University of Missouri
MAC Championships Day 1
No. 5 @MizzouWrestling Looks for Eighth Straight Conference Title This Weekend
3/5/2019 9:04:00 AM | Wrestling
Mizzou has the No. 1 seed at eight of the 10 weight classes
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COLUMBIA, Mo. – No. 5 Mizzou Wrestling is in search of its eighth consecutive conference title as it travels to the Mid-American Conference Championships, which will be held Friday-Saturday, March 8-9, at the Ted Constant Convocation Center in Norfolk, Virginia. Action will begin at 2 p.m. (CT) Friday with the quarterfinals. Consolation matches will be at 11 a.m. (CT) Saturday with the championship finals beginning at 1 p.m. (CT).
Dating back to Mizzou's final year in the Big 12, the Tigers have won seven straight regular season or tournament conference titles. Mizzou has already won the regular season MAC title in 2018-19 and will look to earn the tournament title this weekend. Last year, Mizzou won the MAC Tournament with a record 177 total points as seven Tigers earned individual titles. Of those seven, four will defend their titles from a season ago – RS senior John Erneste (133), RS junior Jaydin Eierman (141), RS junior Connor Flynn (165) and RS senior Daniel Lewis (174).
Heading into the tournament, Mizzou boasts the No. 1 seed at seven of the 10 weight classes, including all four grapplers who are looking to defend their MAC titles. In addition to those four, freshman Brock Mauller (149), freshman Jarrett Jacques (157), junior Dylan Wisman (184) and sophomore Wyatt Koelling (197) hold No. 1 seeds heading into Friday. Freshman HWT Zach Elam is the No. 2 seed at his weight class and freshman 125-pounder Dack Punke is the No. 4 seed. Below are notables on each wrestler heading into the tournament.
125 Pounds – Dack Punke – RPI: 24 – Coach's Ranking: 22 – Record: 9-8 – MAC Seed: 4 – Washington, Ill.
- 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
- Went 4-2 in MAC bouts this season.
- Comes from a long line of wrestlers – younger brother Jace is committed to Mizzou.
133 Pounds – John Erneste – RPI: 2 – Coach's Ranking: 7 – Record: 15-4 – MAC Seed: 1 – Kansas City, Mo.
- Enters the MAC Tournament having won seven of his last eight bouts with his only loss in that span coming against No. 3 Daton Fix of Oklahoma State.
- Earned a tech fall over No. 8 Austin Gomez of Iowa State last time out.
- Two-time MAC Champion (2017, 2018).
- Two-time NCAA Qualifier.
- 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.
- 2-0 in MAC bouts this season, earning pins in both decisions.
- Eight pins on the season is third on the team and his next pin will match his career-high in a season.
141 Pounds – Jaydin Eierman – RPI: 4 – Coach's Ranking: 4 – Record: 21-3 – MAC Seed: 1 – Columbia, Mo.
- Comes in as a consensus top-five wrestler at 141 pounds and leads the team with 14 pins this season.
- Ranks fourth nationally with his 14 pins, the most of any 141-pounder this season.
- Has won 13 of his last 15 bouts coming into the MAC Championships, with all 13 wins being either by fall (11) or technical fall (two).
- Perfect 6-0 in MAC duals this season, posting five pins and a technical fall.
- Two-time NCAA All-American (fifth in 2017, fourth in 2018).
- Two-time MAC Champion.
- Reigning MAC Wrestler of the Year.
- 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 MAC starters – Brock Mauller and Jarrett Jacques - trained during high school.
- His next two pins will move his season total to 16, tying his mark from a year ago with is 10th in program history for a single season.
- His 35 career pins are sixth in program history, just four behind fifth-place Matt Pell (39).
149 Pounds – Brock Mauller – RPI: 9 – Coach's Ranking: 6 – Record: 25-2 – MAC Seed: 1 – Columbia, Mo.
- True freshman who burned his redshirt after 2018 All-American and MAC Champion Grant Leeth hurt his shoulder midway through the season.
- Won 25 of his 27 bouts with the only losses coming against the same opponent – Jarrett Degen of Iowa State.
- Undefeated in MAC bouts (5-0).
- 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 25 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 – Jarrett Jacques – RPI: 31 – Coach's Ranking: 16 – Record: 23-6 – MAC Seed: 2 – Columbia, Mo.
- Another true freshman who burned his redshirt early and did not disappoint
- Comes into the MAC Championships having won 11 of his last 12 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 6-0 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 – Connor Flynn – RPI: 11 – Coach's Ranking: 13 – Record: 17-6 – MAC Seed: 1 – Dardenne Prairie, Mo.
- 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 – Daniel Lewis – RPI: 4 – Coach's Ranking: 2 – Record: 21-1 – MAC Seed: 1 – Blue Springs, Mo.
- Currently No. 4 on the NCAA's Most Dominant Wrestlers list, averaging 4.59 team points per bout this season
- His 12 pins on the year rank sixth nationally and most among all 174 pounders
- Riding a current a 13-bout win streak, earning 10 bonus-point wins during that stretch, including eight 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 48 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 15th in program history with his 111 career wins. If he goes 3-0 this weekend, he will be tied for 13th in program history (114 career wins).
- Has a chance to become just the third four-time All-American in Mizzou history, which would join him with only Ben Askren and J'den Cox.
184 Pounds – Dylan Wisman – RPI: 12 – Coach's Ranking: 18 – Record: 13-7 – MAC Seed: 1 – Winchester, Va.
- Will be wrestling in front of many family and friends this weekend as he hails from Winchester, Va., just four hours away from Norfolk.
- 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.
197 Pounds – Wyatt Koelling – RPI: 22 – Coach's Ranking: 25 – Record: 17-9 – MAC Seed: 1 – Kaysville, Utah
- Went 7-0 in MAC duals and is wrestling at his traditional 197 weight, rather than HWT where he wrestled much of last season, including at the MAC Championships.
- Three of his five pins on the season came in MAC duals.
- Won seven of his last nine bouts coming into the MAC Championships.
Heavyweight – Zach Elam – RPI: 19 – Coach's Ranking: 23 – Record: 19-8 – MAC Seed: 2 – Kansas City, Mo.
- One of three true freshmen in the Mizzou lineup this season and went 19-8 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
