In a tough stretch in the Sooner State, No. 20 Missouri traveled to Stillwater and Norman, Oklahoma to face No. 3 Oklahoma State and No. 22 Oklahoma. The Tigers concluded the weekend road trip to the Sooner State with a 23-13 loss on Saturday and a 36-3 loss on Sunday. With this result, Missouri’s record now stands at 5-9 overall, and 4-3 in the Big 12. Oklahoma State remains unbeaten at 12-0, and 9-0 in the Big 12 while Oklahoma is 7-4 overall, and 3-4 in the Big 12.

Missouri vs Oklahoma

At 125 pounds, No. 31 Gage Walker dropped a match to Oklahoma’s No. 26 Antonio Lorenzo, 4-1. At 133 pounds, Kade Moore lost to Cleveland Belton, 11-5. At 141 pounds, No.16 Josh Edmond dropped a tight 6-4 match to No.18 Mosha Schwartz. At 149 pounds,  Logan Gioffre lost to No.11 Willie McDougald in a sudden victory, 5-2. 

The Tigers bounced back at 157 pounds, as No. 28 James Conway defeated Landyn Sommer, 8-2 earning three points. At 165 pounds, No.15 Cam Steed tops the Sooners’ Tate Picklo by a major decision, 13-3, earning four points. At 174 pounds, Joel Mylin lost by fall to No. 8 Gaven Sax. 

At 184 pounds, Jeremy Jakowitsch dropped his match to No. 20 DJ Parker by technical fall, losing 23-4. At 197 pounds, Missouri still didn’t give up. Jesse Cassatt earned the takedown in sudden victory to defeat Seth Seago, 4-1 making the score 10-23. At heavyweight, Seth Nitzel continued the momentum as he secured a ranked win over No. 27 Juan Mora, 8-1

Although the Tigers lost by 10 to the Sooners on Saturday, Missouri still kept the match in reach, picking up wins in three out of 10 matches, with bonus points coming in one of the victories.

Missouri vs Oklahoma State 

At 125 pounds, Walker was defeated by No. 3 Troy Spratley by a major decision, losing 10-1. At 133 pounds, Moore fell to No.13 Reece Witcraft by decision, 6-3. At 141 pounds, Edmond earned the lone victory for the Tigers over Kolter Burton, 11-4, preventing a shutout and keeping the score to 7-3. At 149 pounds, Gioffre was defeated by No. 12 Carter Young, 11-4.

At 157 pounds, Conway dropped a tightly contested battle against No. 9 Caleb Fish with a 5-1 final score. At 165 pounds, Steed loses the closest match of the day to No. 6 Cameron Amine, 2-1. At 174 pounds, The Cowboy’s No. 3 Dean Hamiti Jr. secured a technical fall over Mylin, losing 19-4.

At 184 pounds, Aeoden Sinclair was defeated by No. 3 Dustin Plott by a major decision, 18-7. At 197 pounds, The Cowboys’ No. 7 Luke Surber achieved a technical fall over Cassatt, 23-6. At heavyweight, No. 29 Jarrett Stoner lost by fall to No. 3 Wyatt Hendrickson.

Takeaways 

Missouri’s trip to the Sooner State was an uphill battle and the Tigers’ struggles were evident in the losses to Oklahoma and Oklahoma State. While a few individual performances showed promise, there was a noticeable lack of consistency throughout the lineup. Walker faced tough opponents in both matches but struggled to generate much offense. On Saturday, he lost 4-1 to Oklahoma’s Lorenzo. The next day he lost 10-1 to Oklahoma State’s Spratley. Moore couldn’t match the pace set by his Sooner and Cowboy opponents, falling 11-5 and 6-3 in his respective clashes.

Edmond fought hard but came up short in a narrow 6-4 loss to Oklahoma’s Schwartz. His performance was reflective of Missouri’s issues across the board — competitive but ultimately outpaced. Gioffre lost both of his matches in heartbreaking fashion, including an overtime loss against Oklahoma’s McDougald. The sudden victory loss defined the Tigers’ inability to seize momentum when it was within their grasp.

On the bright side, Conway and Steed provided bright spots for Missouri. Conway bounced back to secure an 8-2 win over Sommers, while Steed delivered a commanding 13-3 major decision. Missouri’s inability to capitalize on those victories at key points left them trailing in the duals. The larger issue was in the middle of the lineup, where wrestlers like Mylin and Jakowitsch were pinned or lost by technical falls, contributing to the overall margin of defeat.

The team’s collective struggle in tight matches and its inability to convert opportunities into bonus points were significant factors in its back-to-back losses. 

The Tigers look to regroup and prepare for their last meet before the Big 12 championship as they travel back home to face No. 13 Iowa State at noon on Feb. 22.

Edited by Michael Stamps | mstamps@themaneater.com

Copy edited by Natalie Kientzy | nkientzy@themaneater.com 

Edited by Emily Skidmore | eskidmore@themaneater.com