Cox, Smith Collect MAC Postseason Hardware
Head Coach Brian Smith named Coach of the Year; J'den Cox named Freshman and Wrestler of the Year
March 28, 2014
CLEVELAND - The Mid-American Conference announced Friday three wrestling post-season awards for the 2014 season as Missouri Wrestling Coach Brian Smith was named MAC Wrestling Coach of the Year, while Missouri true freshman J'den Cox was selected as both the MAC Freshman of the Year and MAC Wrestler of the Year.
All three awards were voted on by each of the conference's nine head wrestling coaches following the conclusion of the 2014 NCAA Wrestling Tournament.
Smith was named MAC Wrestling Coach of the Year for the second consecutive year. Smith led Missouri to the Tigers second consecutive MAC Tournament Wrestling Title in the programs second year as an affiliate member in wrestling. He also won the Big 12 Wrestling Coach of the Year in 2012 after winning that conference title in the Tigers final year as part of the Big 12 Conference.
Smith and his Tigers earned a 10-2 overall record this season, including 7-1 in the MAC. Missouri earned its third overall consecutive conference tournament title as the Tigers (118.5 team points) edged out Northern Iowa (116.0 team points) to win the MAC Tournament Title. Missouri finished the 2014 NCAA Wrestling Championship with 40.5 points for 14th overall in the nation.
This season marked the 16th for Smith at the helm of the Tigers wrestling program. Under his leadership, Missouri has posted a 199-90-3 record and 20 of his wrestlers have become All-Americans claiming a total of 33 medals. There have been five championships in Tiger history, all within the last 8 years under Smith's direction. In addition, Smith's squads have posted 13 consecutive winning seasons.
Mizzou's true freshman J'den Cox became just the ninth MAC wrestler to win a National Championship. Cox entered the NCAA Wrestling Championships as the No. 2 seed in the 197 weight class as Cox defeated No. 1 seed Ohio State's Nick Heflin. Both Cox and junior Drake Houdashelt, who finished fifth at the 149 weight class, earned All-America honors at the NCAA Wrestling Championships in Oklahoma City.
Cox, a native of Columbia, Mo., became just the 14th wrestler in the NCAA Championship's 84-year history to win a National Championship as a true freshman. Cox stormed to the top of the 197 weight class that featured three seniors in the final four. He earned a 2-1 decision over No. 1 seed Nick Heflin of Ohio State to win the title. In doing so, Cox became Missouri's youngest national champion and fifth overall in program history.
Additionally, Cox was named Freshman of the Year by Flowrestling earlier this week. Noting that his `combination of power and speed make him a nightmare matchup for years to come,' it is not surprising that he has claimed so many awards in the post season as he has dominated and proven himself consistently all season.
Cox was also named the 2014 MAC Freshman of the Year and Wrestler of the Year. Cox won the 197 weight class at the MAC Wrestling Championship and was also named Outstanding Tournament Wrestler on March 9th at Kent State University. He ended his freshman year with a 38-2 record and a .950 winning percentage.
Here's a better look at J'den's run at Nationals this past weekend:
197 - No. 2 J'den Cox - CHAMPION
Champ. Round 1: No. 2 J'den Cox decision over Mario Gonzalez (Illinois), 10-4.
Champ. Round 2: No. 2 J'den Cox major decision over No. 15 Braden Atwood (Purdue), 19-6.
Quarterfinals: No. 2 J'den Cox decision over Conner Hartmann (Duke), 5-1.
Semifinals: No. 2 J'den Cox decision over No. 14 Chris Penny (VT), 4-1.
Finals: No. 2 J'den Cox decision over No. 1 Nick Heflin (Ohio State), 2-1.
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Head Coach Brian Smith named Coach of the Year; J'den Cox named Freshman and Wrestler of the Year
March 28, 2014
CLEVELAND - The Mid-American Conference announced Friday three wrestling post-season awards for the 2014 season as Missouri Wrestling Coach Brian Smith was named MAC Wrestling Coach of the Year, while Missouri true freshman J'den Cox was selected as both the MAC Freshman of the Year and MAC Wrestler of the Year.
All three awards were voted on by each of the conference's nine head wrestling coaches following the conclusion of the 2014 NCAA Wrestling Tournament.
Smith was named MAC Wrestling Coach of the Year for the second consecutive year. Smith led Missouri to the Tigers second consecutive MAC Tournament Wrestling Title in the programs second year as an affiliate member in wrestling. He also won the Big 12 Wrestling Coach of the Year in 2012 after winning that conference title in the Tigers final year as part of the Big 12 Conference.
Smith and his Tigers earned a 10-2 overall record this season, including 7-1 in the MAC. Missouri earned its third overall consecutive conference tournament title as the Tigers (118.5 team points) edged out Northern Iowa (116.0 team points) to win the MAC Tournament Title. Missouri finished the 2014 NCAA Wrestling Championship with 40.5 points for 14th overall in the nation.
This season marked the 16th for Smith at the helm of the Tigers wrestling program. Under his leadership, Missouri has posted a 199-90-3 record and 20 of his wrestlers have become All-Americans claiming a total of 33 medals. There have been five championships in Tiger history, all within the last 8 years under Smith's direction. In addition, Smith's squads have posted 13 consecutive winning seasons.
Mizzou's true freshman J'den Cox became just the ninth MAC wrestler to win a National Championship. Cox entered the NCAA Wrestling Championships as the No. 2 seed in the 197 weight class as Cox defeated No. 1 seed Ohio State's Nick Heflin. Both Cox and junior Drake Houdashelt, who finished fifth at the 149 weight class, earned All-America honors at the NCAA Wrestling Championships in Oklahoma City.
Cox, a native of Columbia, Mo., became just the 14th wrestler in the NCAA Championship's 84-year history to win a National Championship as a true freshman. Cox stormed to the top of the 197 weight class that featured three seniors in the final four. He earned a 2-1 decision over No. 1 seed Nick Heflin of Ohio State to win the title. In doing so, Cox became Missouri's youngest national champion and fifth overall in program history.
Additionally, Cox was named Freshman of the Year by Flowrestling earlier this week. Noting that his `combination of power and speed make him a nightmare matchup for years to come,' it is not surprising that he has claimed so many awards in the post season as he has dominated and proven himself consistently all season.
Cox was also named the 2014 MAC Freshman of the Year and Wrestler of the Year. Cox won the 197 weight class at the MAC Wrestling Championship and was also named Outstanding Tournament Wrestler on March 9th at Kent State University. He ended his freshman year with a 38-2 record and a .950 winning percentage.
Here's a better look at J'den's run at Nationals this past weekend:
197 - No. 2 J'den Cox - CHAMPION
Champ. Round 1: No. 2 J'den Cox decision over Mario Gonzalez (Illinois), 10-4.
Champ. Round 2: No. 2 J'den Cox major decision over No. 15 Braden Atwood (Purdue), 19-6.
Quarterfinals: No. 2 J'den Cox decision over Conner Hartmann (Duke), 5-1.
Semifinals: No. 2 J'den Cox decision over No. 14 Chris Penny (VT), 4-1.
Finals: No. 2 J'den Cox decision over No. 1 Nick Heflin (Ohio State), 2-1.
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