No. 3 Mizzou cruises to MAC tournament wrestling title
BRANSON MO NEWS: With seven champions, the Missouri wrestling team cruised to the Mid-American Conference tournament title Sunday afternoon at Central Michigan University.The Tigers, ranked No. 3 in the nation, have won seven straight conference tournament titles dating back to 2012, their final season as a member of the Big 12.Mizzou finished the two-day event with a tournament-record 177 points to beat out Central Michigan (125) for the top spot in the eight-team event.
Earning championships as well as berths in the NCAA tournament March 15-17 in Cleveland were Tigers John Erneste (22-2) at 133 pounds, Jaydin Eierman (28-1) at 141, Grant Leeth (22-2) at 149, Joey Lavallee (28-1) at 157, Francis Howell graduate Connor Flynn (24-7) at 165, Daniel Lewis (29-0) at 174 and Willie Miklus (21-3) at 197.Lewis and Miklus are two-time All-Americans; Eierman and Lavallee earned All-America honors at last year’s NCAAs at Scottrade Center.MARTINEZ MAKES HISTORYIllinois’ Isaiah Martinez beat defending national champion Vincenzo Joseph of Penn State 4-1 in the final at 165 at Michigan State to become the Illini’s first and just the 16th four-time champion in the 106-year history of the Big Ten tournament.Illini coach Jim Heffernan is also a member of that elite group, having won four straight while competing for Iowa in the mid-1980s.Martinez (14-0) was voted wrestler of the Big Ten tournament for the second time. He won NCAA titles at 157 in 2015 and 2016 and lost in the title match last year. He moved up to 165 this season.Others NCAA qualifiers for Illinois were Mike Carr (second at 141), Dylan Duncan (third at 133), Emery Parker (fifth at 184) and Travis Piotrowski (ninth at 125).
More from this section
Second-ranked Ohio State won the title with 164.5 points, beating out No. 1 Penn State. The Nittany Lions (148 points) have won the last two NCAA titles.THREE CHAMPS FOR SIUEJunior John Muldoon (133), sophomore Tyshawn Williams (149) and …
Author:
Powered by WPeMatico
All Things Branson Sponsor:All Things Branson Sponsor: