Brian Smith Head Coach | Curators of the University of Missouri
Brian Smith Head Coach | Curators of the University of Missouri
The University of Missouri wrestling team, ranked No. 25, completed the first day of competition at the NCAA Wrestling Championships in Philadelphia on Thursday. The Tigers finished with four wins, highlighted by performances from Keegan O'Toole, Cam Steed, and J Conway.
Keegan O'Toole advanced to the quarterfinals in the 174-pound division after securing a fall over Rider's Michael Wilson and a comeback decision against Stanford's Lorenzo Norman. Cam Steed earned a win in the first round at 165 pounds but later moved to the consolation bracket following a loss to Cam Amine. J Conway picked up a victory in the consolation pigtail bout at 157 pounds before being eliminated by Cobe Siebrecht of South Dakota State.
In opening matches, Kade Moore (133), Conway (157), and Colton Hawks (184) were defeated by technical fall, while Josh Edmond (141) lost in overtime. In the evening session, Moore was eliminated by Anthony Noto, and Edmond dropped his second match in sudden victory.
Steed recorded his fourth decision win of the season at 165 pounds; his other victories have been bonus point wins. Both Steed and O'Toole faced opponents from new conferences this season—Southern Conference for Steed and Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association for O'Toole. O'Toole’s pin against Wilson marked his third fall this year, while his decision over Norman was only his third non-bonus-point win among 18 total victories.
Missouri will have only one wrestler—O'Toole—in the quarterfinal round, which is their lowest representation since 2012 when Brent Haynes was their sole quarterfinalist. Edmond ended his season with five overtime matches and a record of two wins and three losses in those bouts. O'Toole has now reached the quarterfinals for five consecutive seasons and is close to tying a program record for All-American honors.
The championships continue Friday at Wells Fargo Center with sessions starting at 11 a.m. CT and again at 7 p.m., featuring quarterfinals, wrestle-backs, blood round matches to determine All-Americans, consolation rounds, and semifinals.
Missouri’s results through two sessions are as follows:
- Kade Moore (133) went 0-2.
- Josh Edmond (141) went 0-2.
- J Conway (157) finished 1-2.
- Cam Steed (165) is 1-1.
- Keegan O'Toole (174) remains undefeated at 2-0.
- Colton Hawks (184) went 0-2.
O'Toole continues to compete for an All-American spot as Missouri looks ahead to day two of competition.
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