Seven critical keys to get most out of training
Photo: Heavy tire lifting can be an effective overall-body exercise for wrestlers....
This page is a preview of the 197-pound weight class at the 2015 NCAA Division I Championships, which will be held March 19-21 in the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Mo.
Missouri’s J’den Cox made history when he became just the fifth all-time Tiger to claim an NCAA championship … and the native of Columbia, Mo., still has three national tournaments to wrestle. For Cox was just a true freshman when he stunned top-seed Nick Heflin of Ohio State for his first national title.
This season, the undefeated Cox has continued his winning ways, including five matches at heavyweight in dual competition. Most recently, Cox defeated Iowa’s Nathan Burak to clinch the National Duals championship for his team, then added a second MAC title.
Potentially the biggest challenge for Cox could be someone he has yet to face in college: Iowa State’s two-time All-American Kyven Gadson. The senior from Waterloo, Iowa, has only lost once this winter — that coming against Nebraska’s Spencer Johnson at the Southern Scuffle — but the Cyclone captured both the Las Vegas Invitational and his third Big 12 championship.
Four wrestlers from the Big Ten should also challenge for the crown: