CLEVELAND, Ohio – Mizzou Wrestling grapplers squared off at the 51st National Wrestling Coaches Association All-Star Classic on Saturday in Cleveland, Ohio. Four wrestlers, redshirt junior 157-pounder Joey Lavallee (Reno, Nev.), redshirt junior 125-pounder Barlow McGhee (Rock Island, Ill.), redshirt senior 149-pounder Lavion Mayes (Mascoutah, Ill.) and redshirt sophomore 165-pounder Daniel Lewis (Blue Springs, Mo.), all came up just short in exhibition matches.
Lavallee competed in the preliminary showcase round, while McGhee, Mayes and Lewis wrestled in the All-Star Classic main event. The trio becomes the 12th, 13th and 14th members of Mizzou Wrestling to participate in the annual event.
Lavallee kicked off the night for Mizzou in the showcase round. A two-time NCAA qualifier who is coming off a redshirt season a year ago, Lavallee dropped his match, 2-0, to Richie Lewis (Rutgers). Lewis escaped Lavallee's grasp in the second period, then recorded a point for riding time after the completion of the match.
McGhee matched up against Nathan Kraisser (Campbell) in the opening match of the All-Star Classic and scored the first takedown of the match in the opening period. The two were tied, 2-2, heading into the third period when Kraisser ended the match with riding time, giving him the 3-2 win.
Mayes dropped his bout against Anthony Collica (Oklahoma State), 7-5. In the seventh-matchup between the two grapplers, Mayes opened the scoring in the bout with a takedown in the first 10 seconds. Mayes got a leg on an opening shot attempt and converted the takedown for the 2-0 lead. Collica would then gain the lead by the end of the second period, 5-4. The Tiger senior started the third period in the down position, and had a near reversal that was instead called an escape since the two wrestlers were off the mat, putting the score at 5-5. After another takedown from Collica, Mayes could not escape again, yielding the 7-5 final.
Lewis matched up Isaac Jordan (Wisconsin), last year's runner-up at 165 pounds, in his All-Star bout. In an evenly matched opening period, Lewis scored a takedown in the final 10 seconds of the first period to take a 2-0 lead heading into the second period. Lewis led, 3-2, at the beginning of the third period, but Jordan would score a takedown and added a point for riding time for the 5-3 victory.
Mizzou will officially open the regular season on Sunday, Nov. 13, on the road against Old Dominion. The Tigers return home the following Sunday, Nov. 20, to host No. 2 Virginia Tech at Jesse Auditorium. Fans are encourage to buy tickets for that event at mutigers.com/jesse16.
For all the latest on Mizzou Wrestling, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the team on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram (MizzouWrestling).
Match-by-Match Results
Showcase Bout
Richie Lewis (Rutgers) dec. Joey Lavallee (Mizzou): 2-0
All-Star Classic Main Event
125: Nathan Kraisser (Campbell) dec. Barlow McGhee (Mizzou): 3-2
149: Anthony Collica (Oklahoma State) dec. Lavion Mayes (Mizzou): 7-5
165: Isaac Jordan (Wisconsin) dec. Daniel Lewis (Mizzou): 5-3