COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Wrestling will send seven grapplers to Las Vegas, Nev. to compete in the UWW Junior Nationals, held Friday, April 29 and Saturday, April 30. The tournament, set for Greco roman and freestyle competition for wrestlers 20 years or under, will host some of the best young wrestling talent around the nation. All seven #TigerStyle wrestlers will compete in freestyle competition.

Making the trip to Las Vegas for Mizzou will be freshman Jaydin Eierman (Columbia, Mo.), redshirt freshman John Erneste (Kansas City, Mo.), freshman Luke Fortuna (Glen Ellyn, Ill.), freshman Kevin Kissane (Wichita, Kan.), freshman Keegan McCormick (Lee's Summit, Mo.), freshman James Romero (Albuquerque, N.M.) and freshman Taylor Watkins (Columbus, Kan.)

Erneste, Fortuna and Romero all saw time in the Mizzou starting lineup in dual competition this season, as Eierman, Kissane, McCormick, and Watkins all used their redshirt year, competing in open tournaments as unattached wrestlers.

In his only dual start of the season, Erneste defeated Blake Caudill (Eastern Michigan) by major decision, 13-2, on Jan. 5. The Park Hill High School product competed in five open tournaments this season, placing in the top-three three times. Fortuna won the 157 pound Amateur Championship at the Joe Parisi Open on Nov. 21 and made three dual starts for Mizzou. Romero was the starter at heavyweight for the majority of the season, posting an 11-19 record.

Eierman enjoyed success in his redshirt season, posting a 22-2 record while winning three open Championships and placing third at two others. Kissane earned two third-place finishes, McCormick had three top-three finishes and Watkins placed second at the Missouri Valley College Open on Feb. 7.

A full schedule of events for the tournament can be found here. FloWrestling will provide coverage for the event.

For all the latest on Mizzou Wrestling, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the team on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram (MizzouWrestling).

–MIZZOU–