Jan. 17, 2014
COLUMBIA, Mo. - The Mizzou Wrestling program surges into conference action in 2014 after a 40-0 shutout versus the SIUE Cougars last weekend, with the No. 7-Tigers set to take on the Central Michigan Chippewas Sunday afternoon. This weekend's conference battle will showcase nine matches that contains at least one ranked wrestler between the two programs.
Leading the way last time were three Tiger freshmen - Blake Pepper, Matthew Lemanowicz and J'den Cox - all pinning their opponents in the Tigers 40-0 victory. Lemanowicz is slated to get his second collegiate start at 157 pounds, while Cox continues to turn heads at 197 pounds for the Tigers, posting a 21-2 record including four victories over top-20 opponents. He comes into this weekend's action as the sixth-best 197-pounder in the nation.
The Tigers look to avenge a 17-16 loss to the Chippewas from last season in front of a home crowd at the Hearnes Center. Central Michigan boasts a 6-5 overall record and a 2-1 clip in conference action heading into this weekend. They will host the No. 25 Ohio Bobcats Friday before welcoming in Brian Smith and Co., on Sunday. The dual will start at 2 p.m. at McGuirk Arena.
FOLLOW LIVE
The dual will be streamed live on CMUChippewas.com, as well as on the Mid-American Conference's official website, MAC-sports.com. Live stats will be provided by Trackwrestling.com, and fans can follow Mizzou Wrestling's official Twitter account, @MizzouWrestling, for in-match updates.
BOUTCARD
125: Zach Synon, RSFr. (27-8) OR Barlow McGhee, Fr. (16-4) vs. No. 12 Corey Keener
133: Matt Manley, RSFr. (19-5) OR Eric Wilson, Sr. (22-6) vs. No. 16 Joe Roth
141: Lavion Mayes, RSFr. (20-7) OR Trevor Jauch, So. (16-3) vs. No. 9 Zach Horan
149: No. 1 Drake Houdashelt, Jr. (22-1) vs. Scott Mattingly
157: Matthew Lemanowicz, RSFr. (14-8) vs. No. 20 Lucas Smith
165: No. 8 Zach Toal, Sr. (18-3) vs. Nick Becker
174: No. 17 Mikey England, Jr. (13-6) vs. No. 10 Mike Ottinger
184: No. 10 Johnny Eblen, Jr. (17-6) vs. Craig Kelliher
197: No. 6 J'den Cox, Fr. (21-2) vs. Jackson Lewis
HWT: Devin Mellon, Jr. (15-7) vs. Adam Robinson
WHAT'S NEXT
The Tigers will remain in conference action next weekend as they travel to Cedar Falls, Iowa, and DeKalb, Ill., for duals against Northern Iowa and Northern Illinois. Stay abreast with everything Tiger Style by following us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and right here on MUTigers.com.