Missouri
Black and Gold
@MizzouWrestling Returns for Black & Gold Dual
10/25/2017 8:30:00 PM | Wrestling
14 intrasquad bouts will take place at the Hearnes Center Friday
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Wrestling will begin its 2017-18 season by hosting its annual Black & Gold Dual at the Hearnes Center on Friday. The instrasquad scrimmage will begin at 6:30 p.m. (CT) and will be free to the public.
This season, Mizzou returns four NCAA All-Americans, three from last year's squad and one from the 2015-16 season. Mizzou captured its sixth consecutive conference title in 2017 at the MAC Championships, where the Tigers posted a conference record 154.5 points. Head Coach Brian Smith would go on to lead his team a fifth-place finish at the 2017 NCAA Wrestling Championships, Mizzou's seventh NCAA top-10 finish under Smith.
Among the returning All-Americans for Mizzou includes redshirt senior 157-pounder Joey Lavallee (Reno, Nev.), who went 29-2, won the MAC title at 157 pounds and reached the NCAA Finals. With a sixth-place finish at 165 pounds, redshirt junior 174-pounder Daniel Lewis (Blue Springs, Mo.) earned his second All-America honor in 2017. This year, Lewis will make the transition up a weight class to 174 pounds. Also returning will be redshirt sophomore 141-pounder Jaydin Eierman (Columbia, Mo.), who placed fifth in 2017 and was named the MAC Freshman of the Year, as well as two-time All-American redshirt senior 197-pounder Willie Miklus (Altoona, Iowa), who will missed the majority of last year to a knee injury. At 184 pounds, Miklus finished seventh at the NCAA Championships in 2015 and sixth in 2016.
Mizzou begins the year ranked No. 5 in both the Intermat Division I Tournament Rankings and Dual Rankings. On Oct. 11, Mizzou was selected to win the MAC, ranking ahead of Central Michigan and Buffalo. In the Individual rankings, five Mizzou grapplers (John Erneste – 133, Eierman, Lavallee, Lewis, Miklus) were ranked first among their respective weight classes.
The Tigers will open the regular season in a completely different setting, as Mizzou hosts Illinois inside the Mizzou Softball Stadium on Nov. 4. It will be the first outside dual in program history, and the first non-softball sporting event inside the stadium.
For all the latest on Mizzou Wrestling, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the team on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram (MizzouWrestling).
Scheduled Matches (subject to change)
Barlow McGhee (Black) vs. Chase Brennan (Gold)
Allan Hart (Black) vs. John Erneste (Gold)
Dack Punke (Black) vs. Cameron Valdiviez (Gold)
Jaydin Eierman (Black) vs. Nick Nasenbeny (Gold)
Sam Ritchie (Black) vs. Colby Smith (Gold)
Alex Butler (Black) vs. Grant Leeth (Gold)
Sean Hosford (Black) vs. Lane Stigall (Gold)
Joey Lavallee (Black) vs. Luke Fortuna (Gold)
Austin Eveler (Black) vs. Keegan McCormick (Gold)
Wyatt Koelling (Black) vs. Canten Marriott (Gold)
Taylor Watkins (Black) vs. Jake Raschka (Gold)
Dalton Voyles (Black) vs. Willie Miklus (Gold)
Rodrigo Diaz (Black) vs. Austin Myers (Gold)
Dante Jiovenetta (Black) vs. Jake Bohlken (Gold)
Players Mentioned
