No. 5 Missouri lost a dual meet for the second time this season, falling 18-17 at No. 3 North Carolina State on Sunday afternoon. The Tigers won five out of 10 matches, and two individual wrestlers helped Missouri close the gap by scoring bonus points to make the match a nail-biter.
Starting off at 125 pounds, sophomore Barlow McGhee had no trouble defeating No. 20 Sean Fausz 5-2. McGhee once again scored a decisive takedown in the third period to clinch the win and started Missouri off with the lead.
That lead didn’t last long with 133-pounder Zach Synon losing 3-0 to Jamal Morris. And at 141 pounds, No. 7 junior Matt Manley lost a close match to No. 3 Kevin Jack. Manley scored a late reversal in the third period, but Jack countered with his own right after, defeating Manley in a high-intensity bout.
Junior Lavion Mayes remained undefeated and helped the Tigers reclaim the lead after winning by major decision 14-4 against Beau Donahue at 149 pounds. Mayes scored a near fall in the first period and followed with several takedowns in the second and third periods.
Senior Le’Roy Barnes, at 157 pounds, wrestled an impressive match but was unable to defeat Tommy Gantt, losing 5-2. Gantt is undefeated this season, clinching the victory before Barnes could follow through with his comeback late in the third period.
At 165 pounds, redshirt freshman Daniel Lewis won 6-1 over No. 6 Max Rohskopf. The win was an impressive upset for Lewis, who has won six times this season over ranked opponents. Senior Blaise Butler, at 174 pounds, followed Lewis with a dominating win over Nicky Hall to put the Tigers up 14-9.
Sophomore 184-pounder Willie Miklus lost a disappointing match 11-0 to Pete Renda. This was Miklus’ first weekend back after taking two meets off because of a hurt ankle.
Junior J’Den Cox next defeated Malik McDonald 5-1 at 197 pounds to hold onto the Tigers’ lead. Only one bout remained, and NC State needed a pin or technical fall to beat Missouri. The Wolfpack’s Nick Gwiazdowski, a two-time national champion, got the job done, defeating freshman James Romero 17-1 and giving the win to NC State 18-17.
The Tigers will find out their opponent in the National Wrestling Coaches Association late Sunday or early Monday. Missouri will visit a Big 10 school for a singular dual match in the first round.