Nearly the entire team was in action at the annual intersquad competition
2011-12: Using a redshirt in his first year at Missouri, the 174 pounder captured two open titles and placed in four of the five tournaments he competed in. He opened the season by finishing fourth at the UCM Open, winning six matches on the day. After dropping his opening bout, Johnston won six in a row before falling to teammate Patrick Wright, 3-1, in the third place match. Johnston again took fourth, this coming at the Kaufman-Brand Open in early December. He won his first three matches by fall and scored a decision in the wrestlebacks. His two losses came again to teammates, falling to Dorian Henderson and Todd Porter. He finally captured his first tournament title in January, winning the Roger Denker Open on Jan. 15. He won by technical fall in his first match, majored his opponent in the semifinals and defeated teammate James Houchins, 6-4, in the finals. Johnston closed out his season by taking first again, winning the Missouri Valley College Open. He scored bonus points in all three victories, including a first round pin in just 1:17. By winning his last seven matches of the season, Johnston finished with a record of 21-6. His 21 wins were most amongst redshirting freshmen, with 13 of his victories coming with bonus points.
High School: Wrestling for the Warrensburg Tigers in high school, Johnston finished off his career by placing in the top-three individually during each of his last two years while helping his team to four top-10 state finishes over the course of his career. As a junior, Johnston took third at 171 pounds with a 48-2 record, accumulating 33 wins by fall and wrestling his way to a sixth place finish nationally. He topped that as a senior, going 53-2 at 189 pounds, finishing second in the state and fourth nationally while pinning 43 opponents. For his career, he finished with a record of 167-17 and won 122 matches by pin in high school. The four-time All-American is also a three-time Freestyle State Champion and a four-time Greco State Champion. In 2011, he took second at the FILA Junior Nationals in Greco.
Personal: Cody was born on June 29, 1992 in Kansas City, Mo., to parents Scott and Sheila Johnston. He has one sister, Kirshten. Cody chose Mizzou over Virginia Tech, Columbia and Penn. He is undecided on his major, but wants to be a college wrestling coach after graduation.
