On Sunday MU’s wrestling team competed at the 2015 National Duals Finals Championship against No. 1 ranking Iowa. The championship was held at the Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa. The championship pins the top two ranked teams against each other, and this year MU had their eyes set on this title all season.
Head Coach for the MU Tigers, Brian Smith, said after finishing in second and third place previous years the team’s goal was to take home the prize. This marks the first time the Tigers have been dual meet champions. Also, for the first time the Tigers are undefeated this season, with a 24-0 record.
“What I told my guys all week is, the phrase was, ‘How are you thinking? How yathinkin?’” Smith said. “And I would just walk up, ‘How yathinkin?’ and the team, well you could just see the focus in their eye.”
Smith said this is the most mentally tough team he has ever had.
In the ninth match of the championship sophmore J’den Cox beat Iowa’s Nathan Burak and at that point, Smith said, he knew MU won.
“I knew we had sealed the deal right there,” Smith said. “We were up by nine points going into the last match, and there’s no way Iowa could win.”
But for these Tigers this is just another win to check off for the season. The MU Tigers are now heading to the Mid-American Conference – or the MAC Championship. Head assistant coach Alex Clemsen is adamant about regrouping and remaining focused on the next competition.
“It means our guys have some momentum,” Clemsen said. “It means that they’ve faced another tough challenge, that they’ve been tested, and are battle proven. In terms of our goal of winning a MAC Championship it doesn’t mean a whole lot.”
Clemsen said the MAC Championship is a different format with new teams; it is a brand new competition.
The Tigers are set to compete again at the upcoming 2015 Mid-American Conference – or the MAC Championship on March 7 and 8.