Mayes finishes Third as Three Place in Medal Round at #WrestleNYC
3/19/2016 1:17:00 PM | Wrestling
Lewis finishes fourth in NCAA Debut, Miklus finishes sixth
NEW YORK, N.Y. – Mizzou Wrestling redshirt junior 149-pounder Lavion Mayes (Mascoutah, Ill.) placed third at the 2016 NCAA Wrestling Championships, defeating Anthony Collica (Oklahoma State), 3-2, in the third place match. Mayes closed out the season with a remarkable 32-3 record, finishing with All-American status for the second straight season. Following the medal round session, #TigerStyle sits in sixth place with 70.5 team points.
Redshirt freshman 165-pounder Daniel Lewis (Blue Springs, Mo.) and redshirt sophomore 184-pounder Willie Miklus (Altoona, Iowa) also placed in the medal round for Mizzou, finishing fourth and sixth, respectively. Mayes and Miklus are now two-time All-Americans, the 18th and 19th in program history.
Mayes won both his matches on the day to finish third. In the consolation semifinals, Mayes scored a fall in the first period over Alec Pantaleo (Michigan) at 2:49. Mayes fell behind quick, yielding a takedown and a two-point near-fall in the first minute of the match. The two-time All-American countered, however, scoring a reversal before putting Pantaleo's shoulders on the mat for the fall. In the third place match, Mayes avenged his quarterfinals loss to Anthony Collica (Oklahoma State), defeating the Cowboy wrestler, 3-2, finishing four places higher than his 2015 seventh place finish at 141 pounds. Mayes scored a takedown with 30 seconds remaining in the first period, then an escape to start the third period to preserve the 3-2 win.
"After the match there were so many emotions running through my mind," said Mayes. "I just wanted to find the Mizzou fans and show them how much their support meant to me. It felt great."
In his NCAA Tournament debut, Lewis wrestled to his No. 4 seed, placing fourth, finishing the season with a 29-6 record. Lewis advanced in the consolation semifinals after pinning Steven Rodrigues (Illinois) at 3:50 in the second period. Lewis then fell to Bo Jordan (Ohio State), 9-7, in the third place match. Lewis led Jordan, 5-4, following one period, but the Buckeye grappler scored takedowns in the second and third period for the win.
"We have some work to do for next year, sitting the bar even higher than this year," said Lewis. "This tournament was a grind the whole way through, as a team, we want to be right up there on top next year, receiving a team trophy."
Miklus dropped both of his brackets in the medal round, falling to Nolan Boyd (Oklahoma State), 6-0, in the consolation semifinals, and, 4-2, to Matt Miller (Navy) in the fifth place match. Miklus finishes the season with a record of 21-8, placing sixth, one slot higher than his 2015 seventh place finish.
The final session of the 2016 NCAA Wrestling Championships, the finals round, will take place tonight the world's most famous arena, Madison Square Garden. Three-time All-American junior 197-pounder J'den Cox (Columbia, Mo.) will wrestle in the 197-pound Championship match, seeking his second National Championship after winning the title as a freshman in 2014. ESPN will televise the event, beginning at 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT.
For all the latest on Mizzou Wrestling, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the team on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram (MizzouWrestling).
Top-10 Team Scores
1. Penn State, 114.0
2. Oklahoma State, 89.5
3. Virginia Tech, 82.0
4. Iowa, 81.0
5. Ohio State, 78.0
6. Mizzou, 70.5
7. Cornell, 59.0
8. Nebraska, 58.0
9. Michigan, 50.5
10. N.C. State, 49.0
Match-By-Match Results
149:
Consolation Semifinals:
#3 Lavion Mayes (Mizzou) def. #5 Alec Pantaleo (Michigan) by fall (2:49)
Third Place:
#3 Lavion Mayes (Mizzou) def. Anthony Collica (Oklahoma State) by 3-2 decision
165:
Consolation Semifinals:
#4 Daniel Lewis (Mizzou) def. #6 Steven Rodrigues (Illinois) by fall (3:50)
Third Place:
#3 Bo Jordan (Ohio State) def. #4 Daniel Lewis (Mizzou) by 9-7 decision
184:
Consolation Semifinals:
#8 Nolan Boyd def. #14 Willie Miklus (Mizzou) by 6-0 decision
Fifth Place:
#9 Matthew Miller (Navy) def. #14 Willie Miklus (Mizzou) by 4-2 decision
