The MAC T will be FUN

[mlbruem]

MAC With Three Wrestling Teams Ranked in Top 25





Updated 2/22/2014

MAC With Three Wrestling Teams Ranked In The Top 25

No. 5 Northern Iowa, No. 9 Missouri and No. 25 Central Michigan all ranked in latest USA Today/NWCA Coaches Poll

The Mid-American Conference continues to make strides nationally in collegiate wrestling with three programs ranked in the Top 25 in the latest USA Today/NWCA Coaches Poll. Leading the pack is No. 5 Northern Iowa, No. 9 Missouri and No. 25 Central Michigan. In addition, another three MAC wrestling programs also received votes just outside the Top 25 with Kent State (53 votes), Ohio (32 votes and Old Dominion (16 votes) would be ranked No. 27, No. 28 and No. 29 respectfully.

The MAC had 47 wrestlers ranked in the Individual Rankings in the Coaches Poll, including five MAC wrestlers in the top five with No. 1 Joe Colon (Northern Iowa) at 133; No. 1 Drake Houdasheldt (Missouri) at 149; No. 3 J'Den Cox (Missouri) at 197; No. 4 Chris Mecate (Old Dominion) at 141 and No. 4 Ian Miller (Kent State) at 157.

Also, the MAC had 49 wrestlers ranked in the Indvividual Rankings by RPI, including seven MAC wresters in the top five with No. 3 Dylan Peters (Northern Iowa) at 125; No. 3 Joe Colon (Northern Iowa) at 133; No. 3 Chris Mecate (Old Dominion) at 141; No. 3 Drake Houdasheldt (Missouri) at 149; No. 3 J'Den Cox (Missouri) at 195; No. 4 Phil Wellington (Ohio) at 195 and No. 5 Cooper Moore (Northern Iowa) at 165.

USA Today/NWCA/AWN Coaches Poll (as of Feb. 22, 2014)

No. 5 Northern Iowa

No. 9 Missouri

No. 25 Central Michigan



Individual Rankings by Weight Class; Coaches Poll:



125 Weight Class

No. 6 Dylan Peters Northern Iowa

No. 15 Corey Keener Central Michigan

No. 21 Jared Germaine Eastern Michigan

No. 26 Brandon Jeske Old Dominion

No. 30 Barlow McGhee Missouri



133 Weight Class

No. 1 Joe Colon Northern Iowa

No. 15 Joe Roth Central Michigan

No. 20 Mackenzie McGuire Kent State

No. 25 Vincent Pizzuto Eastern Michigan

No. 25 Matt Manley Missouri



141 Weight Class

No. 4 Chris Mecate Old Dominion

No. 8 Zach Horan Central Michigan

No. 12 Joey Lazor Northern Iowa

No. 19 Lavion Mayes Missouri

No. 23 Tyler Small Kent State

No. 33 Noah Forrider Ohio



149 Weight Class

No. 1 Drake Houdashelt Missouri

No. 15 Tywan Claxton Ohio

No. 17 Alexander Richardson Old Dominion

No. 23 Michael Depalma Kent State



157 Weight Class

No. 4 Ian Miller Kent State

No. 18 Luke Smith Central Michigan

No. 20 Tristan Warner Old Dominion

No. 23 Joseph LaVallee Missouri

No. 28 Spartak Chino Ohio

No. 31 Brandon Zeerip Eastern Michigan



165 Weight Class

No. 10 Zach Toal Missouri

No. 12 Cooper Moore Northern Iowa

No. 24 Harrison Hightower Ohio



174 Weight Class

No. 9 Mike Ottinger Central Michigan

No. 13 Cody Walters Ohio

No. 20 Cody Caldwell Northern Iowa

No. 22 Mike England Missouri

No. 23 Billy Curling Old Dominion

No. 32 Caleb Marsh Kent State



184 Weight Class

No. 6 Ryan Loder Northern Iowa

No. 10 Sam Wheeler Kent State

No. 14 John Eblen Missouri

No. 21 Jack Dechow Old Dominion

No. 28 Phillip Joseph Eastern Michigan



197 Weight Class

No. 3 J'Den Cox Missouri

No. 9 Phillip Wellington Ohio

No. 26 Kevin Beazley Old Dominion

No. 32 Cole Baxter Kent State



285 Weight Class

No. 11 Jeremy Johnson Ohio

No. 26 Blaize Cabell Northern Iowa

No. 28 Devin Mellon Missouri





Individual Rankingsby Weight Class; RPI



125 Weight Class

No. 3 Dylan Peters, Northern Iowa

No. 17 Corey Keener, Central Michigan

No. 20 Brandon Jeske, Old Dominion

No. 21 Barlow McGhee, Missouri

No. 30 Alfredo Gray, Kent State



133 Weight Class

No. 3 Joe Colon, Northern Iowa

No. 9 Joe Roth, Central Michigan

No. 16 Mackenzie McGuire, Kent State

No. 17 Matt Manley, Missouri

No. 26 Vincent Pizzuto, Eastern Michigan



141 Weight Class

No. 3 Chris Mecate, Old Dominion

No. 7 Zach Horan, Central Michigan

No. 13 Tyler Small, Kent State

No. 15 Lavion Mayes, Missouri

No. 25 Noah Forrider, Ohio

No. 26 Nick Flannery, Buffalo

No. 33 Nick Barber, Eastern Michigan



149 Weight Class

No. 3 Drake Houdashelt, Missouri

No. 12 Alexander Richardson, Old Dominion

No. 13 Tywan Claxton, Ohio

No. 18 Michael Depalma, Kent State

No. 28 Scott Mattingly, Central Michigan



157 Weight Class

No. 7 Ian Miller, Kent State

No. 11 Joseph LaVallee, Missouri

No. 19 Luke Smith, Central Michigan

No. 20 Brandon Zeerip, Eastern Michigan

No. 24 Tristan Warner, Old Dominion

No. 33 Spartak Chino, Ohio



165 Weight Class

No. 5 Cooper Moore, Northern Iowa

No. 7 Zach Toal, Missouri

No. 24 Harrison Hightower, Ohio



174 Weight Class

No. 9 Mike Ottinger, Central Michigan

No. 11 Cody Caldwell, Northern Iowa

No. 20 Billy Curling, Old Dominion

No. 22 Caleb Marsh, Kent State

No. 23 Mike England, Missouri



184 Weight Class

No. 6 Sam Wheeler, Kent State

No. 10 John Eblen, Missouri

No. 25 Phillip Joseph, Eastern Michigan

No. 32 Anthony Lock, Buffalo



197 Weight Class

No. 3 J'Den Cox, Missouri

No. 4 Phillip Wellington, Ohio

No. 24 Basil Minto, Northern Iowa

No. 27 Cole Baxter, Kent State

No. 32 Kevin Beazley, Old Dominion



285 Weight Class

No. 8 Jeremy Johnson, Ohio

No. 19 Devin Mellon, Missouri

No. 26 Blaize Cabell, Northern Iowa

No. 30 Jared Torrence, Northern Illinois
From the MAC web page

 

[mlbruem]

Live video will be available through FLOPRO see link

http://www.flowrestling.org
This post was edited on 2/27 7:36 PM by mlbruem

 

[mlbruem]

The Best MAC Championships In Years

Nickolas Velliquette on Mar 03, 2014

Highlighted by two number one ranked wrestlers, Joe Colon (133) & Drake Houdashelt (149), and a dozen top ten ranked wrestlers, the MAC puts together its most competitive Conference Championships in years and the most compelling conference tournament to watch outside of the Big Ten. Nationally ranked #9 Missouri and #11 Northern Iowa are the two serious contenders for a Team Championships this weekend, but Ohio and Central Michigan both expect to put at least four wrestlers in the finals, which could really shake things up.

41 NCAA qualifying spots have been allocated to the MAC so unranked wrestlers, like Brandon Jeske and Joey Lazor, should be able to minimize their Sunday morning anxiety and let it all hang out going into placing rounds. The grudge matches are what you want to watch for!

Grudge Matches
#1 Drake Houdashlet v. #12 Tywan Claxton - Drake wants to avenge his only loss of the year.
#2 J'Den Cox v. #11 Phil Wellington - Another Tiger looks for redemption v. another Bobcat here.
#6 Chris Mecate v. #8 Zach Horan - Mecate won the first one v. Horan, 4-2. #Payback (?)
#8 Ryan Loder v. #20 Jack Dechow - Loder lost his last match of the season. He wants this one back.

Knickknacks
-Best MAC wrestlers: #1 Colon, #1 Houdashlet, #2 Cox, #5 Ian Miller, #6 Chris Mecate
-Toughest wt. class: 141 with #6 Mecate, #8 Horan, Lazor, Small, Mayes
-Dark Horse Types: Keener at 125, Pizzuto at 133, Lavalle at 157, Dechow at 184

THE BEST PART: The MAC Championships will be LIVE on Flowrestling. Log into your Flo Pro account or sign up HERE today to watch this Saturday and Sunday, March 8th - 9th.

MAC Championships
Location: Kent State University
Date: March 8th - 9th 2014
Start times: 6:30pm ET / 8pm ET
WATCH LIVE HERE: http://goo.gl/4fYevt
MAC Rankings
Tournament Preview (To Come)


Teams Competing
Mizzou, Northern Iowa, Ohio, Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Kent State, Old Dominion, Northern Illinois, Buffalo

From Flowrestling

 

[mlbruem]

Seeds Announced

Seedings Announced For MAC Wrestling Championships
Updated 3/4/2014 MAC ANNOUNCES SEEDING FOR 2014 WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIPS

Nine MAC programs to participate in 2014 MAC Wrestling Championships March 8-9 at Kent State

CLEVELAND, Ohio ? The Mid-American Conference wrestling coaches announced the seeding for all ten weight classes for the 2014 MAC Wrestling Championships on March 8-9.

The 2014 MAC Wrestling Championships will be hosted by Kent State University. This year, Northern Iowa enters the MAC Wrestling Championship ranked No. 5 in the country and is the only undefeated wrestling program in the nation with a 13-0 record. Northern Iowa also was selected in the latest MAC Wrestling Coaches Rankings as the top MAC wrestling program, followed by No. 9 Missouri.

Last year, Missouri ended Central Michigan's eleven-year run as Conference Tournament Champions. Missouri finished with 136 points, followed by second-place Central Michigan (88 points) and third-place Northern Iowa (83 points).

125
1- Dylan Peters, Northern Iowa
2- Jared Germaine, Eastern Michigan
3- Brandon Jeske, Old Dominion
4- Corey Keener, Central Michigan
5- Barlow McGhee, Missouri
6- KeVon Powell, Ohio
7- Max Soria, Buffalo
Alfredo Gray, Kent State
Nick Harrison, Northern Illinois

133
1- Joe Colon, Northern Iowa
2- Joe Roth, Central Michigan
3- Vinnie Pizzuto, Eastern Michigan
4- Mack McGuire, Kent State
5- Matt Manley, Missouri
6- Nick Smith, Northern Illinois
7- Kagan Squire, Ohio
Michael Hayes, Old Dominion
Justin Farmer, Buffalo

141
1- Chris Mecate, Old Dominion
2- Zach Horan, Central Michigan
3- Joey Lazor, Northern Iowa
4- Lavion Mayes, Missouri
5- Tyler Small, Kent State
6- Noah Forrider, Ohio
7- Nick Flannery, Buffalo
Tyler Argue, Northern Illinois
Michael Shaw, Eastern Michigan

149
1- Tywan Claxton, Ohio
2- Drake Houdashelt, Missouri
3- Michael DePalma, Kent State
4- Alexander Richardson, Old Dominion
5- Robert Jillard, Northern Illinois
6- Tyler Patten, Northern Iowa
7- Scott Mattingly, Central Michigan
Nick Barber, Eastern Michigan
Ryan Todora, Buffalo

157
1- Ian Miller, Kent State
2- Luke Smith, Central Michigan
3- Joey Lavallee, Missouri
4- Tristan Warner, Old Dominion
5- Spartak Chino, Ohio
6- Brandon Zeerip, Eastern Michigan
7- Jarrett Jensen, Northern Iowa
Andrew Morse, Northern Illinois
Wally Maziarz, Buffalo

165
1- Cooper Moore, Northern Iowa
2- Zach Toal, Missouri
3- Harrison Hightower, Ohio
4- Nick Becker, Central Michigan
5- Tyler Buckwalter, Kent State
6- Devin Geoghegan, Old Dominion
7- Shaun'Qae McMurtry, Northern Illinois
Jimmy Klosz, Eastern Michigan
Jake Campana, Buffalo

174
1- Billy Curling, Old Dominion
2- Mike Ottinger, Central Michigan
3- Cody Walters, Ohio
4- Cody Caldwell, Northern Iowa
5- Caleb Marsh, Kent State
6- Jacob Davis, Eastern Michigan
7- Mikey England, Missouri
Matt Mougin, Northern Illinois
Rrok Ndokaj, Buffalo

184
1- Ryan Loder, Northern Iowa
2- John Eblen, Missouri
3- Jack Dechow, Old Dominion
4- Phillip Joseph, Eastern Michigan
5- Tony Lock, Buffalo
6- Craig Kelliher, Central Michigan
7- Caleb Busson, Northern Illinois
Ryan Garringer, Ohio
Cory Campbell, Kent State

197
1- Phil Wellington, Ohio
2- J'den Cox, Missouri
3- Shawn Scott, Northern Illinois
4- Cole Baxter, Kent State
5- Nick Whitenburg, Eastern Michigan
6- Kevin Beazley, Old Dominion
7- Jackson Lewis, Central Michigan
Angelo Malvestuto, Buffalo
Jared Bartel, Northern Iowa

Hwt.
1- Jeremy Johnson, Ohio
2- Devin Mellon, Missouri
3- Jared Torrence, Northern Illinois
4- Blaize Cabell, Northern Iowa
5- Khodor Hoballah, Eastern Michigan
6- Matt Tourdot, Old Dominion
7- Mimmo Lytle, Kent State
Adam Robinson, Central Michigan
James Benjamin, Buffalo

 

[mlbruem]

Preview of Missouri at the MAC




Missouri:





No. 9-Tigers Look to Defend MAC Title in Ohio;

Mizzou guns for their third consecutive conference title after posting a record-setting 136.0 team points in 2013.



COLUMBIA, Mo. - The ninth ranked Missouri Tigers will make the trip to Kent State University this weekend in hopes of defending their 2013 Mid-American Conference Champions title at this year's conference tournament. Missouri (10-2) won four of its last five duals with their last loss coming at the hands of No. 4 Oklahoma State back in January. The Tigers remained perfect throughout February defeating Buffalo, Eastern Michigan, and Old Dominion in Columbia before wrapping up the 2013-14 campaign with a road win at Kent State.



In February, Missouri outscored its opponents 104-33 with the help of some big performances. The Tigers kicked off February with the Beauty and the Beast event where they shut out Buffalo 41-0. The very next day, Missouri hit the mat again to take on Eastern Michigan, and with the help of bonus point victories from Lavion Mayes and Drake Houdashelt the Tigers were able to edge the Eagles 18-15. Mizzou's 21-9 victory over Old Dominion on February 16 marked a huge milestone for Brian Smith, as the Tigers head coach picked up his 200th career win in his 17th season as an NCAA coach. Upperclassmen Drake Houdashelt, Johnny Eblen and Devin Mellon helped Tiger Style roll into postseason play, all notching bonus point victories in the season finale, a 24-9 win over the Kent State Golden Flashes.



Returning to Kent State, Missouri hopes to take care of business in much the same way. Last year at the Mid-American Conference tournament, the Missouri Wrestling program dominated the eight-team field on their way to being crowned MAC Champions in their first year as an affiliate member of the conference. The Tigers dethroned Central Michigan, who had been MAC Champions for 11-straight seasons. Mizzou shattered the previously held team score high at the Championships, posting 136.0 points while crowning four individual champions.



This year's matchups feature several of the nation's top-ranked wrestlers. At 149 pounds, MAC defending champion and No. 1-ranked junior Drake Houdashelt (31-1) is looking to continue his successful season bringing a 20-match win streak into the tournament. The one blemish on his record came back in December when he was narrowly defeated in a 5-3 decision by Ohio's 17th-ranked Tywan Claxton. Houdashelt is seeded second behind Claxton in this year's field. Another Tiger looking for revenge will be No. 2-ranked freshman standout J'den Cox. Cox has posted an impressive 30-2 record this season with five of those wins coming over ranked opponents. Cox, like Houdashelt, is also a second seed behind No. 8-ranked Phil Wellington of Ohio after suffering an early season head-to-head loss.



Two Missouri grapplers who have put on excellent performances this season are redshirt freshman Lavion Mayes (141) and true freshman Joey Lavallee (157), both ranked No. 18 in their respective weight classes. Each of them will be looking to even the score between conference foes. Mayes will have his sights set on No. 4-ranked Chris Mecate of Old Dominion, who topped him at the end of the season in a close and questionably officiated match 2-1. Lavallee will be looking for a rematch against No. 5-ranked Ian Miller of Kent State, who narrowly beat him in a 3-2 decision a couple weekends ago.



Standing on top of the podium this weekend would make three consecutive conference championships for Missouri after winning the Big 12 Conference Championship two years ago and its first-ever MAC Championship last year.



The Mid-American Conference Wrestling Championships will be held on Saturday and Sunday, March 8-9 at the M.A.C. Center on the campus of Kent State University in Kent, Ohio. The tournament begins at 11 a.m. on Saturday with first round matchups and will conclude with the championship bouts at 12:20 p.m. on Sunday.



Flowrestling will be streaming the entire tournament live for a one-time payment of $20. For more information on how to access Flo's live video stream, visit http://livecoverage.flowrestling.org/account/login?id=122. Kent State is also providing a radio feed for this year's Championships on their iHeartRadio station (Golden Flashes Radio). For in-match updates, follow the squad on Twitter, @MizzouWrestling. Fans can also join in the conversation throughout the weekend by using #TigerStyle and #MACtion on Twitter.



TIGERS ON THE MAT:

125 - Barlow McGhee (20-8) - Freshman

Ranked 5th in MAC at 125 pounds in a weight class with 4 AQ spots at NCAAs. Posted a 7-4 record in dual competition in 2013-14. Tied for the team lead in decisions with 18.



133 - Matt Manley (22-11) - Redshirt Freshman

Ranked 5th at 133 in MAC with the top five placers this weekend getting an NCAA bid. Redshirt freshman posted a 22-11 record in first year as starter. Tied for team lead in decisions with 18 (tied with McGhee).



141 - No. 18 Lavion Mayes (25-10) - Redshirt Freshman

Ranks 4th in MAC at 141 despite top-20 ranking. Posted 7-3 dual record. Two of his dual losses came in overtime, and a third was a 2-1 loss to Chris Mecate, who ranks No. 1 in the MAC.



149 - No. 1 Drake Houdashelt (31-1) - Junior

Top 149-pounder in the land but ranked No. 2 in MAC Conference (his lone loss came to Tywan Claxton of Ohio). Seeks his 3rd conference title in his third season as a starter. Won Big 12 in 2012 (157) and MAC's last year (149). Leads team in dual takedowns (34).



157 - No. 18 Joey Lavallee (24-8) - Freshman

Holds No. 3-spot in the MAC despite being a late addition to the starting roster. Cracks top-20 as a true freshman following signature win over Alex Richardson (ODU).



165 - No. 12 Zach Toal (22-4) - Senior

Senior is tabbed No. 2 in the MAC with his lone conference loss coming to Cooper Moore (UNI). Looking for his second conference title in a tight weight class that only has 3 automatic qualifying spots. Won Big 12 title in 2012 at 165.



174 - Mikey England (16-12) - Junior

Seeks his first NCAA qualification in a tough 174-pound class. Ranked 7th at 174 pounds with the top-5 finishes in the MAC qualifying.



184 - No. 13 Johnny Eblen (20-7) - Junior

Junior-captain looks to pick up first NCAA qualification at 184 pounds. Ranked No. 2 behind Ryan Loder (UNI).



197 - No. 2 J'den Cox (30-2) - Freshman

Despite being No. 2 in nation, Cox will hold No. 2-seed at the MACs behind Phil Wellington, who handed Cox one of his two losses as a freshman. Has five wins over ranked opponents and leads the club in dual backpoints.



HWT - Devin Mellon (22-9) - Junior

Heads into MAC Conference tournament on a hot streak, winning eight of his final 10 matches, including two which broke team ties and won the dual for the Tigers. Ranked No. 2 in MAC with the top three finishers automatically punching their ticket to Oklahoma City.



FOLLOW LIVE: Live Stream: http://livecoverage.flowrestling.org/account/login?id=122 (need subscription for $20); Live Radio: Golden Flashes Radio on iHeartRadio; Live Stats: trackwrestling.com

Live In-Match Updates: @MizzouWrestling on Twitter.



WHAT'S NEXT: Following this weekend's MAC Conference championships, stay tuned with the program as the squad prepares for the 2014 NCAA Championships. This year's NCAAs will take place on March 20-22, 2014, at Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

 

[mlbruem]

Complete MAC Preview at this link

http://www.mac-sports.com/tabid/969/Article/325519/MAC-Wrestling-Championships-March-8-9-at-Kent-State.aspx

Go Tigers

 

[mlbruem]

Johnny Eblen has been scratched due to injury. Cody Johnston is in for Missouri at 184.

Go Tigers

 

[mlbruem]

All ten still alive Houdashelt,Cox and Mellon in the finals - Brackets are on track wrestling

Team Scores
1. Northern Iowa 97.0
2. Missouri 89.5
3. Ohio 81.0
4. Old Dominion 79.0
5. Central Michigan 65.5
6. Eastern Michigan 50.0
7. Kent State 48.0
8. Northern Illinois 31.5
9. Buffalo 10.5

Go Tigers

 

[mlbruem]

Houdashelt and Cox win MAC titles

THE TIGERS win the MAC Championship by 2 1/2 points over Northern Iowa.

Great job by a very young team who lost one of it's captains Johnny Eblen to injury
the very week of the tournament.

Way to Go Tigers

 

[mlbruem]

Houdashelt and Cox win individual titles

Missouri wins the team title by 2 1/2 points over Northern Iowa

A great job by a very young Tiger team who lost one of it's Captains Johnny Eblen to injury the very week of the tournament.

Way to Go Tigers

 

[mlbruem]

Bonus Points Power Tigers to Third-Straight Conference Title
Wrestling comes from behind to win team title on second day of MAC Championships

J'den Cox was named the 'Most Outstanding Wrestler' after claiming the 197-pound title

March 9, 2014

KENT, Ohio - For the third time in as many years, the Tigers are conference champions. Mizzou posted 118.5 team points en route to the 2014 Mid-American Conference title, their second title since joining the MAC as an affiliate member last year. The squad placed all 10 grapplers in the top six, and crowned two individual champions in Drake Houdashelt and J'den Cox. Seven Tigers booked their trips to the NCAA Championships in Oklahoma City throughout the tournament.

"I'm really proud of the way this team kept fighting," said Head Coach Brian Smith following the Championships. "To have five freshman in the lineup and to keep competing at a high level really shows our maturity as a program. I'm shocked, but I shouldn't be. We believe in this team. They showed everyone why today."

After a couple of tough losses early in the placement rounds for first, third and fifth, Houdashelt turned the tide with an overtime win against Alex Richardson (ODU) in the championship bout. The victory clinched his third individual title since entering the Tigers starting lineup in 2012. His takedown with 16 seconds left in sudden victory gave the Tigers some life.

With Northern Iowa holding a comfortable lead in team points, Mizzou needed a lot of help. They decided to create their own, winning placement matches at 157, 174 and 184 with bonus points, closing the gap on their new MAC-rivals.

True freshman Joey Lavallee followed up Houdashelt's title with a pin over Tristan Warner (ODU) at 4:13. Then, after a Zach Toal decision over Shaun'Qae McMurtry (NIU) in a rematch from Saturday, Mikey England pinned two-seed Caleb Marsh from Kent State, a guy he fell to just a couple of weeks ago 2-0. Suddenly, the Tigers were within striking distance.

"I honestly thought we were out of the team race after the first few weight classes, said Smith. "We started to focus on getting guys to qualify for NCAAs, and we really thought it was over. But they never stopped battling."
Down two team points to UNI, Cody Johnston took the mat against Ryan Garringer of Ohio in the 184-pound fifth place match. On the adjacent mat, UNI had All-American Ryan Loder wrestling in the 184-pound championship. A win by decision and a Loder loss would tie the scores up, however a win in bonus points would make things interesting. Johnston, who was notified Wednesday that he would replace the injured Johnny Eblen, would proceed to tech fall Garringer in 5:21, 18-2. And then, Loder lost to ODU's Jack Dechow in sudden victory. Mizzou had taken a 115.5 - 114.0 lead over UNI, their first lead of the tournament.

J'den Cox's major decision in the title match over Phil Wellington (Ohio) closed the door on the rest of the nine-team field. Cox dominated Wellington in a 10-1 bout to avenge his lone MAC loss from back in December. His major gave Mizzou an extra team point to seal it, giving the Tigers their second-consecutive MAC title. Cox went a perfect 3-0 on the weekend winning by a technical fall and two major decisions. The conference named Mizzou's true freshman the tournament's `Most Outstanding Wrestler' following his performance.

Junior Devin Mellon would finish second at heavyweight after falling to Ohio's Jeremy Johnson. Johnson ranks No. 11 in the nation at 285 pounds.

All 10 Mizzou starters placed in the top-six in their respective brackets. Seven grapplers are headed to the NCAA Championships in Oklahoma City later this month following their MAC finishes. The other three still have a shot to get a wild card bid, which will be announced later this week by the NCAA.

Last year at the Mid-American Conference tournament, the Missouri Wrestling program dominated the eight-team field on their way to being crowned MAC Champions in their first year as an affiliate member of the conference. The Tigers dethroned Central Michigan, who had been MAC Champions for 11-straight seasons. Mizzou shattered the previously held team score high at the Championships, posting 136.0 points while crowning four individual champions.

TEAM SCORES

1. Missouri .........................118.5
2. Northern Iowa ................116
3. Old Dominion .................97

4. Ohio ...............................94.5
5. Central Michigan............85.5
6. Kent State ......................67
7. Eastern Michigan ...........57.5
8. Northern Illinois..............50
9. Buffalo............................12.5


RESULTS
125 - Barlow McGhee (Record: 1-3) - 6th Place
Quarterfinals: No. 4 Corey Keener (CMU) decision over No. 5 Barlow McGhee (MIZZ) in SV1, 3-1.
Consolation Rd 2: No. 5 Barlow McGhee (MIZZ) decision over No. 8 Del Vinas (KSU), 4-2.
Consolation Semis: No. 3 Brandon Jeske (ODU) decision over No. 5 Barlow McGhee (MIZZ), 5-3.
5th Place Match: No. 6 Kevon Powell (OU) decision over No. 5 Barlow McGhee (MIZZ), 3-1.


133 - Matt Manley (Record: 1-3) - 6th Place
Quarterfinals: No. 5 Matt Manley (MIZZ) decision over No. 4 Mack McGuire (KSU) in SV1, 5-3.
Semifinals: No. 1 Joe Colon (UNI) major decision over No. 5 Matt Manley (MIZZ), 13-5.
Consolation Semis: No. 6 Nick Smith (NIU) fall over No. 5 Matt Manley (MIZZ) at 4:08.
5th Place Match: No. 3 Vincent Pizzuto (EMU) decision over No. 5 Matt Manley (MIZZ), 6-2.


141 - No. 18 Lavion Mayes (Record: 2-2) - 4th Place - AUTOMATIC QUALIFIER
Quarterfinals: No. 4 Lavion Mayes (MIZZ) decision over No. 5 Tyler Small (KSU) in SV1, 4-2.
Semifinals: No. 1 Chris Mecate (ODU) decision over No. 4 Lavion Mayes (MIZZ), 4-3.
Consolation Semis: No. 4 Lavion Mayes (MIZZ) decision over No. 7 Nick Flannery (UB), 4-3.
3rd Place Match: No. 2 Zach Horan (CMU) fall over No. 4 Lavion Mayes (MIZZ) at 1:27.


149 - No. 1 Drake Houdashelt (Record: 3-0) - CHAMPION - AUTOMATIC QUALIFIER
Quarterfinals: No. 2 Drake Houdashelt (MIZZ) major decision over No. 7 Scott Mattingly (CMU), 15-6.
Semifinals: No. 2 Drake Houdashelt (MIZZ) major decision over No. 3 Mike DePalma (KSU), 8-0.
CHAMPIONSHIP: No. 2 Drake Houdashelt (MIZZ) decision over No. 3 Alex Richardson (ODU) in SV1, 3-1.


157 - No. 18 Joey Lavallee (Record: 3-1) - 3rd Place - AUTOMATIC QUALIFIER
Quarterfinals: No. 3 Joey Lavallee (MIZZ) decision over No. 6 Brandon Zeerip (EMU), 6-4.
Semifinals: No. 2 Luke Smith (CMU) decision over No. 3 Joey Lavallee (MIZZ), 1-0.
Consolation Semis: No. 3 Joey Lavallee (MIZZ) decision over No. 5 Spartak Chino (OU), 6-1.
3rd Place Match: No. 3 Joey Lavallee (MIZZ) fall over No. 4 Tristan Warner (ODU) at 4:13.


165 - No. 12 Zach Toal (Record: 4-1) - 3rd Place - AUTOMATIC QUALIFIER
Quarterfinals: No. 7 Shaun'Qae McMurtry (NIU) decision over No. 2 Zach Toal (MIZZ) in SV1, 5-3.
Consolation Rd 1: No. 2 Zach Toal (MIZZ) fall over No. 8 Jake Campana (UB) at 1:47.
Consolation Rd 2: No. 2 Zach Toal (MIZZ) major decision over No. 6 Devin Geoghegan, 10-2.
Consolation Semis: No. 2 Zach Toal (MIZZ) decision over No. 4 Nick Becker (CMU), 8-2.
3rd Place Match: No. 2 Zach Toal (MIZZ) decision over No. 7 Shaun'Qae McMurtry (NIU), 8-2.


174 - Mikey England (Record: 3-2) - 5th Place - AUTOMATIC QUALIFIER
Quarterfinals: No. 2 Mike Ottinger (CMU) decision over No. 7 Mikey England (MIZZ), 5-4.
Consolation Rd 1: No. 7 Mikey England (MIZZ) major decision over No. 8 Rrok Ndokaj (UB), 10-2.
Consolation Rd 2: No. 7 Mikey England (MIZZ) fall over No. 6 Jacob Davis (EMU) at 2:53.
Consolation Semis: No. 4 Cody Caldwell (UNI) decision over No. 7 Mikey England (MIZZ), 3-2.
5th: Place Match: No. 7 Mikey England (MIZZ) fall over No. 2 Caleb Marsh (KSU) at 6:05.


184 - Cody Johnston (Record: 2-2) - 5th Place
Quarterfinals: No. 4 Cody Johnston (MIZZ) major decision over No. 5 Anthony Lock (UB), 10-1.
Semifinals: No. 1 Jack Dechow (ODU) decision over No. 4 Cody Johnston (MIZZ), 8-3.
Consolation Semis: No. 6 Craig Kelliher (CMU) decision over No. 4 Cody Johnston (MIZZ), 8-4.
5th Place Match: No. 4 Cody Johnston (MIZZ) technical fall over No. 2 Caleb Marsh (KSU) at 5:21, 18-2.


197 - No. 2 J'den Cox (Record: 3-0) - CHAMPION - AUTOMATIC QUALIFIER
Quarterfinals: No. 2 J'den Cox (MIZZ) technical fall over No. 7 Jackson Lewis (CMU) at 6:25, 21-6.
Semifinals: No. 2 J'den Cox (MIZZ) major decision over Shawn Scott (NIU), 11-1.
CHAMPIONSHIP: No. 2 J'den Cox (MIZZ) major decision over No. 1 Phil Wellington (OU), 10-1.


HWT - Devin Mellon (Record: 2-1) - 2nd Place - AUTOMATIC QUALIFIER
Quarterfinals: No. 2 Devin Mellon (MIZZ) decision over No. 7 Mimmo Lytle (KSU) in TB1, 3-2.
Semifinals: No. 2 Devin Mellon (MIZZ) decision over No. 6 Matt Tourdot (ODU), 4-1.
CHAMPIONSHIP: No. 1 Jeremy Johnson (OU) decision over No. 2 Devin Mellon (MIZZ), 7-1.


WHAT'S NEXT
Following this weekend's MAC Conference championships, stay tuned with the program as the squad prepares for the 2014 NCAA Championships. This year's NCAAs will take place on March 20-22, 2014, at Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
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