The Tigers once again dominated the Missouri Duals, going 3-0 to start the year. They had 20 different wrestlers compete with every expected starter sans Aeoden Sinclair get at least two matches. Five freshmen and the two high profile transfers made their dual debuts with the Tigers. They went 27-3 overall, with bonus points in 23 matches. While it’s early in the season and competition will ramp up, there were some takeaways from these matchups.
Cradles are still king in Columbia.
Since at least the arrival of Ben Askren to Mizzou, it seems like the Tigers have had wrestlers who have excelled with this pin. The Askrens, Jayden Eierman, Daniel Lewis, Keegan O’Toole, etc. That continued to show up with young talent in this dual with young wrestlers Mack Mauger, Zan Fugitt, Seth Mendoza, Kollin Rath, J Conway, Cash Cooley, Easton Hilton, David Gleason, and Logan Cole all looking to score with one. A Mizzou journalism student was covering their first wrestling event next to Morgan and I and asked if a cradle was Mizzou’s “signature move”. While I’m not sure how the national scene looks at cradles and Mizzou, I know that I’ve always associated the Tigers with getting pins with cradles.
Starters didn’t spend much time on the mat.
Mack Mauger, Gage Walker, Zan Fugitt, Seth Mendoza, Cam Steed, Luke Geog, and Jarrett Stoner all appear to be locked into their starting spots this season. Combined they competed in 14 matches, and only two went to decision. There was a total of two decisions, six techs, and six pins. Steed spent the least amount of time on the mat, spending just 49 seconds with his two quick pins. After that Mendoza was a flurry of offense, getting multiple takedowns and nearfall before both of his pins in just 2:43 total.
True freshmen had mixed results.
Of the 20 wrestlers that competed there were four true freshmen that made their collegiate debuts. Those four freshmen ended up going 2-2 with Demetri Carrera and Cash Cooley getting wins. Carrera had an entertaining match that saw a lot of offense and flurries he came out on top of. Cooley looked like a full size 197 and used methodical neutral offense to a stifling top game for the pin after going up 12-1.
Jason Hampton and Trey Craig both lost their debuts in tight decision losses against Maryville. Hampton had some nice offense, but struggled finishing the match and walked into some takedowns to drop his match against a solid opponent. Trey Craig was listed as a 197 and competed in high school at 190 but bumped up to heavyweight tonight. Word is that the plan for him is to bulk up to heavyweight but he still has some size to go. He had good movement against a large opponent, but shots from space left him underneath and in a tough spot to not give up takedowns.
Hampton has great length and explosiveness that makes him an intriguing prospect if he can round out some positions. Carrera won but similarly could use some work in scrambles, often ending up in prolonged positions he could win quicker. Cooley looked dominant and could be tough to keep out of the lineup for too long. Craig impressed me with his coachability, responding immediately to Coach Bradley’s input from the chair, which is always a trait I look out for in young developing talent.
Trouble with turks was a consistent issue.
It looked like the team has been working on getting to turks as we saw a lot of attempts, often straight off takedowns. A strong turn, it was a good sign to see the aggression and setups to get in good position. However, getting actual points off of them were hit and miss. One of the first things Coach Smith mentioned in the post match was their difficulty in getting the actual turn from the position. With the frequency of getting to that position however it is hopefully just a few small adjustments to start turning those into more frequent points and pins.
Kollin Rath makes his long awaited debut.
After well over a year, Kollin Rath finally trotted out in a Mizzou singlet to compete for the Tigers. The blue chipper ended up 2-0 with a pin and a major. It definitely looked like he was getting his feet back under him and getting timing back at times but for the most part it was a dominant outing. He showed great physicality and smart tactics on the edge, along with getting in on the run of cradles for points. He’ll have to hold off an exciting David Gleason, with both wrestlers getting a bigger challenge in two weeks at the Tiger Style Invite.
Schedule changes lead to training adjustments.
Another thing Coach Smith mentioned in the post match presser was an emphasis on more breaks between competitions this year compared to last. Last season the Tigers had Missouri Duals, Tiger Style Invite, National Duals, and a tough dual against Illinois all in November. Feeling like they were beat up early with a tough schedule, Coach Smith went lighter in the first semester with a bigger emphasis on live wrestling and time to make room adjustments between competition. Time will tell but an interesting note after injuries have had a big impact the past two seasons.
No clear favorite at 165 until the Invite.
Outside of 157, this weight class seems to be the only clearly contested spot between Danny Heiser and J Conway. Heiser filled in at 174 last season but an injury kept him off the mat until this summer, where he made the U20 finals in freestyle. An AWA grad, he’s got a high flying offense but can sometimes put himself in bad positions.
Conway is a former qualifier in 2025 at 157 and spot started at 165 last season. He’s always been a wrestler who has kept it close with top competition and knocked off some ranked wrestlers but hasn’t broken through as a podium threat. He’s strong and has diversified his offense and turns in recent years. Both looked good in their matches here with maybe a slight nod to Conway getting two matches to one. Coach Smith says we’ll get a clearer picture at the Tiger Style Invite once competition ramps up, but this could go on throughout the season.
Westpfahl takes a tough loss but teachable moment.
Steed has struggled with injuries in his career so having a solid backup is important and has been an issue over the years. Westpfahl is looking like the main backup and had one of the tougher matches of the night. Roman Garcia of CMU is a three-time NAIA All-American and gave Maxx Mayfield a tough 4-2 match last season.
Garcia shut down any offense from Westpfahl, and heavy handfighting had him tired in overtime. Westpfahl had some solid attempts but Garcia used big moves to threaten him that seemed to make him more hesitant. Westpfahl has better offense than he showed in this match, so hopefully it can be a stepping stone for him in the future as he could get some spot starts this year.
#10 Missouri 46 | Central Methodist 3
125: #21 Mack Mauger Tech Riley Bettich (19-4 6:09)
133: Hank Benter Fall Corbin Porter (3:53)
141: #12 Zan Fugitt Fall Jermarcus Thomas (2:58)
149: Demetri Carrera Maj. Kyron Zoet (14-2)
157: Kollin Rath Fall Brayden Forman (4:55)
165: #29 J Conway Tech Drake Jenkins (17-2 4:52)
174: Roman Garcia Dec. Peyton Westpfahl (SV-1 4-1)
184: Kolten Oborny Dec. Griffin Ray (3-0)
197: Cash Cooley Fall Kaden Cryer (2:59)
285: #20 Jarrett Stoner Tech Sam Nam (17-2 3:20)
#10 Missouri 44 | Maryville 6
125: Elijah Almarinez Dec. Jason Hampton (12-9)
133: #12 Gage Walker Tech Yash Amen (18-3 6:47)
141: Easton Hilton Fall Hudson Hackbarth (2:53)
149: #15 Seth Mendoza Fall Kade King (1:09)
157: David Gleason Fall Keyton King (2:03)
165: Danny Heiser Tech Dayne Garcia-Stormer (17-2 1:29)
174: #3 Cam Steed Fall Efosa Osayande (0:32)
184: Logan Cole Tech Lyndon Thies (18-2 4:29)
197: #10 Luke Geog Tech Cayden Byrd (17-2 2:31)
285: Orest Nazarchuk Dec. Trey Craig (8-3)
#10 Missouri 47 | Central Missouri 0
125: #21 Mack Mauger Fall Hayden Mills (0:57)
133: #12 Gage Walker Dec. Drew Stanfield (6-1)
141: #12 Zan Fugitt Dec. James Wright (7-2)
149: #15 Seth Mendoza Fall Garrett Lyons (1:34)
157: Kollin Rath Maj. Jack Ferguson (16-4)
165: #29 J Conway Maj. Xerarch Tungjaroenkul (18-5)
174: #3 Cam Steed Fall Colin McAlister (0:17)
184: Logan Cole Dec. Tristan Waters (10-3)
197: #10 Luke Geog Inj. Def. Paul Hernandez (1:37)
285: #20 Jarrett Stoner Tech Torin Forsyth (16-1 7:00)