RAPID REACTION: Wrestling drops first conference meet to No. 4 Missouri 26-9
Senior Zach Horan won his first-round match but fell in the second round of the 2015 NCAA Wrestling Championships a year ago.
No. 19 Central Michigan wrestling couldn't find its footing, Sunday, as the Chippewas could only muster three victorious matches out of 10 in their 26-9 loss to the 4th-ranked Missouri Tigers in McGuirk Arena.
CMU moves to 5-2 overall and 2-1 in Mid-American Conference play.
Tough Start
The Chippewas dropped their first four matches of the meet, getting down early 12-0 to the Tigers.
After 125-pounder Brent Fleetwood's 9-3 loss to No. 8 Barlow McGhee, CMU's 133-pound, 141-pound and 149-pound matches were all competitive one-point decisions.
It wasn't until the 157-pound match when CMU's No. 15 Luke Smith was able to get a victory over Le'Roy Barnes to get the Chippewas on the board, 12-3.
Too Much Mizzou
Missouri's roster boasts eight wrestlers ranked in the nation's top 10 in their respective weight classes, which is the most on any roster in the country.
The Tigers were 8-0 overall and 5-0 in MAC meets entering into Sunday, having already beaten the defending national champion Ohio State 26-17 on Dec. 12 in Columbia, Missouri. The Chippewas have just four wrestlers ranked in the top 15 nationally.
Heffernan's Return
The 12th-ranked 149-pounder Colin Heffernan (11-2) wrestled for the first time since the Reno Tournament of Champions Dec. 20, but picked up his second loss of the season against the third-ranked 149-pound wrestler in the country, Missouri's Lavion Mayes (18-0). Heffernan took Mayes into overtime, but eventually lost 5-4.
Heffernan has recently suffered from multiple injuries, including a viral infection which sidelined the redshirt sophomore for the start of the new year.
What’s Next
The Chippewas begin a three-meet road stretch Friday in Ann Arbor against No. 10 Michigan. CMU lost to the Wolverines 30-3 in McGuirk Arena last season. The team then travels to Iowa, making stops in Cedar Falls to wrestle conference foe Northern Iowa Jan. 29 and in Aimes to face 14th-ranked Iowa State Jan. 31.
Results
| (125) | Brent Fleetwood | 3 | > | No. 8 Barlow McGhee | 9 |
| (133) | Corey Keener | 4 | > | No. 9 Zach Synon | 5 |
| (141) | No. 14 Zach Horan | 1 | > | No. 5 Matt Manley | 2 |
| (149) | No. 12 Colin Heffernan | 4 | > | No. 3 Lavion Mayes | 5 |
| (157) | No. 15 Luke Smith | 3 | < | Le'Roy Barnes | 2 |
| (165) | Jordan Atienza | 0 | > | No. 6 Daniel Lewis | 11 |
| (174) | No. 11 Mike Ottinger | 3 | < | No. 9 Blaise Butler | 2 |
| (184) | Jordan Ellingwood | Tech. Fall | > | No. 6 Willie Miklus | Tech. Fall |
| (194) | Jackson Lewis | 3 | > | No. 2 J'Den Cox | 16 |
| (285) | Newton Smerchek | 4 | < | James Romero | 0 |
