Missouri Wrestling
DETROIT – The University of Missouri wrestling program sits in 14th place at the NCAA Championships inside Little Caesars Arena in Detroit after the tournament’s two sessions on Thursday. The Tigers advanced two wrestlers to the quarterfinals and five wrestlers to the second consolation round.
The returning All-American freshmen duo Keegan O’Toole and Rocky Elam both ended the first day of competition with a 2-0 record in the 165- and 197-pound weight classes, respectively.
O’Toole started his tournament off with a 52-second pin, the fastest of his career and the fastest of all falls in Session I. He followed up the performance in the second round by blanking No. 18 Anthony Valencia in a 7-0 decision for his second win over the Sun Devil 165-pounder this season.
Elam grinded out a pair of close decisions, first beating No. 26 Michael Foy by 4-2 decision and securing a 1-0 victory over No. 10 Yonger Bastida. Elam was previously winless on the season against Bastida.
The elder Zach Elam went 1-1 on the day after a first-round win left him with a matchup against the defending NCAA and Olympic champion Gable Steveson. Elam held strong into the second period before Steveson opened the score, finishing the match in a technical fall.
Junior Allan Hart won his first-round matchup against No. 24 Stevan Micic by 7-3 decision. He fell in the second round to No. 8 Grant Willits.
After dropping their first matches, redshirt sophomores Jeremiah Kent and Peyton Mocco both responded with bonus-point wins. Kent pinned No. 32 Colin McCracken in a tournament-best 42 seconds while Mocco advanced to Friday morning with a 15-6 major decision.
Hear from Coach
“We had a lot of tough matches that came down to needing a takedown late,” Head coach Brian Smith said. “I thought we responded well on the backside after dropping some tough first round matches. Jeremiah and Peyton got us some big bonus-point wins to help make up some points. Keegan and Rocky on the front side grinded out some good finishes to keep it going.”
Up Next
The Tigers continue the NCAA Championships on Friday with Sessions III and IV. The third session is set to begin at 10 a.m. CT on ESPNU and the fourth session will begin at 8 p.m. CT on ESPN.
Visit MUTigers.com for the latest information on all things Mizzou Wrestling. You can also find the Tigers on social media by liking us on Facebook (Mizzou Wrestling) and following us on Twitter and Instagram (@MizzouWrestling).
RESULTS | Attendance: 17,433
125 | Noah Surtin (18 seed) | 1-1
No. 15 Brody Teske over No. 18 Noah Surtin by 5-3 dec.
No. 18 Noah Surtin over No. 31 Antonio Lorenzo by 2-1 dec.
141 | Allan Hart (9 seed) | 1-1
No. 9 Allan Hart over No. 24 Stevan Micic (MICH) by 7-3 dec.
No. 8 Grant Willits (ORST) over No. 9 Allan Hart by 3-1 TB-1
149 | Josh Edmond (26 seed) | 0-2
No. 7 Joshua Heil (CAMP) over No. 26 Josh Edmond by 8-0 MD
No. 23 Jaden Abas (STAN) over No. 26 Josh Edmond by 9-3 dec.
157 | Jarrett Jacques (25 seed) | 0-2
No. 8 Will Lewan (MICH) over No. 25 Jarrett Jacques by 4-2 SV-2
No. 24 Doug Zapf (PENN) over No. 25 Jarrett Jacques by 2-1 SV-1
165 | Keegan O’Toole (2 seed) | 2-0
No. 2 Keegan O’Toole over No. 31 Caleb Fish (MSU) by fall (0:52)
No. 2 Keegan O’Toole over No. 18 Anthony Valencia (ASU) by 7-0 dec.
174 | Peyton Mocco (11 seed) | 1-1
No. 22 Mason Kauffman (NIU) over No. 11 Peyton Mocco by 3-1 dec.
No. 11 Peyton Mocco over No. 27 Sal Perrine (OHIO) by 15-6 MD
184 | Jeremiah Kent (17 seed) | 1-1
No. 16 Dakota Geer (OKST) over No. 17 Jeremiah Kent by fall (6:26)
No. 17 Jeremiah Kent over No. 32 Colin McCracken (KENT) by fall (0:42)
197 | Rocky Elam (7 seed) | 2-0
No. 7 Rocky Elam over No. 26 Michial Foy (MINN) by 4-2 dec.
No. 7 Rocky Elam over No. 10 Yonger Bastida (ISU) by 1-0 dec.
285 | Zach Elam (16 seed) | 1-1
No. 16 Zach Elam over No. 17 Trent Hillger (WIS) by 5-4 dec.
No. 1 Gable Steveson (MINN) over No. 16 Zach Elam by 23-8 TF
