls in Least Amount of Time” Award at the tournament after recording five first-period pins, the fastest at 0:41. Lewis placed third in the tournament after going 8-1. Lewis defeated three top-20 opponents in his final three matches to capture third, knocking off Cooper Moore of Northern Iowa (No. 10), George Pickett of Cornell (No. 13), and Clark Glass of Oklahoma (No. 11).
Eight in the Top-20
• Eight of Mizzou’s 10 weight classes were represented in the latest round of top-20 individual rankings.
• No. 6 Barlow McGhee (125 pounds)
• No. 12 Zach Synon (133 pounds)
• No. 13 Matt Manley (141 pounds)
• No. 3 Lavion Mayes (149 pounds)
• No. 9 Daniel Lewis (165 pounds)
• No. 4 Blaise Butler (174 pounds)
• No. 6 Willie Miklus (184 pounds)
• No. 2 J’den Cox (197 pounds)
By the Numbers
• Mizzou has won 30 consecutive duals, dating back Jan. 31, 2014. The last dual lost for Mizzou came by the hands of Oklahoma State, 680 days ago.
Scouting Ohio State
Schedule Rundown
• Ohio State last competed in the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational, Dec. 4 and 5. The Buckeyes finished fifth overall in the team standings. Two Ohio State grapplers finished first in their respective weight classes, 125-pounder Nathan Tomasello and 141-pounder Micah Jordan.
• Ohio State is 3-0 so this season in duals, defeating Virginia and Arizona State at home and Cleveland State on the road. The Buckeyes have dominated their competition so far, outscoring opponents 88-33, in three duals.
Seven Wrestlers Ranked
• Ohio State’s lineup features seven wrestlers ranked in the top-20 in the individual rankings.
• No. 1 Nathan Tomasello (125 pounds)
• No. 4 Johnni DiJulius (133 pounds)
• No. 6 Micah Jordan (141 pounds)
• No. 14 Jake Ryan (157 pounds)
• No. 2 Bo Jordan (165 pounds)
• No. 11 Kenny Courts (184 pounds)
• No. 18 Nick Tovanello (HWT)
More on Mizzou
Mayes and Cox Still Undefeated
• The #TigerStyle lineup features two starters with perfect records for 2015-16. Redshirt junior 149-pounder Lavion Mayes (Mascoutah, Ill.) and junior J’den Cox (Columbia, Mo.) have yet to drop a match this season, posting 11-0 and 12-0 records, respectively.
• Mayes, an NCAA All-American (7th place) a season ago at 141 pounds, has not had any struggles after being bumped up to 149 pounds at the beginning of the year. Mayes has captured two open championships this year, winning the Joe Parisi Open and the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. The final three wins at Cliff Keen came over opponents currently ranked in the top-20. The Illinois native has scored bonus points in six of 11 matches this season, tallying four major decisions and two falls.
• Cox, who followed a National Championship freshman campaign with a fifth-place-finish at nationals as a sophomore, appears to be even more focused on a championship run for his junior year. The #TigerStyle grappler has recorded bonus points in eight of 12 matches this season, earning three falls and five technical falls. Cox has also added two championships to his resume this season, winning at the Joe Parisi Open and the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. Cox defeated top-20 opponents in the semifinals and finals of Cliff Keen, besting Breff Pfarr of Minnesota in the finals by a score of 4-1.
Mizzou Selected to Win the MAC
• As voted on by the conference head coaches, Mizzou was picked to win the Mid-American Conference, sitting atop the preseason poll with 20.0 points. #TigerStyle wrestlers were represented in seven of the 10 individual weight class rankings, with junior 133-pounder Zach Synon (Cary, Ill.) and junior 197-pounder J’den Cox (Columbia, Mo.) leading the way at the top of their respective weight classes. Redshirt junior Lavion Mayes (Mascoutah, Ill.) and redshirt sophomore 184-pounder Willie Miklus (Altoona, Iowa), and redshirt senior Blaise Butler (Belvidere, Ill.) were all ranked second in their respective weight classes. Redshirt freshman 165-pounder Daniel Lewis (Blue Springs, Mo.) was ranked third in his weight class, while redshirt sophomore 125-pounder Barlow McGhee (Rock Island, Ill.) was ranked fourth.