IOWA CITY, Iowa - Tiger Style wrestling used an impressive second half push to defeat Illinois 23-13 in the 2015 National Duals Finals quarterfinals matchup. Redshirt senior Johnny Eblen delivered the dual's key win at 174 pounds, as he pinned No. 10 Zac Brunson in just 50 seconds.
Mizzou took home wins in six of 10 matchups against the Fighting Illini, including three of those triumphs earning bonus points. Joining Eblen with big wins were redshirt sophomore Lavion Mayes and sophomore J'den Cox. The two grapplers each earned major decision wins over their respective opponents, as Mayes won 11-3 and Cox tallied a 15-3 victory.
The Tigers' big weekend at Caver Hawkeye Arena kicked off in grand fashion with redshirt senior Alan Waters defeating two-time defending National Champion Jesse Delgado by 6-2 decision. Three matches later, redshirt senior Drake Houdashelt produced a 6-3 decision to put Mizzou up 10-3 early-on.
Illinois responded with consecutive wins to even the dual at 10 apiece. Eblen's impressive pin put the Tigers back on track and they took a 16-10 team advantage with three matches to go. Cox's major decision and redshirt senior Devin Mellon's exciting 5-1 (TB1) decision secured the quarterfinals victory.
The win pushed Mizzou onto the 2015 NWCA National Duals Finals semifinals matchup later today at 3 p.m. (CT). Mizzou is set to face No. 11 Lehigh following their 21-18 upset victory over No. 3 Ohio State.
Action will be televised live on the Big Ten Network, and can also be followed online at TrackWrestling.com and Twitter (@MizzouWrestling).
Check-in to MUTigers.com for the latest information on all things Mizzou wrestling. You can also find the Tigers on social media, by liking us on Facebook and following us on Twitter (@MizzouWrestling).
Match-By-Match Results vs. Illinois
125: No. 1 Alan Waters (M) def. No. 1 Jesse Delgado (I) by 6-2 decision
133: No. 8 Zane Richards (I) def. No. 20 Zach Synon (M) by 9-2 decision
141: No. 5 Lavion Mayes (M) def. No. 12 Steven Rodrigues (I) by 11-3 major decision
149: No. 1 Drake Houdashelt (M) def. Kyle Langenderfer (I) by 6-3 decision
157: No. 2 Isaiah Martinez (I) def. No. 12 Joey Lavallee (M) by 17-6 major decision
165: No. 8 Jackson Morse (I) def. Mikey England (M) by 4-3 decision
174: No. 4 Johnny Eblen (M) def. No. 10 Zac Brunson (I) by fall (0:50)
184: No. 19 Nikko Reyes (I) def. No. 9 Willie Miklus (M) by 3-1 (SV1) decision
197: No. 1 J'den Cox (M) def. Jeff Koepke (I) by 15-3 major decision
HWT: No. 10 Devin Mellon (M) def. Brooks Black (I) by 5-1 (TB1) decision