CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – Bonus points in three of six quarterfinals bouts helped No. 5 Mizzou Wrestling elevate from fifth place following the opening session, to second place at the end of the first day of the Southern Scuffle on Sunday at the McKenzie Arena. In all, four Tiger wrestlers advanced to the quarterfinals and four more are still in contention on the backside of the bracket as the Tigers sit in second place, trailing only No. 1 Oklahoma State.
The Cowboys took a commanding lead after the first day, scoring 116 points, while the Tigers are second with 70.5 points. Two-and-a-half points separate the Tigers and Minnesota, who is currently in fifth place. Lehigh is in third with 69.5 points, while Northern Iowa is in fourth with 68.5 points and the Gophers in fifth with 68 points.
With wins in their quarterfinal matches, redshirt sophomore 165-pounder Daniel Lewis (Blue Springs, Mo.), senior 197-pounder J'den Cox (Columbia, Mo.), redshirt senior 149-pounder Lavion Mayes (Mascoutah, Ill.) and redshirt junior 157-pounder Joey Lavallee (Reno, Nev.) all advanced to Monday's semifinals. Lewis and Mayes scored falls to advance to the semis, while Cox registered a technical fall and Lavallee a decision victory.
The fall for Lewis capped a highly impressive 3-0 day for Lewis, who did not see the third period in his three matches. The Tiger sophomore pinned Elliott Raiford (Appalachian State) in his opening match at 2:40, before recorded a 16-0 technical fall in 3:12 over Devin Kane (North Carolina), and a fall over Drew Longo (Lehigh) at 1:09. Cox scored bonus points in all three of his matches as well, scoring technical falls in his first and third matches, with a win by major decision in between.
With the tree wins, Cox has 120 career wins and moves ahead of Kenny Burleson for the ninth-most wins in program history. The two technical falls are his 18th and 19th of his career, which ranks second in program history.
Mayes snuck by in his first two matches, winning 3-1 and 4-1, before pinning Ty Buckiso (Citadel) at 1:13 to advance to the semis. Lavallee earned three decision victories on the day, including a 7-0 win over Chase Delande (Edinboro), to improve to improve to 14-0 on the season.
On the backside of the bracket, redshirt junior 125-pounder Barlow McGhee (Rock Island, Ill.), redshirt sophomore 133-pounder John Erneste (Kansas City, Mo.), redshirt freshman 141-pounder Jaydin Eierman (Columbia, Mo.) and redshirt senior 141-pounder Zach Synon (Cary, Ill.) are all still alive and will wrestle for third place on Monday. McGhee earned decision wins in his first two matches before falling to No. 11 Nick Piccininni (Oklahoma State), 7-4, in the quarterfinals. Erneste recorded a fall in his first match and a decision win in his second before falling to No. 5 Kaid Brook (Oklahoma State), 14-5, in the quarterfinals.
Eierman went 4-1 on the day, falling to No. 5 George DiCamillo (Virginia) in the round of 16 before recording two wins on the backside to advance to Monday's session. The Tiger freshman recorded two technical falls on the day in his first event at 141 pounds. Synon went 3-1 on the day, recording two major decisions and a decision win over highly-ranked prospect out of high school, AC Headlee (North Carolina), 4-3, in his final bout.
Redshirt freshman 174-pounder Dylan Wisman (Winchester, Va.) and redshirt freshman heavyweight Austin Myers (Alexandria, Ky.) each scored bonus points on the backside to aid Mizzou's ascension to second place. Wisman scored a fall over Drew Hall (Utah Valley), while Myers scored a four-point near-fall as time ran out to earn a 12-4 major decision over JJ Everard (Northern Iowa).
Mizzou's eight wrestlers who are still in contention will wrestle tomorrow, beginning with a consolation round at 10 a.m. (ET). The Southern Scuffle championship finals and medal matches are slated to begin at 7 p.m. (ET). FloWrestling will continue to provide coverage of the tournament.
For all the latest on Mizzou Wrestling, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the team on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram (MizzouWrestling).
Team Scores after Day One (Top 10)
| Team | Points |
| 1. Oklahoma State | 116 |
| 2. Mizzou | 70.5 |
| 3. Lehigh | 69.5 |
| 4. Northern Iowa | 68.5 |
| 5. Minnesota | 68 |
| 6. Virginia | 46.5 |
| 7. Stanford | 44.5 |
| 8. North Carolina | 43.5 |
| 9. Cornell | 36.5 |
| 10. Edinboro | 33 |
Match-by-Match Results
125 Pounds
Aaron Assad
Championship Round of 32: Aaron Assad (Mizzou) dec. Brant Leadbeter (Navy): 8-2
Championship Round of 16: No. 9 Jack Mueller (Virginia) fall Aaron Assad (Mizzou): 2:19
Consolation Round of 16 #2: Aaron Assad (Mizzou) tech. fall Jay Schawarm (Northern Iowa): 16-0 (3:17)
No. 7 Barlow McGhee
Championship Round of 32: Barlow McGhee (Mizzou) dec. Spencer Dusi (Cleveland State): 6-2
Championship Round of 16: Barlow McGhee (Mizzou) dec. Skyler Petrey (Minnesota): 5-3
Quarterfinals: No. 11 Nick Piccininni (Oklahoma State) dec. Barlow McGhee (Mizzou): 7-4
133 Pounds
John Erneste
Championship Round of 32: John Erneste (Mizzou) fall Demetre Kostis (Appalachian State): 4:25
Championship Round of 16: John Erneste (Mizzou) dec. Nathan Boston (Campbell) 5-4
Quarterfinals: No. 5 Kaid Brock (Oklahoma State) maj. dec. John Erneste (Mizzou): 14-5
141 Pounds
No. 8 Jaydin Eierman
Championship Round of 64: Jaydin Eierman (Mizzou) dec. Mike Pongracz (Chattanooga): 7-2
Championship Round of 32: Jaydin Eierman (Mizzou) tech. fall Chase Hall (Utah Valley): 19-2 (6:22)
Championship Round of 16: No. 7 George DiCamillo (Virginia) fall Jaydin Eierman (Mizzou): 4:03
Consolation Round of 16 #2: Jaydin Eierman (Mizzou) tech. fall Trence Gillem (Cornell): 16-1 (3:28)
Consolation Round of 8 #1: Jaydin Eierman (Mizzou) dec. Will Clark (North Carolina State): 4-3
No. 7 Matt Manley
Championship Round of 64: Matt Manley (Mizzou) fall Irvin Enriquez (Appalachian State): 3:21
Championship Round of 32: Jake Hodges (Northern Iowa) SV-1 Matt Manley (Mizzou): 2-1
Consolation Round of 16 #1: Matt Manley (Mizzou) dec. Mike Pongracz (Chattanooga): 5-1
Consolation Round of 16 #2: AC Headlee (North Carolina) dec. Matt Manley (Mizzou): 12-6
Zach Synon
Championship Round of 32: Zach Synon (Mizzou) maj. dec. John Twomey (Air Force): 8-0
Championship Round of 16: Tommy Thorn (Minnesota) dec. Zach Synon (Mizzou): 5-3
Consolation Round of 16 #2: Zach Synon (Mizzou) maj. dec. Evan Cheek (Cleveland State): 8-0
Consolation Round of 8 #1: Zach Synon (Mizzou) dec. AC Headlee (North Carolina): 4-3
149 Pounds
Alex Butler
Championship Round of 64: No. 15 Matt Zovistoski (Appalachian State) dec. Alex Butler (Mizzou): 4-0
Consolation Round of 32: Grant LaMont (Utah Valley) fall Alex Butler: 1:25
No. 3 Lavion Mayes
Championship Round of 32: Lavion Mayes (Mizzou) dec. Fredy Stroker (Minnesota): 3-1
Championship Round of 16: Lavion Mayes (Mizzou) dec. Kennedy Monday (North Carolina): 4-1
Quarterfinals: Lavion Mayes (Mizzou) fall Ty Buckiso (Citadel): 1:13
157 Pounds
Phyllip DeLoach
Championship Round of 32: Dane Robbins (Air Force) dec. Phyllip DeLoach (Mizzou): 4-3
Consolation Round of 16 #1: Phyllip DeLoach (Mizzou) dec. Angel Najar (Appalachian State): 6-3
Consolation Round of 16 #2: Zach Elvin (Navy) dec. Phyllip DeLoach: 9-4
Luke Fortuna
Championship Round of 16: No. 7 Jake Short (Minnesota) maj. dec. Luke Fortuna (Mizzou): 12-3
Consolation Round of 16 #2: Luke Fortuna (Mizzou) dec. Cohl Fulk (North Carolina State): 7-4
Consolation Round of 8 #1: Austin Kraisser (Campbell) TB-2 Luke Fortuna (Mizzou): 3-2
No. 4 Joey Lavallee
Championship Round of 32: Joey Lavallee (Mizzou) dec. Brandon Kingsley (Minnesota): 4-3
Championship Round of 16: Joey Lavallee (Mizzou) dec. Zach Elvin (Virginia): 4-2
Quarterfinals: Joey Lavallee (Mizzou) dec. Chase Delande (Edinboro): 7-0
165 Pounds
Connor Flynn
Championship Round of 64: Connor Flynn (Mizzou) dec. AJ Alford (Navy): 8-3
Championship Round of 32: Connor Flynn (Mizzou) dec. Alex Lopouchanski (Air Force): 5-2
Championship Round of 16: Cole Walter (Lehigh) dec. Connor Flynn (Mizzou): 6-2
Consolation Round of 16 #2: Connor Flynn (Mizzou) dec. Tyler Wiederholt (Air Force): 6-1
Consolation Round of 8 #1: Brandon Womack (Cornell) dec. Connor Flynn (Mizzou): 9-6
No. 4 Daniel Lewis
Championship Round of 32: Daniel Lewis (Mizzou) fall Elliott Raiford (Appalachian State): 2:40
Championship Round of 16: Daniel Lewis (Mizzou) tech. fall Devin Kane (North Carolina): 16-0 (3:12)
Quarterfinals: Daniel Lewis (Mizzou) fall Drew Longo (Lehigh): 1:09
174 Pounds
Canten Marriott
Championship Round of 32: No. 2 Casey Kent (Penn) dec. Canten Marriott (Mizzou): 10-3
Consolation Round of 16 #2: Ty Schoffstall (Edinboro) dec. Canten Marriott (Mizzou): 13-7
Taylor Watkins
Championship Round of 32: Taylor Watkins (Mizzou) dec. Ebed Jarrell (Drexel): 11-5
Championship Round of 16: No. 8 Ethan Ramos (North Carolina) maj. dec. Taylor Waktins (Mizzou): 16-3
Consolation Round of 16 #2: Lee Davis (North Carolina State) dec. Taylor Watkins (Mizzou): 5-2
Dylan Wisman
Championship Round of 32: Dylan Wisman (Mizzou) dec. Kimball Bastian (Utah Valley): 8-4
Championship Round of 16: No. 17 Jadaen Bernstein (Navy) dec. Dylan Wisman (Mizzou): 8-3
Consolation Round of 16 #2: Dylan Wisman (Mizzou) fall Drew Hull (Virginia): 3:39
Consolation Round of 8 #1: Ty Schoffstall (Edinboro) dec. Dylan Wisman (Mizzou): 6-2
184 Pounds
Matt Lemanowicz
Championship Round of 32: Bobby Steveson (Minnesota) maj. dec. Matt Lemanowicz (Mizzou): 14-3
Consolation Round of 16 #2: Matt Lemanowicz (Mizzou) dec. Will Schany (Virginia): 4-2
Consolation Round of 8 #2: Ville Heino (Campbell) maj. dec. Matt Lemanowicz (Mizzou): 11-2
197 Pounds
J'den Cox
Championship Round of 32: J'den Cox (Mizzou) tech. fall Sawyer Root (Citadel): 18-3 (7:00)
Championship Round of 16: J'den Cox (Mizzou) maj. dec. Danny Chaid (North Carolina): 11-3
Quarterfinals: J'den Cox (Mizzou) tech fall Owen Scott (Cornell): 22-7 (6:06)
HWT
Austin Myers
Championship Round of 32: Boyce Cornwell (Gardner Webb) SV-1 Austin Myers (Mizzou): 6-4
Consolation Round of 16 #1: Austin Myers (Mizzou) TB-2 Jack Kuck (Northern Colorado): 2-1
Consolation Round of 16 #2: Austin Myers (Mizzou) maj. dec. JJ Everard (Northern Iowa): 12-4
Consolation Round of 8 #1: Jordan Karst (Utah Valley) SV-1 Austin Myers (Mizzou): 6-4