The No. 13 Missouri wrestling team came into the weekend with hopes of positioning itself for a Big 12 Conference championship, with a pair of tilts against top 10 squads on the horizon, but after Saturday’s 22-12 dual-meet loss to No. 1 Oklahoma State, Missouri was left trying to find the silver lining in a hard-fought loss, which dropped them to 2-2 in conference play.
“I was pleased with some of the matches and the way we battled, but at this time of the year you have to win those matches,” coach Brian Smith said. “If you want to be an All-American or national champion, you have to win those battles.”
Redshirt freshman No. 16 Drake Houdashelt, weighing in at 157 pounds, got the Tigers off to a fast start with a victory over No. 13 Albert White of Oklahoma State. The two wrestled to a scoreless first period, but Houdashelt managed a takedown in the second frame to put him in front, and that was all he needed.
“Houdashlet is just Mr. Consistency,” Smith said. “His match was a positive for us today.”
Missouri extended the lead to 6-0 with a victory from sophomore Zach Toal at 165 pounds. Toal came into the matched ranked No. 20 in the country and improved his record to 20-4 with a 5-4 victory over Oklahoma State’s Dallas Bailey.
No. 3 Chris Perry got Oklahoma State on the board, continuing his undefeated season with a 6-2 decision against Missouri senior Dorian Henderson.
After wrestling to a 2-2 tie through regulation, Missouri junior No. 15 Mike Larson was upset by unranked Chris McNeil at 184 pounds. McNeil scored a takedown in sudden victory to earn a 4-2 decision, leveling the score at 6-6.
Missouri got back on track with a victory at 197 pounds from junior No. 11 Brent Haynes over No. 7 Blake Rosholt of OSU. Haynes took control of the match after Rosholt suffered an apparent knee injury in the first frame. The Tigers took a 9-6 lead into the intermission on the 10-4 decision from Haynes.
In the heavyweight division, Oklahoma State’s No. 2 Alan Gelogaev jumped out to an early lead on Missouri redshirt freshman Devin Mellon. The Cowboy heavyweight was warned by officials for a slap to the face of Mellon, which drew blood, causing numerous stops throughout the remainder of the 10-5 Gelogaev win.
“I knew it was going to be a fight,” Mellon said. “He’s a different style of wrestler, but I definitely think he got nervous. I don’t care when it is, I want to beat him.”
Sophomore Alan Waters, the highest ranked Missouri wrestler, took care of business at 125 pounds against No. 12 Jon Morrison in a heated 4-0 decision that gave the Tigers a 12-9 lead.
“I feel like I was kind of in a slump the last couple of weeks,” Waters said. “It felt good to pull out of that and get ready for the national tournament.”
That lead wouldn’t last long. No. 2 Jordan Olver made quick work of Missouri junior Nathan McCormick at 133 pounds, recording a fall in the first period of grappling. Oklahoma State followed up that six-point match with another three points at 141 pounds after No. 13 Josh Kindig outlasted Missouri junior Nicholas Hucke.
The Cowboys finished off the Tigers with a win at 149 pounds to cap off a 21-12 victory. Oklahoma State improved to 12-0 on the season.
“Effort is what wins at this time of the year, and that’s what we need to improve on,” Smith said. “There were no surprises with Oklahoma State. That’s a tough team, and they are going to be a tough out in the NCAA tournament.”
Missouri continues Big 12 play Sunday with a home match against No. 10 Oklahoma. The dual will get under way at 1 p.m. at the Hearnes Center.