Missouri wrestlers’ victories send them to NCAA quarterfinals

Two Missouri wrestlers reached the quarterfinals with a pair of victories Thursday during the NCAA Division I wrestling championships at Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City.

Top-seeded 149-pounder Drake Houdashelt roughed up South Dakota State’s Alex Kocer in the first round with a 12-3 major decision.

Houdashelt, a junior, then punched his ticket to the quarterfinals with a 13-0 major decision No. 16 seed Alexander Richardson of Old Dominion.

Second-seeded J’den Cox, a freshman 197-pounder, also reached the quarterfinals. He started his NCAA tourney career by topping Illinois’ Mario Gonzalez, who won a wrestle-in for a spot in the bracket, 10-4.

Cox then rocked Purdue’s Braden Atwood 19-6 to reach the quarterfinals.

Meanwhile, freshman 133-pounder Matt Manley claimed a 7-5 sudden-victory upset against the No. 16 seed, Kent State’s Mackenzie McGuire, in the opening round, but he lost against No. 1 Joe Colon of Northern Iowa in the second round.

No. 14 seed Joey LaVallee, a freshman 157-pounder, also won his first-round match, beating Duke’s Immanuel Kerr-Brown 10-3, before falling against the No. 3 seed Alex Dieringer of Oklahoma State in the second round.

Finally, redshirt freshman 141-pounder Lavion Mayes fell in the first round, but he remained alive with a 15-5 major decision against Utah Valley’s Avery Garner in the consolation bracket.

Senior Zach Toal (165) and juniors Mikey England (174) and Devin Mellon (285) were eliminated.

This story was originally published March 20, 2014 at 9:59 PM with the headline "Missouri wrestlers’ victories send them to NCAA quarterfinals."