CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – Senior 197-pounder J'den Cox (Columbia, Mo.) scored a takedown with less than 15 seconds remaining on the clock to defeat No. 2 Brett Pfarr (Minnesota) and seal an individual championship Monday at the Southern Scuffle. The Tiger senior's victory helped Mizzou clinch second place in the team race with 126 points, narrowly edging No. 9 Lehigh.

The second place finish is tied for Mizzou's third-highest at the Scuffle. Mizzou finished first at the tournament in 2003 and 2006, as well as second in 2005 and 2015.

Oklahoma State, ranked No. 1 in the nation, took first place at this year's Scuffle, scoring 198 points. Lehigh finished third with 124.5 points, No. 13 Minnesota finished fourth with 118 points and No. 22 Northern Iowa rounded out the top five with 87.5 points.

Before the championship bout, Cox scored an 11-2 major decision over No. 12 Frank Mattiace (Penn) in the semifinals, his 26^th career major decision, tying him for fourth all-time in program history. The Olympic Bronze medalist got on the scoreboard first against Pfarr, scoring a takedown in the first period. In the third period, the score was tied, 4-4, when Cox nearly completed a takedown near the edge of the match. Video review concluded there was no takedown and the two grapplers started neutral with 15 seconds remaining on the clock. Cox came up clutch with only a few seconds remaining, completing a double leg takedown to secure the victory.

The title is Cox's second at the Southern Scuffle after finishing first in 2015 as a sophomore. Cox finished third as a freshman in 2014 (Mizzou did not compete at the Scuffle in 2016).

Mizzou had eight top-eight finishers all together, including redshirt sophomore 165-pounder Daniel Lewis (Blue Springs, Mo.) and redshirt senior 149-pounder Lavion Mayes (Mascoutah, Ill.), who each finished second, as well as redshirt junior 157-pounder Joey Lavallee (Reno, Nev.), who finished third.

Mayes and Collica each fell in their championship bouts, Mayes by way of a 7-6 decision to No. 3 Anthony Collica (Oklahoma State), while Lewis lost by fall in the first period to No. 9 Chandler Rogers (Oklahoma State). Mayes and Lewis each finished the tournament 4-1, with Lewis scoring bonus points in three of his four victories. After falling in the semifinals, Lavallee rebounded to defeat No. 7 Jake Short (Minnesota) and No. 11 Andrew Atkinson (Virginia) to claim third.

Redshirt sophomore 133-pounder John Erneste (Kansas City, Mo.) finished off an impressive Scuffle showing by defeating No. 14 Mitchell McKee (Minnesota) in the fifth place bout. Erneste scored a takedown and a four-point near-fall in the opening period to open a 6-0 lead. The Tiger sophomore added a reversal and a riding time point following the completion of the match to earn a 9-0 major decision. The win capped a 5-2 tournament for Erneste, who entered the tournament unseeded.

In addition to Erneste, redshirt freshman 141-pounder Jaydin Eierman (Columbia, Mo.) finished fifth as well after Tristan Moran (Oklahoma State) could not continue after suffering an injury. Wrestling the most matches of any Tiger in the tournament, Eierman went 7-2 in his first event at 141 pounds.

Rounding out the top-eight finishes for Mizzou was redshirt junior 125-pounder Barlow McGhee (Rock Island, Ill.) and redshirt senior 141-pounder Zach Synon (Cary, Ill.), who each finished eighth.

Mizzou will now return to dual action, as the Tigers travel to Norman, Okla., to face No. 18 Oklahoma on Sunday, Jan. 8 at 2 p.m. (CT).

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Final Team Scores (Top 10)

Match-by-Match Results
125 Pounds
No. 7 Barlow McGhee
Consolation Round of 8 #2: Barlow McGhee (Mizzou) maj. dec. Jay Schwarm (Northern Iowa): 13-5
Consolation Round of 4: No. 5 Darian Cruz (Lehigh) fall Barlow McGhee (Mizzou): 4:10
Seventh Place Match: No. 13 Nathan Kraisser (Campbell) dec. Barlow McGhee (Mizzou): 1-0

133 Pounds
John Erneste
Consolation Round of 8 #2: John Erneste (Mizzou) dec. Dylan Hyder (Air Force): 8-2
Consolation Round of 4: John Erneste (Mizzou) dec. Korbin Myers (Edinboro): 9-3
Consolation Semifinals: No. 14 Josh Alber (Northern Iowa) dec. John Erneste (Mizzou): 5-3
Fifth Place Match: John Erneste (Mizzou) maj. dec. No. 14 Mitchell McKee (Minnesota): 9-0

141 Pounds
No. 8 Jaydin Eierman
Consolation Round of 8 #2: Jaydin Eierman (Mizzou) tech. fall Boo Lewallen (Oklahoma State): 16-1 (7:00)
Consolation Round of 4: Jaydin Eierman (Mizzou) dec. Zach Synon (Mizzou): 2-0
Consolation Semifinals: No. 9 George DiCamillo (Virginia) dec. Jaydin Eierman (Mizzou): 7-6
Fifth Place Match: Jaydin Eierman (Mizzou) inj. default Tristan Moran (Oklahoma State)

Zach Synon
Consolation Round of 8 #2: Zach Synon (Mizzou) dec. Jared Prince (Navy): 10-5
Consolation Round of 4: Jaydin Eierman (Mizzou) dec. Zach Synon (Mizzou): 2-0
Seventh Place Match: No. 12 Tommy Thorn (Minnesota) dec. Zach Synon (Mizzou): 6-0

149 Pounds
No. 3 Lavion Mayes
Championship Semifinals: Lavion Mayes (Mizzou) dec. No. 12 Max Thomsen (Northern Iowa): 4-2
Championships Finals: No. 3 Anthony Collica (Oklahoma State) dec. Lavion Mayes (Mizzou): 7-6

157 Pounds
No. 4 Joey Lavallee
Championship Semifinals: Jared Kutler (Lehigh) dec. Joey Lavallee (Mizzou): 3-1
Consolation Semifinals: Joey Lavallee (Mizzou) TB-1 No. 7 Jake Short (Minnesota): 2-1
Third Place Match: Joey Lavallee (Mizzou) dec. No. 11 Andrew Atkinson (Virginia): 9-5

165 Pounds
No. 4 Daniel Lewis
Championship Semifinals: Daniel Lewis (Mizzou) dec. No. 10 Bryce Steiert (Northern Iowa): 7-2
Championship Finals: No. 9 Chandler Rogers (Oklahoma State) fall Daniel Lewis (Mizzou): 1:18

197 Pounds
No. 1 J'den Cox
Championship Semifinals: J'den Cox (Mizzou) maj. dec. No. 12 Frank Mattiace (Penn): 11-2
Championship Finals: J'den Cox (Mizzou) dec. No. 2 Brett Pfarr (Minnesota): 6-4