Thursday, January 11
Columbia, Mo.
1 p.m.
University of Missouri
vs
Buffalo
No. 4 @MizzouWrestling Returns Home for Final Home Duals of the Season
1/10/2018 6:34:00 PM | Wrestling
Mizzou Hosts Buffalo at 7 p.m. Thursday, Eastern Michigan for Senior Day at Noon Saturday
| MIZZOU CLOSES HOME SCHEDULE WITH BUFFALO & EASTERN MICHIGAN | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DUALS | LOCATION | DAY | TIME (CT) | WATCH |
| vs. Buffalo | Hearnes Center | Jan. 11 | 7 p.m. CT | Mizzou Network |
| vs. Eastern Michigan | Hearnes Center | Jan. 13 | Noon CT | Mizzou Network |
| NOTES: Match Notes | ||||
MIZZOU HOSTS BACK-TO-BACK MAC DUALS TO CLOSE HOME SLATE
- Mizzou Wrestling will close the home portion of its 2017-18 schedule with back-to-back Mid-American Conference duals this weekend as the Tigers host Buffalo on Thursday, Jan. 11 at 7 p.m. (CT) and Eastern Michigan on Saturday, Jan. 13 at Noon (CT). Both duals will have a live stream provided by the Mizzou Network through MUTigers.com.
- Saturday's dual will serve as Senior Day for three Mizzou wrestlers. Redshirt senior 125-pounder Aaron Assad, redshirt senior 125-pounder Barlow McGhee and redshirt senior 157-pounder Joey Lavallee will each be honored before the Eastern Michigan dual, their final dual inside the Hearnes Center.
- Mizzou enters the duals ranked No. 4 in the USA Today/NWCA Division I Coaches Poll, and has now been ranked in the top-10 in 68 consecutive polls dating back to Nov. 12, 2013, when it was ranked No. 11. Beginning the year at No. 5, 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.
- The Tigers' 12-0 start to the season is the only the third time Mizzou has began a season 12-0 in program history, and the second time t under head coach Brian Smith and the ninth overall 8-0 start in program history. Mizzou has started 8-0 in four of the last six seasons, including 2014-15 when the Tigers were last ranked No. 1 in the nation following a NWCA National Duals title.
- Mizzou has dismantled MAC opponents this season, winning three duals by a combined score of 116-12. Mizzou first beat Old Dominion, 36-3, on Dec. 2, then Ohio, 36-6, on Dec. 10, before defeating Kent State, 44-3, in Mizzou's first dual of the South Beach Duals (Dec. 29).
- With a 19-0 technical fall win over No. 19-ranked Kennedy Monday (North Carolina), Lavallee become the 27th member of Mizzou's 100-win club. The Tiger senior has also entered the top-10 lists for career technical falls (9) and major decisions (23) this season. A returning NCAA finalist, Lavallee has posted a record of 19-1 this season, including a 11-0 mark in duals.
LAVALLEE JOINS THE 100-WIN CLUB
- Redshirt senior 157-pounder Joey Lavallee became the 27th member of Mizzou's 100-win club with a dominant 19-0 techincal fall over No. 19-ranked Kennedy Monday (North Carolina) on Dec. 29 at the South Beach Duals. Lavallee is the first Tiger to join the exclusive club since Zach Synon recorded his 100th win at the Edinboro Open last season.
- This season, Lavallee is 19-1 (11-0 in duals), and recently entered the top-10 in program history in career major decisions with 23. The Tiger senior has won 13 matches by bonus points this season, five by major decision, five by technical fall and three by fall.
- Last season, Lavallee roared back onto the scene after a redshirt season in 2015-16, winning the MAC Championship at 157 pounds and earning his first All-America honor by finishing runner-up at the NCAA Championships at 157 pounds. He finished the season with a remarkable record of 29-2 for a winning percentage of .935, the 10th-best single season winning percentage in program history.
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 77 total wins, Lewis has recorded bonus points in 72.7 percent of his victories (56-of-77).
- In total, Lewis has recorded 31 falls, 17 major decisions and eight technical falls in his career. A two-time MAC Champion and two-time NCAA All-American, Lewis ranks sixth in program history in career falls, and needs one more technical falls and six more major decisions to join the top-10 lists in program history in those categories.
- Lewis is a perfect 20-0 on the season with a team-leading 12 falls. Lewis also leads the team in dual wins (12), dual points (62) and falls in dual competition (6).
- 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 technical falls.
ERNESTE TOUGH AGAINST RANKED OPPONENTS
- Redshirt junior 133-pounder John Erneste has had a challenging stretch to start the season, as the Tiger junior has faced eight ranked wrestlers in the first two months of the season.
- Erneste has proven to be up to the challenge so far, as he as come out victorious in seven of his matches against ranked opponents so far, including a 6-2 win over No. 17-ranked Chaz Tucker (Cornell) in his most recent match (Dec. 30).
- This season, Erneste has posted a record of 15-1 (11-1 in duals), and has recorded bonus point victories in eight wins (six falls, two major decisions).
EIERMAN KNOCKS OFF TOP-RANKED DIAKOMOHALIS
- Redshirt sophomore 141-pounder Jaydin Eierman recorded the biggest win of his career to-date with a 9-6 win over No. 1-ranked Yianni Diakomihalis (Cornell) at the South Beach Duals. Eierman trailed in the bout, 5-3, with 30 seconds remaining when he took the top-ranked wrestler down and brought him to his back for a four-point near-fall to seal the match.
- Eierman has defeated four ranked wrestlers so far this season, and currently possesses an overall record of 18-1, including a perfect 9-0 mark in duals. Among team ranks, the 2017 MAC Freshman of the Year currently ranks second in falls (8), second in major decisions (4), third in wins (18) and third in dual points (46).
LEETH CONTINUES HIS ASCENSION UP THE INDIVIDUAL RANKINGS
- Redshirt junior 149-pounder Grant Leeth is currently on an eight-match win streak, and has ascended all the way to No. 4 in FloWrestling's individual rankings.
- Leeth began the streak with two wins over ranked opponents, defeating Virginia Tech's No. 5-ranked Solomon Chishko, 8-2, then Virginia's No. 21-ranked Sam Kribus, 3-1.
- The ranked wins gave Leeth the confidence he needed on the mat, as the Tiger junior was matched up against North Carolina's No. 3-ranked Troy Heilmann at the South Beach Duals. Leeth got the best of the Tar Heel wrestler, winning 6-3, to record the best win of his career to-date.
TOP-10 STREAK
- Mizzou checked in at No. 4 in the USA Today/NWCA Division-I Coaches Poll on Jan. 9, the 68th consecutive poll that the Tigers have been ranked in the Top-10. The last time Mizzou was not ranked in the top-10 was Nov. 12, 2013, when the Tigers ranked No. 11.
- Before being out of the top-10 for two polls (No. 13 on Nov. 2, 2013 and No. 11 on Nov. 12, 2013), Mizzou was ranked in the top-10 for the 17 consecutive polls. Since Feb. 14, 2012, Mizzou has been ranked in the top-10 for 85 of the last 87 Coaches Polls.
- During this top-10 streak, Mizzou has been ranked in the top-five of the Coaches Poll for 37 weeks, including its ascension to No. 1 in the Feb. 24, 2015 poll after Mizzou defeated No. 1-ranked Iowa to capture the 2015 NWCA National Duals title.
WINS OVER TOP-10 OPPONENTS
- Since the start of the 2014-15 season, Mizzou has beaten nine top-10 ranked opponents, including four on the road, and one against the No. 1-ranked team, Iowa, to claim the 2015 NWCA National Dials title. A breakdown of those Top-10 wins are below:
| Opponent | Score | Date |
| at No. 7 Ohio | 25-18 | Dec. 13, 2014 |
| at No. 4 Cornell | 27-9 | Jan. 10, 2015 |
| vs. No. 7 Oklahoma State | 22-10 | Jan. 23, 2015 |
| vs. No. 1 Iowa^ | 18-12 | Feb. 22, 2015 |
| vs. No. 3 Ohio State | 26-17 | Dec. 12, 2015 |
| vs. No. 7 Oklahoma | 31-12 | Jan. 30, 2016 |
| vs. No. 6 Virginia Tech | 23-19 | Nov. 20, 2016 |
| at No. 7 Cornell | 25-11 | Jan. 14, 2017 |
| at No. 10 Virginia Tech | 22-12 | Nov. 25, 2017 |
^ - at the 2015 NWCA National Duals Series
CAN YOU BE PERFECT?
- With the 27-11 win over No. 12 Cornell (Dec. 30), Mizzou improved to 12-0 on the season, its second 12-0 start under head coach Brian Smith and the third 12-0 start overall in program history. Below is a breakdown of all the 12-0 starts in program history:
| Season | Start | Season's Finish |
| 1967-68 | 15-0 | Big 8 - 5th, NCAA - N/A |
| 2014-15 | 24-0 | MAC D/T Champs, NCAA - 4th |
| 2017-18 | 12-0 | TBD |
MIZZOU RECORDS PERFECT MARK SOUTH BEACH DUALS
- Opening against Kent State, the Tigers rattled off nine straight wins in its first dual of South Beach Duals, winning, 44-3 over the Golden Flashes. Four Tigers; redshirt sophomore 141-pounder Jaydin Eierman, redshirt senior 157-pounder Joey Lavallee, redshirt sophomore 165-pounder Connor Flynn and redshirt senior 197-pounder Willie Miklus recorded first period falls, while redshirt junior 174-pounder Daniel Lewis recorded a technical fall. With the win, Mizzou moves to 3-0 in MAC duals, outscoring its conference foes by a combined score of 116-12.
- Mizzou dropped its first bout against the No. 24-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels, but then responded with seven straight wins to win, 27-9. The biggest win of the dual came from redshirt sophomore 149-pounder Grant Leeth, who upset No. 3-ranked Troy Heilmann, 6-3. Redshirt freshman 184-pounder Canten Marriott recorded his first career win over a ranked opponent, defeating No. 16-ranked Chip Ness in overtime, 3-1, with a takedown in sudden victory.
- After dropping the opening bout against Rider, Mizzou won seven of the next eight matches to take control and beat the Broncos, 31-8. Five Tigers recorded bonus point victories, as Lewis recorded a fall, while Eierman, Lavallee and Miklus recorded technical falls, and Marriott posted a major decision.
- The Tigers came out of the gates firing against Cornell, as Mizzou claimed victories in the first seven bouts, Eierman's win over the top-ranked Yianni Diakomihalis. Lewis posted his second fall of the day against No. 10 Brandon Womack, while Lavallee recorded a major decision against Adam Santoro.
Players Mentioned
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