@MizzouWrestling Heads to NCAAs In Search of Fifth Straight Top-10 Finish
3/18/2019 10:06:00 AM | Wrestling
Mizzou has three top-five seeds as action begins Thursday
ESPN - First Round | ESPN - Second Round | ESPN - Quarterfinals | ESPN - Semifinals | ESPN - Finals | Season Stats | Match-by-Match
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Wrestling is in search of its fifth consecutive top-10 finish as it heads to the 2019 Division I NCAA Championships, which begin Thursday (March 21) in Pittsburgh, Pa., at PPG Paints Arena. Mizzou is fresh off its eighth straight conference tournament title and is ranked fifth nationally heading into the tournament. ESPN is offering unprecedented coverage of the championships, and the complete schedule of action is below:
|
Thur., Mar 21 |
11 - 2:30 p.m. |
First Round |
ESPNU/ESPN3 |
|
6 – 9:30 p.m. |
Second Round |
ESPN/ESPN3 |
|
|
Fri, Mar 22 |
10 a.m. - 1 p.m. |
Quarterfinals |
ESPNU/ESPN3 |
|
7 p.m. - 10 p.m. |
Semifinals |
ESPN/ESPN3 |
|
|
Sat, Mar 23 |
10 a.m. - 1 p.m. |
Medal Round |
ESPNU/ESPN3 |
|
5:30 - 6 p.m. |
Off the Mat Pregame Show |
ESPN3 |
|
|
6 - 9 p.m. |
Championship |
ESPN/ESPN3 |
|
|
Approximately 9 p.m. |
Off the Mat Postgame Show |
ESPN3 |
Tiger Style Championship Notables: Head coach Brian Smith, now in his 21st season, has transformed the expectations for Mizzou Wrestling since taking over the program in 1998-99. The program began in 1923-24 and the Tigers had just 21 of 53 teams earn points at the NCAA Championships from 1924-98 (there was no program from 1938-58). The average finish for those 21 teams was 27th and the highest finish was 10th in 1983-84. Since Smith took the helm, Mizzou has eight top-10 team finishes in 20 years and has finished in the top 20 in every year since 2001-02, Smith's third year at the helm. Smith's average finish as NCAAs is 13th. Below are some notables:
- Best Team Finish: Third, 2007
- Team Trophies: Two (third in 2007, fourth in 2014-15)
- Top-10 Finishes: Nine (eight by Coach Smith)
- Consecutive Top 10s: Four
- Last Year's Finish: Sixth (61.5 total points)
- Individual National Champions: 8 (J'den Cox three times, Ben Askren twice, Max Askren, Mark Ellis, Drake Houdashelt)
Tigers Qualify Nine For Second Straight Year: Mizzou is sending nine wrestlers to this year's national tournament, marking the second straight year that it has accomplished that feat. In every year since 2010-11, Mizzou has had at least eight NCAA qualifiers. The Tigers enter the national tournament with three top-five seeds: No. 2 Daniel Lewis (174), No. 4 Brock Mauller (149) and No. 5 Jaydin Eierman (141). Eight of Mizzou's nine qualifiers earned a seed of No. 20 or better in their respective weight classes, with all but two earning top-15 nods. The feat is even more impressive when considering Mizzou lost two reigning All-Americans this season – 149-pounder Grant Leeth injured his shoulder at the South Beach Duals, and 197-pounder Willie Miklus transferred to Iowa State to be closer to his ailing father, who passed away earlier this month from ALS.
Four Freshman Among Qualifiers: Under head coach Brian Smith, Mizzou just continues to reload, year after year. This season may be the most shining example of that reload process as four freshman have qualified for the national tournament. Of the four, three are true freshmen, the most ever for a Mizzou team to make NCAAs. Those three true freshmen are No. 4-seeded Brock Mauller (149), No. 13-seeded Jarrett Jacques (157) and No. 20-seeded Zach Elam (HWT). The trio has produced a combined 78 wins and just 17 losses. Mizzou is the only school in the nation to have four freshmen qualify for the national tournament.
Five Tigers Make First NCAA Appearance: Of Mizzou's nine qualifiers, five are making their first NCAA Tournament Appearance. Included in those five are the three true freshmen listed above, RS freshman Dack Punke (125) and RS junior Dylan Wisman (184). All five earned automatic berths at the MAC Championships earlier this month.
Lewis, Eierman Among Nation's Elite in Bonus Points: Mizzou's dynamic duo of RS senior Daniel Lewis (174) and RS junior Jaydin Eierman (141) ranks as two of the nation's top-10 most dominant wrestlers. Lewis is averaging an incredible 4.68 team points per bout this season, fifth-best nationally and best among 174-pounders, while Eierman checks in at ninth with 4.38, second among 141-pounders. Mizzou joins Penn State as the only two schools to have two different wrestlers ranked in the top-10 most dominant. Penn State has a whopping four of the top-10 spots.
Looking deeper into the domination by Lewis and Eierman, both wrestlers rank in the top five nationally in pins this season. Eierman's 16 lead the team and rank third while Lewis has 14 pins, fifth-most nationally. Both are the top marks by any wrestler in their respective weight classes. Mizzou is the nation's only school with to have two wrestlers ranked in the top five nationally in pins.
Lewis has needed just 32:35 for his 14 pins, an average for about 2:15 per fall. He now has 50 career pins following the MAC Championships, second-most in school history.
Mizzou With Eight Straight, Including Seven MAC Titles: Mizzou's MAC Championship earlier this month was its eighth straight conference tournament title, dating back to the program's final year in the Big 12 in 2011-12. Mizzou has won the last seven MAC Championships, resetting the team points record in each of the last three seasons. Mizzou had 180.0 points this year, besting its previous record of 177.0, set one year prior. Mizzou had six wrestlers win championships and nine of 10 wrestlers finished third or better. On the final day, which included the championship and third-place bouts, Mizzou won 13 of 14, to cap another incredible tournament.
Individual Wrestler Notes:
- 125 Pounds – RS Freshman No. 28 Dack Punke (11-10) vs. No. 5 Jack Mueller (Virginia – 17-0)
- Wrestled Mueller on Dec. 20 – L, Fall (2:55)
- First NCAA Appearance
- MAC Finish: Fourth
- Was hurt at the beginning of the season, but worked his way into the lineup in December.
- Has had five matches go to OT and six of his 17 bouts have been decided by two points or fewer
- Comes from a long line of wrestlers – younger brother Jace is committed to Mizzou.
- 133 Pounds – RS Senior No. 8 John Erneste (18-4) vs. Derek Spann (Buffalo – 21-4)
- Wrestled Spann in the MAC final on March 9 – W, 6-2
- Third NCAA Appearance (2017, 2018, 2019) – went 3-2 a year ago
- Three-time MAC Champion (2017, 2018, 2019)
- Enters the NCAA Tournament having won 10 of his last 11 bouts with his only loss in that span coming against No. 1 Daton Fix of Oklahoma State.
- Coach Smith had the entire team wrestle Virginia this year at Erneste's high school – Park Hill – in Kansas City. A capacity crowd saw him earn a 9-0 major decision over Louie Hayes as Mizzou won the dual with a walk-off pin at 174 pounds, earning a 23-21 dual win.
- Has 10 pins on the year, third-most on the team and a new single-season career-high
- 141 Pounds – RS Junior No. 5 Jaydin Eierman (23-3) vs. Chris Debein (Chattanooga – 24-11)
- First meeting this season
- Third NCAA Appearance (2017, 2018, 2019)
- Two-time All-American (fifth in 2017, fourth in 2018)
- Comes in as a consensus top-five wrestler at 141 pounds and leads the team with 16 pins this season.
- Ranks third nationally with his 16 pins, the most of any 141-pounder this season.
- Has won 16 of his last 18 bouts coming into the NCAA Championships, with all 16 wins being either by fall (13) or technical fall (three).
- Three-time MAC Champion (2017, 2018, 2019).
- 2018 Reigning MAC Wrestler of the Year and earned 2019 MAC Championship Most Outstanding Wrestler
- MAC Wrestler of the Week on Nov. 14.
- Father, Mike, owns a training club in Columbia (Eierman Elite) where he and two of Mizzou's fellow qualifiers – Brock Mauller and Jarrett Jacques - trained during high school.
- His 16 pins tie his career-high, set a season ago, and rank 10th in program history.
- His 37 career pins are seventh in program history, just two behind sixth-place Matt Pell (39).
- 149 Pounds – Freshman No. 4 Brock Mauller (28-2) vs. Matthew Zovistoski (Appalachian St. – 26-13)
- First meeting this season
- First NCAA Appearance
- MAC Champion
- True freshman who burned his redshirt after 2018 All-American and MAC Champion Grant Leeth hurt his shoulder midway through the season.
- Won 28 of his 30 bouts with the only losses coming against the same opponent – Jarrett Degen of Iowa State.
- Undefeated in MAC bouts (5-0 in regular season and 3-0 in MAC Championships).
- Earned a pair of top-10 wins on the year, including over UNI's Max Thomsen and Oklahoma State's Kaden Gfeller.
- MAC Wrestler of the Week on Feb. 20 after his upset win over Gfeller
- His 28 wins as a true freshman are the most since three-time NCAA Champion J'den Cox had 38 in 2013-14.
- Trained with current teammates Jaydin Eierman and Jarrett Jacques at Columbia's Eierman Elite club. All three went to Father Tolton HS in Columbia.
- 157 Pounds – Freshman No. 13 Jarrett Jacques (27-6) vs. Luke Weiland (Army - 24-10)
- First meeting this season
- First NCAA Appearance
- MAC Champion
- Another true freshman who burned his redshirt early and did not disappoint
- Comes into the NCAA Championships having won 14 of his last 15 bouts, with his only loss during that span coming in a 5-4 decision against No. 11 Christian Pagdilao of Arizona State.
- Was a perfect 9-0 vs. MAC competition this season, earning a pair of falls and a technical fall among his six wins.
- Trained with current teammates Jaydin Eierman and Brock Mauller at Columbia's Eierman Elite club. All three went to Father Tolton HS in Columbia.
- 165 Pounds – RS Junior No. 15 Connor Flynn (20-7) vs. Gordon Wolf (Lehigh – 19-6)
- Wrestled Wolf at the South Beach Duals on Dec. 29 – W, Major Decision, 12-3
- Second NCAA Appearance (1-2 a year ago)
- Received a wild-card after finishing third at the MAC Tournament
- 2018 MAC Champion at 165 and 2018 NCAA qualifier
- Went a perfect 7-0 in MAC duals this season, totaling two technical falls and two major decision among his seven wins.
- Began his career at West Virginia before transferring closer to home.
- Younger brother, Jack, is a freshman on this year's team.
- Member of the 2018 MAC All-Academic Team.
- 174 Pounds – RS Senior No. 2 Daniel Lewis (24-1) vs. Travis Stefanik (Princeton – 19-13)
- First meeting this season
- Fourth NCAA Appearance – three-time All-American (fourth in 2018, sixth in 2017, fourth in 2016)
- Just the eighth four-time champion in MAC history (2019, 2018, 2017, 2016).
- Currently No. 5 on the NCAA's Most Dominant Wrestlers list, averaging 4.68 team points per bout this season
- His 14 pins on the year rank fifth nationally and most among all 174 pounders
- Riding a current a 16-bout win streak, earning 13 bonus-point wins during that stretch, including 10 pins
- Pinned the defending national champion – Zahid Valencia of Arizona State – during that stretch and earned MAC Wrestler of the Week for the second time this season for that performance
- Now has 50 career pins, second-most in Mizzou history behind only Ben Askren
- Beat two 174-pounders who are currently ranked in the top-five at season's – Jordan Kutler of Lehigh (8-1) and Valencia (fall)
- Boasts four wins over current top-10 ranked opponents (coaches poll) and also beat Oklahoma State's Joe Smith, who is ranked seventh in the final FloWrestling Top-25 rankings
- Already Mizzou's 27th member of the 100-win club and currently ranks tied-13th in program history with his 114 career wins. He is two wins back of 12th-place Nick Marable (116) and five back of No. 11 Kenny Burleson (119).
- Has a chance to become just the third four-time All-American in Mizzou history, which would join him with only two-time Hodge Trophy winner Ben Askren and three-time National Champion J'den Cox.
- 184 Pounds – RS Junior No. 14 Dylan Wisman (16-7) vs. Cameron Caffey (Michigan St. – 29-7)
- First meeting this season
- First NCAA Appearance
- 2019 MAC Champion
- Injured his knee following the South Beach duals during practice and missed several weeks
- Had won 12 of 13 bouts before hurting his knee and was named MAC Wrestler of the Week on Dec. 12.
- Posted a 4-0 record in MAC duals this season, earning a pin and a pair of major decision in that span.
- 285 Pounds – Freshman No. 20 Zach Elam (22-9) vs. Matt Voss (George Mason – 30-6)
- First meeting this season
- First NCAA Appearance
- Third Place at MAC Championships
- One of three true freshmen in the Mizzou lineup this season and went 22-9 in his initial season in black & gold.
- Highlight of the season was a 9-1 mark at the Cliff Keen Invitational, earning third place despite losing his second bout as he rallied to win his final eight matches at the tourney – had five bonus point wins among those nine.
- Claimed a free style silver medal at the World Junior Championships before the season started.
For all the latest on Mizzou Wrestling, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the team on social media (Mizzou Wrestling on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter).
Players Mentioned
