Brian Smith Head Coach | Curators of the University of Missouri
Brian Smith Head Coach | Curators of the University of Missouri
No. 23 Missouri wrestling will face No. 20 West Virginia on Sunday, Jan. 26 at noon in Columbia, Missouri, closing out a five-match home stretch at Mizzou Arena. The match is set to be streamed on UFC Fight Pass.
Missouri recently earned a 21-15 victory over Arizona State, marking its second consecutive win. Redshirt sophomore Kade Moore achieved an upset win by major decision over No. 23 Julian Chlebove at 133 pounds and was awarded the Outstanding Wrestler belt presented by UFC Fight Pass after besting Chlebove 13-3 for his first dual win of the season.
Other notable performances included redshirt junior Josh Edmond (141), who won by major decision against Danial Miranda, and Joel Mylin (174), who stepped up from his usual weight class to secure an 11-1 major decision over Javani Majoor. Cam Steed made his return at 165 pounds and claimed victory by injury default over No. 17 Nicco Ruiz after leading the match early.
Head coach Brian Smith commented on recent lineup changes due to injuries: "Most recently, Tiger Style was forced to announce it will be without 184-pound starter and two-time NCAA qualifier Colton Hawks for the time being." He added, "Head coach Brian Smith announced that senior Rocky Elam, who has been combating multiple injuries, will not wrestle this season on Jan. 2." Smith also noted that Keegan O'Toole is recovering from an earlier injury and will miss January but is expected back for postseason competition.
The Tigers have dominated their previous four meetings with West Virginia, holding a perfect record in the series and outscoring the Mountaineers significantly since their first matchup in the 2003-04 season.
In national rankings, Missouri stands at No. 23 in the National Wrestling Coaches Association Poll with six of ten wrestlers ranked by InterMat and FloWrestling. Keegan O'Toole remains high in individual rankings despite his absence due to injury.
After completing their homestand against West Virginia, Missouri will travel to Oklahoma for matches against No. 22 Oklahoma and No. 3 Oklahoma State in early February.
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