CLEVELAND, Ohio – After three sessions at the NCAA Wrestling Championships, six Mizzou Wrestling grapplers remain alive and in search of podium finishes. With wins the quarterfinals, redshirt sophomore 141-pounder Jaydin Eierman (Columbia, Mo.) and redshirt junior 174-pounder Daniel Lewis (Blue Springs, Mo.) each punched their tickets to the semifinals and guaranteed All-America finishes. Lewis becomes just the sixth wrestler in program history to earn three or more All-America honors, while Eierman collected his second top-eight finish at the National Tournament.
Mizzou's two semifinalists marks the sixth consecutive season the Tigers have had two or more wrestlers in the NCAA semifinals. In head coach Brian Smith's 20 seasons, Mizzou has had at least one semifinalist in 15 seasons, and multiple semifinalists in eight seasons.
On the back side, redshirt junior 133-pounder John Erneste (Kansas City, Mo.) and redshirt senior 157-pounder Joey Lavallee (Reno, Nev.) each picked up two wins to stay alive and remain in contention for All-America finishes. Redshirt junior 149-pounder Grant Leeth (Kearney, Mo.) and redshirt senior 197-pounder Willie Miklus (Altoona, Iowa) each dropped quarterfinals bouts and will now wrestle in the consolation rounds. All four will wrestle in tonight's round of 12, with one win guaranteeing an All-America finish.
TEAM SCORES
In the team race, Mizzou stayed steady after the third session, as it sits in sixth-place with 41 points. Ohio State kept its lead in the race with 80 points, followed by Penn State (67 points), Michigan (59.5 points), Iowa (53 points) and NC State (44 points).
NOTABLE TIGERS
With the win, Eierman becomes a two-time All-American as he advances to the semifinals for the first time in his career. Just like his previous match, Eierman recorded a first period fall to advance, as he put No. 7 Brock Zacherl (Clarion) on his back at 2:04. The fall was Eierman's 16th of the season, which ranks ninth all-time in program history in season falls. The Tiger sophomore will wrestle No. 3 Yianni Diakomihalis (Cornell) in tonight's semifinals. The two squared off in Mizzou and Cornell's dual on Dec. 30, where Eierman executed a late takedown and near-fall to finish a 9-6 come-from-behind victory over the then-No. 1 ranked Diakomihalis.
Lewis advanced to the semifinals with a 3-1 win over No. 6 Bo Jordan (Ohio State), his first win in three matches against the Buckeye wrestler. Lewis scored an escape and a takedown in the second period to grab the lead, and was able to withstand a Jordan comeback attempt in the third to advance to the semifinals for the second time in his career. With the win, Lewis joins Ben Askren (2004-07), Max Askren (2008-10), Drake Houdashelt (2013-15), J'den Cox (2014-17) and Lavion Mayes (2015-17) as the only Tiger wrestlers to earn three or more All-America honors. Lewis will wrestle the returning national champion, No. 2 Mark Hall (Penn State) in tonight's semifinals.
On the backside, Erneste scored two bonus point victories to aid Mizzou in the team race, defeating No. 11 Dom Forys (Pittsburgh) by fall (3:58) and Colin Valdiviez (Northwestern) by 8-0 major decision. Lavallee followed up a 6-4 decision win over Taleb Rahmani (Pittsburgh) in his first match with a 15-4 major decision over Luke Weiland (Army) in his second bout.
UP NEXT
Day two of the NCAA Championships continues with session four this evening, which is slated to begin at 8 p.m. (ET) / 7 p.m. (CT). The session will be broadcast on ESPN, and will also have every match streamed online at ESPN3.com and through the WatchESPN app.
For all the latest on Mizzou Wrestling, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the team on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram (MizzouWrestling).
SESSION 3 RESULTS
133: No. 5 John Erneste
Consolation Second Round: No. 5 John Erneste (MIZ) fall No. 11 Dom Forys (PITT): 3:58
Consolation Third Round: No. 5 John Erneste (MIZ) major dec. Colin Valdiviez (NW): 8-0
141: No. 2 Jaydin Eierman
Quarterfinals: No. 2 Jaydin Eierman (MIZ) fall No. 7 Brock Zacherl (CLAR): 2:04
149: No. 3 Grant Leeth
Quarterfinals: No. 11 Matthew Kolodizik (PRIN) dec. No. 3 Grant Leeth (MIZ): 4-3
157: No. 2 Joey Lavallee
Consolation Second Round: No. 2 Joey Lavallee (MIZ) dec. Taleb Rahmani (PITT): 6-4
Consolation Third Round: No. 2 Joey Lavallee (MIZ) major dec. Luke Weiland (ARMY):15-4
165: Connor Flynn
Consolation Second Round: No. 13 Te'shan Campbell (OHST) dec. Connor Flynn (MIZ): 9-8
174: No. 3 Daniel Lewis
Quarterfinals: No. 3 Daniel Lewis (MIZ) dec. No. 6 Bo Jordan (OHST): 3-1
184: No. 15 Canten Marriott
Consolation Second Round: No. 16 Jordan Ellingwood (CMU) dec. No. 15 Canten Marriott (MIZ): 5-4
197: No. 6 Willie Miklus
Quarterfinals: No. 3 Jared Haught (VT) dec. No. 6 Willie Miklus (MIZ): 3-1
SESSION 4 RESULTS
133: No. 5 John Erneste
Round of 12: No. 5 John Erneste (MIZ) vs. No. 8 Montorie Bridges (WYO)
141: No. 2 Jaydin Eierman
Semifinals: No. 2 Jaydin Eierman (MIZ) vs. No. 3 Yianni Diakomihalis (COR)
149: No. 3 Grant Leeth
Round of 12: No. 3 Grant Leeth (MIZ) vs. No. 9 Max Thomsen (UNI)
157: No. 2 Joey Lavallee
Round of 12: No. 2 Joey Lavallee (MIZ) vs. No. 6 Michael Kemerer (IOWA)
174: No. 3 Daniel Lewis
Semifinals: No. 3 Daniel Lewis (MIZ) vs. No. 2 Mark Hall (PSU)
197: No. 6 Willie Miklus
Round of 12: No. 6 Willie Miklus (MIZ) vs. No. 8 Nate Rotert (SDSU)
TEAM SCORES AFTER SESSION 3
1. Ohio State, 80.5
2. Penn State, 67.0
3. Michigan, 59.5
4. Iowa, 53.0
5. NC State, 44.0
6. Mizzou, 41.0
7. Virginia Tech, 35.5
8. Cornell, 30.0
9. Rutgers, 28.5
T-10. Arizona State, 23.0
T-10. Lehigh, 23.0
