J’den Cox on Hodge Trophy watch list, duo in East-West Shrine game

Missouri senior 197-pounder and two-time NCAA wrestling champion J’den Cox was picked as one of eight collegiate wrestlers for the preseason Dan Hodge Trophy watch list.

The watch list for the Hodge Trophy, which has been given annually since 1995 and is the college wrestling equivalent of the Heisman Trophy, was announced Friday in WIN Magazine.

Cox, who won an Olympic bronze medal in the 86-kilogram freestyle competition last August in Rio de Janeiro, hasn’t been shy about his quest to win the Hodge Trophy and is one of two seniors on the preseason watch list.

He was joined on by a trio of Ohio State wrestlers — sophomore 184-pounder Myles Martin, junior heavyweight Kyle Snyder and junior 133-pounder Nathan Tomasello — along with Cornell senior 184-pounder Gabe Dean, Oklahoma State junior 141-pounder Dean Heil, Illinois junior 165-pounder Isaiah Martinez and Penn State junior 149-pounder Zain Retherford.

Ben Askren, who won the Hodge Trophy in 2006 and 2007, is the only Tigers wrestler to win the award.

Augusta, Penton selected for East-West Shrine Game

Two Missouri seniors, cornerback Aarion Penton and defensive tackle Josh Augusta, have accepted invitations to play in the East-West Shrine Game.

Penton — who is tied for eighth in the Football Bowl Subdivision, averaging 1.42 passes defended per game, and tied for ninth with five interceptions — finished with 43 tackles, including a half-tackle for a loss last season.

Meanwhile, Augusta had 23 tackles, including four for a loss, with one sack. He also finished with 10 carries for 15 yards and two touchdowns rushing in the “Bone” package.

Augusta had yet to be added to the game’s online roster by noon Tuesday, but his agent confirmed the news.

Michaelis earns first career conference honor

Missouri senior guard Sierra Michaelis was chosen Tuesday as the SEC co-player of the week, marking the first such weekly honor of her career and first for a Tiger this season.

Michaelis averaged 19 points, six steals and five rebounds in two win last week for Mizzou, which was without sophomore guard Sophie Cunningham (back).

Against SIU-Edwardsville, Michaelis scored a season-high 24 points, including a career-high six three-pointers, with five rebounds and three steals.

During a win against Wichita State, Michaelis finished with 14 points, five rebounds, three assists and a career-high nine steals, which also is the most by any SEC player in a game this season.

Michaelis is one of four NCAA Division I players with nine steals in a game this season and the first Tiger to accomplish the feat since Tracy Franklin in 2001.

Mizzou divulges Haley’s salary

New Missouri defensive line coach Brick Haley will make $400,000, the university announced Tuesday.

Haley, who comes to the Tigers after two seasons at Texas, was hired last week to replace Jackie Shipp, who was fired in November.

During his first season with the Longhorns, Haley made $235,000, but he received a raise to $495,000 in May after drawing interest from Texas A&M.

This story was originally published December 13, 2016 at 12:57 PM with the headline "J’den Cox on Hodge Trophy watch list, duo in East-West Shrine game."