Sunday, January 8
Norman, Okla.
2 p.m.
University of Missouri
at
Oklahoma
No. 5 @MizzouWrestling and No. 18 Oklahoma Set for Top-25 Showdown
1/7/2017 11:18:00 AM | Wrestling
The Tigers have won the five duals with the Sooners
| MATCH DAY - Sunday, Jan. 8 | |||||
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| OPPONENT | LOCATION | DAY | TIME | MEDIA | |
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No. 18 Oklahoma |
Norman, Okla. | Sunday, Jan. 8 | 2 p.m. (CT) | ||
Mizzou and Oklahoma Set for Top-25 Showdown in Norman
- No. 5 Mizzou Wrestling will travel to Norman, Okla., for a top-25 matchup with old Big 12 foe No. 18 Oklahoma on Sunday, Jan. 8. Wrestling from the McCasland Field House is slated to begin at 2 p.m. (CT) and will be shown locally on Fox Sports Oklahoma. TrackWrestling.com will provide live stats for the dual.
- Oklahoma leads the all-time series between the two schools, 42-13. Of the Sooners 42 wins over the Tigers, 24 of them came before 1990. After dropping his first four duals to Oklahoma, head coach Brian Smith is 11-3 against the Sooners since 2003. Mizzou senior class is looking to stay perfect against the Sooners, as the last time Oklahoma beat Mizzou was Feb. 5, 2011, when the Sooners won, 18-12, in Norman. Last season, Mizzou defeated Oklahoma, 31-12, on Jan. 30, 2016.
- The Tigers are coming off a second place finish at the Southern Scuffle, its fifth first or second place finish in Scuffle history. Eight Tigers finished in the top-eight of the Scuffle, including senior 197-pounder J'den Cox, who claimed his second Scuffle title following a 6-4 win over No. 2 Brett Pfarr (Minnesota). Redshirt senior 149-pounder Lavion Mayes and redshirt sophomore 165-pounder Daniel Lewis each finished second, while redshirt junior 157-pounder Joey Lavallee finished third.
- Sunday's dual will feature three matchups between ranked wrestlers. At 149 pounds, Mayes (No. 4) will face off against No. 12 Davion Jeffries. Last season, Mayes defeated Jeffries twice, once in a dual and ince in the first round of the NCAA Championships. At 157 pounds, Lavallee (No. 6) will face No. 16 DaWaylon Barnes, while Cox (No.1) will face No. 18 Brad Johnson at 197 pounds. It will be the first matchup between Lavallee and Barnes, while Cox defeated Johnson by way of a 9-0 major decision in last year's dual.
Eight in the Top-Eight at the Scuffle
- Mizzou made its eighth team appearance at the Southern Scuffle on Jan. 1-2, finishing second at one of the nation's toughest in-season tournaments. In eight team apperances, Mizzou has never finished out of the top-five at the Scuffle. The second place finish was the fifth time Mizzou has finished first or second at the tournament after winning it in 2003 and 2006, and finishing second in 2005 and 2015.
- Eight Tiger wrestlers finished on the podium in the top-eight of the Scuffle, including senior 197-pounder J'den Cox, who became Mizzou's 15th individual champion at the Scuffle.
- Cox went a perfect 5-0 on the tournament to claim his second Scuffle title. The Tiger senior won the tournament as a sophomore in 2015 and finished third in 2014 as a freshman. Leading up the championships bout, Cox won four matches by bonus points, including a 11-2 major decision over No. 12 Frank Mattiace (Penn) in the semifinals. In the finals, Cox defeated No. 2 Brett Pfarr (Minnesota), 6-4, to win the title. The match was tied 4-4 with 15 seconds remaining when Cox executed a double-leg takedown to seal the victory.
- Redshirt sophomore 133-pounder John Erneste finished off his impressive Scuffle performance with a fifth place finish, going 5-2 in the tournament. Erneste earned two wins by bonus points in the tournament, including a 9-0 major decision over No. 14 Mitchell McKee (Minnesota) to claim fifth.
- Redshirt senior 149-pounder Lavion Mayes and redshirt sophomore 165-pounder Daniel Lewis each finished second for Mizzou after good showings at the Scuffle. Mayes was 4-1 at the Scuffle, recording a fall in the quarterfinals and a win over No. 12 Max Thomsen (Minnesota) in the semifinals. Lewis posted two falls, a technical fall and a 7-2 win over No. 10 Bryce Steiert (Northern Iowa) before falling the the championship bout.
- Redshirt junior 157-pounder Joey Lavallee fell for the first time this season, but rebounded to knock off two ranked opponents, No. 7 Jake Short (Minnesota) and No. 11 Andrew Atkinson (Virginia), to finish third.
- Also placing on the podium for Mizzou was redshirt freshman 141-pounder Jaydin Eierman, who took fifth. Redshirt junior 141-pounder Zach Synon and redshirt junior 125-pounder Barlow McGhee each finished eighth.
Cox's Ascention Up the Record Book
- Senior 197-pounder J'den Cox's outstanding Tiger career will come to an end following the 2016-17 season, but not before he leaves his mark on the Mizzou Wrestling record book.
- The two-time National Champion and Olympic Bronze Medalist ranks eighth in program history in career wins with 122 and first in winning percentage among wrestlers with over 100 wins at .961 (122-5). Cox is one of two Tiger wrestlers (Ben Askren) to win two NCAA Titles and one of four (Ben Askren, Max Askren and Drake Houdashelt) to earn All-America honors three times.
- Cox also ranks second in career technical falls with 19 and fourth in career major decisions with 26. The Tiger senior is also nearing the top-10 in career falls with 24. Alan Waters, Mark Cody and Nathan McCormick are all tied for eighth all-time in program history with 27 falls.
Cox Named to WIN Magazine's Dan Hodge Trophy Preseason Candidate List
- Senior 197-pounder J'den Cox was named to the Dan Hodge Trophy Preseason Candidate List, announced by WIN Magazine on Dec. 9. Cox was one of eight wrestlers named to the list for the Hodge, which is equivalent to the Heisman Trophy in college football, and is the most prestigious award in college wrestling.
- Cox has opened the 2016-17 season with a 14-0 record, including a 6-0 mark in dual competitions. In three of his dual wins, Cox has beaten top-10 opponents, knocking off No. 9 Kevin Beazley (Old Dominion) on Nov. 13, No. 3 Jared Haught (Virginia Tech) on Nov. 20 and No. 6 Kollin Moore (Ohio State) on Dec. 8.
- The Tiger senior captured the UNI Open championship at 197 pounds on Dec. 3, scoring three falls in three matches en route to the title.
Lavallee's Hot Start
- After taking a redshirt last season, redshirt junior 157-pounder Joey Lavallee has roared back onto the scene in 2016-17, recording bonus points in eight of 16 wins (four major decisions, one technical fall, one fall) and capturing the UNI championship at 157 pounds on Dec. 3.
- Lavallee is 16-1 on the season, 4-0 in duals, and is second on the team in dual points with 15. The Tiger junior owns tdour ranked wins so far this season, defeating No. 17 Sal Mastriani (Virginia Tech) via major decision, 15-5 on Nov. 20 and No. 19 Jake Ryan by way of a 12-5 decision on Dec. 8 in duals. At the Scuffle, Lavallee defeated No. 7 Jake Short (Minnesota), 2-1, and No. 11 Andrew Atkinson (Virginia), 9-5, to claim third at the Scuffle on Jan. 2.
100 Wins for Mayes
- Redshirt senior 149-pounder Lavion Mayes recorded his 100th career victory in Mizzou's season-opening dual against Old Dominion. Mayes defeated Michael Hayes by way of a 9-4 decision to reach the century milestone.
- Mayes becomes the 25th member of Mizzou's exclusive 100-win club and first to reach the mark since senior 197-pounder J'den Cox reached the mark last season in a 16-7 major decision win over Aaron Studebaker (Nebraska) on Feb. 21, 2016.
- Mayes currently owns a record of 103-21 and is ranked tied for fourth in program history in career major decisions with 26 and seventh in winning percentage for wrestlers with over 100 wins with a winning percentage of .831 (103-21).
- In a breakout sophomore campaign (2014-15), Mayes went 38-4 at 141 pounds, finishing as an All-American with a seventh-place performance at the NCAA Championships. Mayes went 20-1 in dual competion throughout the year (6-1 in MAC duals) and recorded nine major decisions.
- Last year, Mayes went 32-3 en route to his second straight year on the podium, this time at 149 pounds. Mayes finished third at the weight class in New York City, defeating Anthony Collica (Oklahoma State) in the third place bout after falling to the Cowboy in the quarterfinals.
Lewis, The Pin Artist
- After being named the MAC Freshman of the Year last season following an individual MAC title and a fourth-place All-America finish at NCAAs last season, redshirt sophomore 165-pounder Daniel Lewis has continued to impress this season.
- Lewis is 14-2 on the season, 6-0 in duals and has earned wins over four ranked opponents.
- Known as a "pin artist", Lewis leads the teams in wins by fall this season, registering six falls, including two at the Scuffle. He has pinned 16 opponents in his two seasons as an attached wrestler after scoring 10 wins by fall in 2015-16. In addition, in his redshirt season (2014-15), Lewis posted falls in 15 of his 21 wins.
A Look at the Opponent
- Under first year head coach Lou Rosselli, Oklahoma has began the season 1-3. Despite the losing record, Oklahoma remains ranked in the NWCA Coaches' Poll, partly because each of their losses have come to the hands of ranked opponents. The Sooners have lost to No. 1 Oklahoma State, No. 8 Cornell and No. 15 Michigan this season. Oklahoma's lone dual win this season came over North Dakota State, 25-14, on Nov. 20.
- The Sooners will send four ranked wrestlers out to the mat against the Tigers, including No. 12 Davion Jeffries at 149 pounds. Last season, Lavion Mayes won two matches over Jeffries, including one in the opening round of the NCAA Championships. Oklahoma will also have ranked wrestlers at 157 pounds, No. 16 DaWaylon Barnes, 197 pounds, No. 18 Brad Johnson, and at heavyweight, No. 16 Ross Larson.
- Oklahoma last competed at the Midlands tournament on Dec. 29-30, where the Sooners finished 10th and had three wrestlers finish in the top-eight. Jeffries wrestled to a fourth place finish, while 165-pounder Clark Glass finished seventh and 125-pounder Christian Moody finished eighth.
Players Mentioned
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