COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – After winning his fourth consecutive Mid-American Conference title, Mizzou Wrestling senior 197-pounder J'den Cox (Columbia, Mo.) was named USA Wrestling's Athlete of the Week, announced by the organization on Thursday. With an 8-2 victory over Old Dominion's Kevin Beazley on Sunday, Cox became the second wrestler in program history to win four conference titles, following Drake Houdashelt (2012-15).
Cox dominated the opposition at the 2017 MAC Championships in Cedar Falls, Iowa, recording falls in his opening round bouts over Eastern Michigan's Derek Hillman and Kent State's Stephen Suglio before winning the championship match against Beazley. With the win, Cox became just the seventh wrestler in MAC history to win four MAC titles.
Cox will enter the 2017 NCAA Wrestling Championships as the No. 1 seed with a record of 23-0. The Tiger senior has recorded bonus point victories in 16 victories this season, including five falls, six technical falls and five major decision.
At the NCAA Championships, the Tiger senior seeks to become the first three-time NCAA Champion in program history and just the second four-time All-American in program history (Ben Askren, 2004-07).
Among program records, Cox currently ranks fourth win wins with 131, second in technical falls with 20, third in major decisions with 29 and first in winning percentage among wrestlers with over 100 wins at 96.3 percent (131-5).
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