Saturday, November 25
Blacksburg, VA.
5 p.m.
University of Missouri
at
Virginia Tech
No. 4 @MizzouWrestling Hits the Road for the First Time this Season
11/23/2017 4:18:00 PM | Wrestling
Mizzou to face No. 10 Virginia Tech Saturday, Virginia on Sunday
| Mizzou To Wrestle No. 10 Virginia Tech, Virginia | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OPPONENT | LOCATION | DAY | TIME (CT) | WATCH | STATS |
| No. 10 Virginia Tech | Blacksburg, Va. | Saturday, Nov. 25 | 5 p.m. | ACC Network Extra | Stats |
| Virginia | Charlottesville, Va, | Sunday, Nov. 26 | Noon | ACC Network Extra | Stats |
MATCH NOTES
MIZZOU HITS THE ROAD FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 2017-18
- Mizzou will be on the road for dual competition of the the first time in the 2017-18 season this weekend, as the Tigers travel to Blacksburg, Va., for a top-10 matchup with Virginia Tech on Saturday at 6 p.m. (ET)/5 p.m (CT). After, Mizzou will head to Charlottesville, Va., to wrestle Virginia at 1 p.m. (ET)/Noon (CT).
- Both duals will be available to stream online through the ACC Network Extra.
- Mizzou enters the duals ranked No. 4 in the USA Today/NWCA Division I Coaches Poll, one spot up from its previous position of No. 5 in the last two polls. At that spot to start the year, Mizzou has now been ranked in the preseason top-10 ranking for four straight seasons. 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 and Virginia Tech will wrestle in a rematch of last year's thrilling 23-19 win for the Tigers at Jesse Auditorium. Mizzou won five of the first six bouts to open a 20-3 lead, but the Hokies responded with wins in three of the last four bouts to make the dual close and nearly steal a victory. The dual will have a similar feel to last year's Jesse Auditorium setting, as it will take place at the Moss Arts Center, a venue with a stage and theater setting similar to Jesse Hall.
- Head Coach Brian 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, redshirt sophomore 141-pounder Jaydin Eierman, redshirt junior 174-pounder Daniel 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.
LEWIS EARNS MAC WRESTLER OF THE WEEK
- Following a dominating performance at the Lindenwood Open, redshirt junior 174-pounder Daniel Lewis was named the MAC Wrestler of the Week.
- Lewis captured the title at 174 pounds following a 4-0 performance at the tournament, posting three falls in the process.
- Lewis opened the tournament with a first period fall over the Mladen Vasilev (Maryville). He then defeated Ritchie Guillaume with a second period fall at 3:30, to advance to the semifinals where he beat Dalton Tipton (Missouri Valley), with a fall in 2:43. In the finals, Lewis defeated No. 7-ranked Yoanse Mejias (Oklahoma), 6-0, to claim first.
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 65 total wins, Lewis has recorded bonus points in 69.2 percent of his victories (45-of-65).
- In total, Lewis has recorded 25 falls, 15 major decisions and five technical falls in his career. A two-time MAC Champion and two-time NCAA All-American, Lewis needs just three more falls, four more technical falls and eight more major decisions to join the top-10 lists in program history in those categories.
- Lewis has opened the season the 2017-18 season with eight straight victories, recording bonus point wins in all but one match, including six falls, five of which occurred in the first period.
- In 2015-16, his first season as an attached wrestler, 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.
MCGHEE RETURNS TO THE RANKINGS
- A 5-1 start to the season has redshirt senior 125-pounder Barlow McGhee is back in the individual rankings, checking in as high as No. 15 by TrackWrestling.
- At the Lindenwood Open, McGhee posted a 4-0 tournament, knocking off No. 12-ranked Brock Hudkins (Northern Illinois), 3-2, in the semifinals before taking down Christian Moody )Oklahoma), 3-2, in the finals.
- McGhee bursted onto the scene in 2015-16, posting a record of 24-9 and winning the MAC Title at 125 pounds before regressing a bit in 2016-17, where he posted a record of 19-13. Despite the record, McGhee still qualified for the NCAA Tournament last season and will be looking to make his third appearance in Cleveland.
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 in Mizzou's season opener against Illinois, defeating No. 17-ranked Eric Barone, 6-2.
- Leeth then wrestled at the Lindenwood Open, where he finished fifth following a 3-2 performance.
- 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. 20 by W.I.N. Magazine, No. 18 by The Open Mat, No. 23 by TrackWrestling and No. 19 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.
MIZZOU DOMINANTS LINDENWOOD OPEN
- Wrestling in its first tournament as a team, Mizzou dominated the competition at the Lindenwood Open (Nov. 18), claiming 10 individual titles on the day. Mizzou claimed six first-place finishes in the gold (open) division, and four in the black (freshman/sophomore) division.
- Redshirt senior 125-pounder Barlow McGhee snagged the second Lindenwood Open title of his career after winning the same title in 2015. McGhee won five matches on the day, including a 3-2 win over Christian Moody (Oklahoma) in the finals.
- At 133 pounds, redshirt junior 133-pounder John Erneste took first following four wins, including three by fall. In the finals, Erneste needed just 45 seconds to pin Ian Parker (Iowa State) and claim first.
- Redshirt sophomore 141-pounder Jaydin Eierman was dominant en route to his individual title, winning four of five matches with bonus points, recording two falls, a technical fall and a major decision on the day. Eierman defeated Mike Longo (Oklahoma) by way of a 20-4 technical fall in the championship bout.
- It was an all-Tiger final at 157 pounds, as redshirt senior 157-pounder Joey Lavallee went up against redshirt sophomore 157-pounder Luke Fortuna. Lavallee outlasted Fortuna, 5-3, to earn the first-place finish. Lavallee recorded three wins by bonus points before the decision victory in the championship bout.
- At 174 pounds, redshirt junior 174-pounder Daniel Lewis upended Yoanse Mejias (Oklahoma), 6-0, in the championship bout to cap a 4-0 tournament. Prior to the win over Mejias, Lewis recorded three falls to advance to the finals.
- Redshirt freshman 184-pounder Canten Marriott upended Dane Pastano (Iowa State) to claim the title at 184 pounds. The win finished off a 4-0 day for Marriott, who won three matches by decision and one by major decision.
- In the black division designated for freshman and sophomore, four Tigers took first place. Freshman 125-pounder Dack Punke, freshman 133-pounder Allan Hart, freshman 149-pounder Lane Stigall and freshman 184-pounder Jake Raschka all claimed individual titles while wrestling unattached.
COACH SMITH RECORDS WIN NO. 250
- With Mizzou's 52-0 win over Missouri Valley on Nov. 12, Mizzou Head Coach Brian Smith recorded his 250th victory at Mizzou.
- In his 20th season at Mizzou, Smith has posted a record of 252-93-3 at the helm of the Black & Gold. Smith spent one season as the head coach of Syracuse before taking over in Columbia, and owns a career record of 254-101-4.
- The winningest coach in program history, Coach Smith has coached Mizzou to six straight conference titles (Big 12 in 2012, MAC in 2013-17) and seven NCAA top-10 finishes. Smith has been named the conference coach of the year for six straight seasons as well (Big 12 in 2012, MAC in 2013-17).
- Under Coach Smith's direction, five Tigers have won eight NCAA Titles, and 45 have earned All-America honors.
- Coach Smith has also been recognized nationally for his success at Mizzou, as he was named the 2007 Dan Gable Coach of the Year as the 2017 NWCA Coach of the Year.
SHUT OUTS, NEGATIVE POINTS & BONUS POINTS GALORE
- Mizzou swept three duals on Nov. 12 at the Hearnes Center, recording shutout victories in each dual as the Tigers defeated Missouri Valley, 52-0, Truman State, 58-0, and Central Missouri, 56-(-1).
- The shutout was the first shutout in nearly three years for Mizzou, as the Tigers last blanked Truman State, 54-0, to open the 2014-15 season on Nov. 15, 2015.
- The 58-point margin of victory over Truman State is the largest in program history, surpassing Mizzou's 56-0 win over Shippensburg State during the 1980-81 season.
- The win over UCM was the second time in program history Mizzou has defeated a team with the opposition scoring negative points, as Mizzou defeated Old Dominion, 35 to -1, to open the 2012-13 season on Nov. 10, 2012.
- Mizzou was dominant throughout the day, as the Tigers won all 26 bouts that were wrestled, and recorded bonus points in 25 wins, including 17 falls, 15 of which occurred in the first period.
- Four Tigers; redshirt junior 133-pounder John Erneste, redshirt sophomore 141-pounder Jaydin Eierman, redshirt junior 174-pounder Daniel Lewis and redshirt sophomore heavyweight Austin Myers recorded three falls on the day. Myers and Erneste each came within seconds of setting the program's fastest pin record, which was set by Rick Romero in the 1981-82 season when he pinned his opponent in 13 seconds. Myers needed just 15 seconds to pin Truman State's Ashton Mutuwa, while Erneste took 16 seconds to pin Central Missouri's Daide Agnew.
FIRST OUTSIDE DUAL
- Mizzou opened the season with a 20-17 win over No. 12 Illinois on Nov. 4, in the program's first ever outside dual (pictured bottom right). Mizzou claimed victories in six of 10 bouts in the match, and received bonus point victories from redshirt sophomore 141-pounder Jaydin Eierman and redshirt junior 174-pounder Daniel Lewis as 1,810 fans braved the cold and packed the stadium to cheer on the Black & Gold.
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.
- 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.
- 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.
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