Missouri wrestling became the reigning champions after winning the Big 12 Wrestling Championship since its nine-year hiatus from the conference. The Tigers have now won 11 straight conference titles dating back to 2012.
No. 1 freshman Keegan O’Toole, 165 pounds, dominated his weight class and went home a champion. In the championship matchup against No. 2 West Virginia sophomore Peyton Hall, O’Toole held his lead to defeat Hall 13-7.
O’Toole, a fan favorite, expanded his perfect season record and was able to show growth since finishing first in the Mid-American Conference last year. He looks to take the title at the NCAA Wrestling Championship this year after falling in the quarterfinals last year.
Head coach Brian Smith was named Big 12 Coach of the Year, which he was also awarded after Missouri won the 2012 Big 12 Wrestling Championship.
After falling in their finals matches, No. 4 redshirt junior Allan Hart, No. 6 redshirt sophomore Peyton Mocco and redshirt sophomore No. 6 Jeremiah Kent finished second in their respective weight classes.
Hart, 141 pounds, faced Northern Colorado No. 3 sophomore Andrew Alirez in the weight class’ final matchup. Hart looked visibly tired as Alirez got a takedown right away. Alirez continued getting points from a locked hands call and the riding time point heading into the second period. Hart was unable to come back from this and lost 6-4.
In his final match, Mocco, 174 pounds, wrestled Oklahome State No. 1 sophomore Dustin Plott. Mocco started strong, looking for points of attack to get ahead of Plott and led 3-2 in the third. However, Plott pulled ahead in the last few seconds to win 4-3.
Kent, 184 pounds, struggled to find an advantage over Northern Iowa No. 1 redshirt freshman Parker Keckeisen in the final matchup. Keckeisen kept Kent on the mat to win 13-3.
Redshirt senior Connor Brown, 133 pounds, clinched seventh place after defeating No. 3 South Dakota State sophomore Gabriel Tagg, 16-7. Brown visibly wanted this win and attacked more than he had all season. Brown defeated three ranked wrestlers in his matches, leading to his seventh place victory. The success is huge for the senior who missed the Mid-American Conference championship last season due to an ankle injury.
No. 4 freshman Josh Edmond, 149 pounds, won fifth place after his match against Air Force Academy junior Dylan Martinez ended with him winning 17-8. Edmond typically wrestles at 141, but Missouri coaches wanted to give Hart a chance to wrestle this season, leaving Edmond to wrestle at 149 pounds so that both wrestlers could compete.
No. 4 junior Jarrett Jacques, 157 pounds, was able to secure fifth place after defeating UNI No. 7 redshirt junior Derek Holschlag, 3-1, in sudden victory.
No. 5 freshman Rocky Elam, 197 pounds, defeated Oklahoma No. 3 redshirt senior Jake Woodley, 6-1, to take third place.
No. 2 redshirt sophomore Zach Elam, 285 pounds, took third place after defeating Iowa State No. 3 redshirt senior Sam Schuyler 6-1. Z. Elam’s win ensures he will be one of the three 285-pound wrestlers from the Big 12 Conference to go to the NCAA Wrestling Championship later this month.
Other teams in attendance in rank order were Oklahoma, Iowa State, Oklahoma State, Northern Iowa, South Dakota State, North Dakota State, West Virginia, Wyoming, Air Force, Northern Colorado and Utah Valley.
The Tigers were looking for a change of pace when they left the MAC and found that in the Big 12. After dominating the MAC for nine years, Missouri was looking for better competition and a chance to grow as a team. While they won the title, this season was not without tough losses that the team did not see in the MAC.
The Tigers will travel to Detroit, MI, for the NCAA Wrestling Championships March 17-March 19. Edited by Riley Gearhart | rgearhart@themaneater.com