Smith Named NWCA Coach of the Year
3/18/2017 11:04:00 PM | Wrestling
ST. LOUIS, Mo. – Due in large part to one of his program's best weekends of competition, Head Coach Brian Smith was named National Coach of the Year by his peers at the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) following the conclusion of the NCAA Division I National Wrestling Championships. It's the second national coaching award of Smith's career, following his 2007 Dan Gable Award.
Smith just completed his 19th season at the helm of the Tigers, and Saturday evening capped one of the best tournaments in #TigerStyle history. Mizzou finished in fifth place as a team with 86.5 points, its third-highest finish in program history (3rd in 2007, 4th in 2015). In addition, Mizzou had five All-Americans, which tied the 2009, 2013 and 2015 teams as the most in school history. Senior 197-pounder J'den Cox (Columbia, Mo.) won his third national title, and was one of three finalists Saturday evening. That marked the first time the Tigers were represented more than once in the sixth and final session.
2017 marked the fourth straight year that a freshman earned All-America honors; this year, that was redshirt freshman 141-pounder Jaydin Eierman (Columbia, Mo.).
"It was a good weekend, when I got to talk to our fans at our social this afternoon, there were a lot of fans with smiles, and that's how it is suppose to be at the national tournament," said Smith. "I'm just proud of the effort our kids gave."
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