Jonce Blaylock enters his second season with the wrestling program in the 2020-21 season. Blaylock comes to Lindenwood after spending five seasons in the prestigious Oklahoma State University wrestling program.
In 2020-21, Blaylock helped guide the Lions to a third-place finish at the NCAA Division II National Championships. The Lions carried five wrestlers to the championship tournament in St. Louis, Mo., as all five earned All-American status. Abner Romero claimed the individual title at 174 pounds, after capping off a perfect season at 12-0. Lindenwood took second place in a controversial scoring method at the Super Regional, as four earned individual championships. The Lions took home its first-ever GLVC Championship title with a 32-8 win over No. 10 UIndy. Lindenwood was a perfect 5-0 in conference competition, and registered a perfect 5-0 record at home.
Lindenwood celebrated its senior class with a pair of wins in early February, as the Lions took down Kentucky Wesleyan and Central Missouri by a combined score of 108-3. The Lions traveled to Ames, Iowa to take on No. 13 Iowa State, and put up a good fight. Lindenwood won three matches in its only blemish on the schedule. The biggest dual of the regular season came on the first date of competition for the Lions, as Lindenwood took down No. 5 McKendree by a slim 19-18 margin.
Along with the five All-Americans, Lindenwood garnered 14 NWCA Scholar All-Americans. The Lions placed four wrestlers on the first-team All-GLVC squad, while three landed on the second-team, and three more on the third-team. Tim Bogar was the only Lindenwood wrestler to earn the GLVC Council of Presidents' Academic Excellence Award. The GLVC recognized two Lindenwood wrestlers as Brother James Gaffney Distinguished Scholars.
In 2019-20, Blaylock helped lead the Lions to a 9-4 overall record, and a 5-1 mark in conference play to take second place in the GLVC. Lindenwood finished third in the NCAA Regional, and entered the 2020 NCAA National Championships ranked seventh in the country.
The Lions tallied three first-place finishes at the Maryville Open, while 10 others earned a place of sixth or better. Tanner Hitchcock earned two pins and a 4-2 sudden victory over Marcus Povlik of McKendree to take the 133-pound title. Gavin Londoff claimed the lone championship for the Lions at the Missouri Valley Open. In the nine dual victories, the Lions outscored their opponents by an average of 34.7 to 6.9.
With seven national qualifiers, the Lions were prepared for a championship run. The 2020 NCAA National Championships was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, ending the season. Lindenwood closed out the season ranked No. 7 in the country, after spending 17 weeks ranked inside the top-10. The Lions placed seven wrestlers on the NWCA Division II Scholar All-American team, including national qualifiers Hitchcock and Smith.
The Lions claimed five NWCA All-Americans (Tanner Hichcock, Carlos Jacquez, Courvoisier Morrow, Abner Romero, and Colby Smith). Hithcock and Smith were named first-team All-GLVC, as Smith posted a perfect 13-0 record in his matches. Lindenwood compiled a total of eight all-conference selections.
Blaylock was a four-year letter winner with the Cowboys, accumulating 77 wins in his five years with the program. Blaylock was a part of five Big 12 team titles, and four top-10 team finishes at the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships. In 2017-18, Blaylock earned first-team all-academic Big 12 honors along with being named to the NWCA all-academic team.
In his high school career, Blaylock was a three-time state champion in the state of Oklahoma. Blaylock was a Cadet and Junior Freestyle All-American, and a Junior Folk Style All-American. A graduate of Berryhill High School, Blaylock competed at the Dapper Dan while representing the state of Oklahoma.
