Missouri wrestling battles sickness and injuries and loses to Iowa State, 41-3.
No. 7 Missouri wrestling was dominated on the road against No. 5 Iowa State. The Cyclones won 41-3 and the result was never in doubt. Due to a sickness that ran through the team, Missouri had to replace most of its starters in order to wrestle against Iowa State. No. 1 Keegan O’Toole, No. 16 Kade Moore, No. 9 Rocky Elam, No. 13 Brock Mauller, No. 7 Noah Surtin and No. 14 Peyton Mocco were all replaced in the starting lineup. The loss drops Missouri to 10-4, while Iowa State improves to 13-2.
Missouri forfeited the first matchup at 125 pounds due to Surtin’s sickness and a lack of a replacement. Therefore, Iowa State started with a 6-0 lead over Missouri.
Missouri freshman Drew Stanfield replaced starting freshman Moore in the 133 weight category and was faced with a tough test against the No. 7 ranked wrestler Evan Frost. Frost took care of business, winning 19-3 by technical fall extending the Cyclone’s lead.
Iowa State’s Anthony Echemendia defeated Josh Edmond by decision, 10-9. Edmond had the lead for most of the match, scoring 7 of his 9 points in the first period. But Echemendia fought back and eventually took the lead in the closing minutes of the third period. Echemendia’s win extended Iowa State’s lead to 14-0.
Casey Swiderski beat Missouri’s Zeke Seltzer by technical fall, 20-4. Swiderski was in control the whole match, although Seltzer was able to keep it close until late in the third period when Swiderski broke away. Iowa State added another 5 points to their lead.
Iowa State freshman Cody Chittum won over James Conway by decision 11-4. It was freshman vs. freshman in this one as Chittum took down Conway three times on his way to the victory.
David Carr was supposed to face off against O’Toole, but O’Toole was unable to play due to sickness. Instead, Carr wrestled Jeremy Jakowitsch and made quick work of him, winning by fall in 2:11. It was a tough ask for sophomore Jakowitsch to fill the shoes of national champion O’Toole, but desperate times call for desperate measures. Carr’s win extended Iowa State’s lead to 28-0. Another Missouri defeat added 6 points to their lead shortly after.
The lone win for Missouri came in the form of an upset of No. 7 Will Feldkamp by Missouri’s Colton Hawks by decision, 12-8. Hawks kept it close until the end of the second period when he broke away and made his lead insurmountable. Hawks’ win cut into Iowa State’s lead and made it 34-3, but all that did was ensure Missouri didn’t get shutout.
Iowa State senior Julian Broderson defeated Jesse Cassatt by decision, 7-2. Broderson’s win brought the lead to 37-3 in favor of Iowa State.
Yonger Bastida put the nail in the coffin by defeating Zach Elam by major decision, 13-4. Elam was ranked No. 4 and Bastida was No. 3. However, it didn’t seem like a high-ranking match as Bastida outmuscled Elam throughout the match. Bastida finalized the score at 41-3.
Missouri will travel to Tulsa, Oklahoma for the Big 12 Championships on March 9 and 10. The Tigers have around 2 weeks to get healthy and prepare for the tournament.
Edited by Grace Ainger | gainger@themaneater.com
Copy edited by Sterling Sewell | ssewell@themaneater.com
Edited by Scout Hudson | shudson@themaneater.com