Cox Tabbed No. 1 at 197 in Amateur Wrestling News’ Division I Preseason Rankings
10/12/2015 11:43:00 AM | Wrestling
Four other Tigers were ranked in the top 15 of their individual weight classes
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Five Mizzou Wrestlers were ranked in Amateur Wrestling News' 2015-16 Division I Individual Preseason Rankings, as announced by the magazine on Monday. #TigerStyle junior J'den Cox headlines the group with a No. 1 preseason ranking at 197 pounds. Redshirt senior Blaise Butler, juniors Lavion Mayes and Joey Lavallee and redshirt sophomore Willie Miklus also cracked AWN's preseason top 20 lists for their respective weight classes.
Cox, a 2014 National Champion, enters his third season at Mizzou as a two-time All-American and two-time conference champion. The Hickman High School graduate already has 75 wins under his belt in just two seasons and looks to become the second two-time National Champion in Mizzou history in 2015-16.
Butler, a graduate transfer from the University of Virginia where he claimed an ACC title in 2014, was tabbed No. 5 at 174 pounds. In his first and only campaign with #TigerStyle, Butler could potentially face three of the four wrestlers ranked ahead of him during the regular season when Mizzou takes on Ohio State, Oklahoma State and Cornell in dual action.
Mayes and Miklus were each ranked No. 7 at 141 pounds and 184 pounds, respectively. Both of them are returning All-Americans after a pair of seventh-place finishes at the NCAA Championships last March. Mayes begins his junior year with a 67-18 record overall and 17-4 record in conference duals. Miklus, the 2015 MAC Freshman of the Year, enters his second season at Mizzou with a 33-9 overall record. He will be the Tigers' lone representative at the 2015 NWCA All-Star Classic in Atlanta on Nov. 1.
Lavallee was the final Mizzou wrestler named in AWN's preseason rankings. The Reno, Nevada, native was ranked No. 15 at 149 pounds. Lavallee is a two-time NCAA Championships qualifier and boasts 54 career wins. For all the latest on Mizzou Wrestling, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the team on Twitter @MizzouWrestling.
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