@MizzouWrestling to Host Triple-header Sunday

Sunday, November 12

Columbia, Mo.

12 p.m.

Missouri

Central Missouri

11/11/2017 5:56:00 PM | Wrestling

Mizzou will wrestle in-state programs Central Missouri, Truman State and Missouri Valley at the Hearnes Center

Mizzou To Host In-State Duals
OPPONENT	LOCATION	DAY	TIME (CT)	WATCH	STATS
Central Missouri, Truman State, Missouri Valley	Hearnes Center	Sunday, Nov. 12	Noon	Mizzou Network	Stats

MATCH NOTES

MIZZOU TO HOST IN-STATE DUALS AT HEARNES CENTER

Mizzou will be in action for three dulas on Sunday, Nov. 12, as the Tigers host in-state programs Central Missouri, Truman State and Missouri Valley. The duals are scheduled to start at Noon (CT), and will occur one after another.
The dual will be available free of charge to the public on Mizzou Network, which can be accessed through MUTigers.com.
Mizzou enters the duals ranked No. 5 in the preseason USA Today/NWCA Division I Coaches Poll. The preseason top-10 ranking for Mizzou marks the fourth straight season Mizzou has been ranked in the top-10 to start the season. Mizzou checked in at No. 6 in the 2014 preseason poll, No. 9 in 2015 poll and No. 5 in the 2016 poll. Mizzou has not dropped out of the top-10 of the NWCA Division I Coaches Poll since the 2013-14 season.
Mizzou opened the season with a 20-17 defeat over No. 12 Illinois on Nov. 4 inside the Mizzou Softball Stadium, where 1,810 fans braved the cold to watch the first outside dual in program history. Mizzou won six of 10 bouts in the dual, and received major decision vicotries from redshirt sophomore 141-pounder Jaydin Eierman and redshirt junior 174-pounder Daniel Lewis.
Mizzou has dominated the three teams making the trip to Columbia over the years, as the Tigers own a combined record of 49-6-1 against Central Missouri, Truman State and Missouri Valley. Mizzou Head Coach Brian Smith owns a record of 12-1-1 against the three programs during his tenure, only falling to Central Missouri, 21-15, in 2001, his second year on the job. The last time Mizzou faced any of it's three Sunday foes was when Mizzou dismantled Truman State, 54-0, to open the 2014-15 season.
Coach Smith returns a loaded lineup from last year's team that finished fifth at the 2017 NCAA Championships, its third straight NCAA top-10 finish and seventh overall under Smith. The Tigers will have four returning All-Americans in their lineup: redshirt senior 157-pounder Joey Lavallee, Eierman, Lewis and redshirt senior 197-pounder Willie Miklus. Lavallee earned All-America honors for the first time in 2017, reaching the NCAA Finals, while Eierman took fifth at 141 pounds in 2017, and Lewis took fourth in 2016 and sixth in 2017 at 165 pounds. Miklus returns to the lineup after missing the majority of the 2016-17 season due to a knee injury. At 184 pounds, Miklus finished seventh in 2015 and sixth in 2016.

LEETH IS BACK

After missing the entire 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons due to various injuries, redshirt junior 149-pounder Grant Leeth returned to the lineup against Illinois, defeating No. 17-ranked Eric Barone, 6-2.
The long wait to retun to the mat paid off for Leeth, who was inserted into the individual rankings thanks to his upset-win in his Mizzou debut. Leeth now ranks No. 19 by Intermat, No. 18 by The Open Mat, No. 25 by TrackWrestling and No. 20 by FloWrestling.
Before transferring to Mizzou, Leeth posted a record of 14-4 during a redshirt season at Duke in 2014-15, where he placed in two open tournaments. At Kearney High School in Kearney, Mo., Leeth won three consecutive Missouri state titles between 2012-14.

BONUS POINT MACHINE

Redshirt junior 174-pounder Daniel Lewis has been a bonus point machine since being inserted into the starting lineup in 2015-16. In 58 total wins, Lewis has recorded bonus points in 67.2 percent of his victories (39-of-58). In total, Lewis has recorded 19 falls, 15 major decisions and five technical falls in his career.
Lewis opened the 2017-18 season by defeating No. 20-ranked Xavier Mantalvo (Illinois), 14-2, amassing more than three minutes of riding time in the victory.
In 2015-16, Lewis went 29-6 and was named the MAC Freshman of the Year after a fourth-place finish at the NCAA Championships at 165 pounds. He totaled 10 falls, nine major decisions and one technical fall on the season.
The bonus point victories did not stop in 2016-17, as Lewis went 28-6 and finished sixth at the NCAA Championships at 165 pounds. Lewis totaled 22 wins by bonus points on the season, nine falls, nine major decisions and four techincal falls.

MOVING ON UP

With the graduation of possibly the best wrestler in program history, J'den Cox, a large majority of Mizzou's upper weights decided to make the move up one weight class for competition this season.
Sliding into the 165 pound slot in the starting lineup is redshirt sophomore 165-pounder Connor Flynn, who took a redshirt season in 2016-17 due to transfer rules after transferring from West Virginia. In his redshirt campaign, Flynn ran through competition at just about every stop, posting a record of 24-4 and placing in the top-three in five open tournaments. Flynn won 12 matches by way of bonus points in the process, recording two major decisions, seven technical falls and three falls. In his true freshman season at West Virginia in 2015-16, Flynn went 14-18 and placed fourth at the Big 12 Championships.
Moving up to 174 pounds is two-time NCAA All-American redshirt junior 174-pounder Daniel Lewis, who placed fourth at the NCAA Championships in 2016 and sixth in 2017. Lewis is best known for being tough in the top position on the mat, and routinely amasses four minutes or more of riding time during his matches.
At 184 pounds this season will be a mix of redshirt freshman 184-pounder Canten Marriott, redshirt sophomore 184-pounder Dylan Wisman and redshirt freshman 184-pounder Wyatt Koelling. Marriott will get the start against Illinois, but expect to see Wisman and Koelling in the lineup as the season progresses. Both Marriott and Wisman wrestled at 174 pounds in 2016-17.
After spending the last three seasons at 184 pounds, redshirt senior 197-pounder Willie Miklus will wrestle at his more natural weight in 2017-18. As a senior at Southeast Polk High School in Iowa, Miklus won a state title at 220 pounds.