Journeymen Wrestling hosted the Hustle in the Heartland Invite in St. Charles, Missouri. No. 12 Mizzou, No. 6 Nebraska, Brown University and Long Island University were the four teams in attendance. The Tigers faced the LIU Sharks first and finished Friday night against the Cornhuskers.
Mizzou went 1-1, shutting out the Sharks and then struggling against Nebraska. The Tigers now sit at 6-5 in duals on the season.
All rankings are according to InterMat.
LIU Dual
Mizzou claimed its first and only team win of the
night in shutout fashion, downing the Sharks 42-0.
Here are the bouts that provided the most intrigue:
At 125lbs, No. 22 Mack Mauger started the Tigers off strong per usual, with a 14-3 major decision victory over unranked Sawyer Ostroff. The redshirt freshman had four successful takedowns, having multiple successful cuts and releases throughout.
No. 18 Zeke Seltzer took an 11-3 major decision win against unranked Amir Avazov at 141lbs. He started the bout hot with two takedowns in the first period and nearly stalled out Avazov to close out the match.
The closest bout of the dual against the Sharks came at 157lbs. No. 18 J Conway went to extra time in his bout with unranked Brayden Roberts. He scored the winning takedown 11 seconds into extra time to secure the 4-1 decision victory.
The 165 to 184lbs groups for Mizzou all claimed tech fall finishes. No. 18 Max Mayfield returned to the lineup after missing the Illinois dual on Nov. 24. The graduate transfer wrestling at 165lbs for the Tigers took a 21-6 win over unranked Jordan Barry.
No. 17 Evan Bates (197lbs) secured Mizzou its only victory by fall against the Sharks. He made quick work of unranked John Dusza, pinning him in 18 seconds.
Nebraska Dual
For the first time since the 2015-16 season, the Tigers and Cornhuskers met on the mat for a dual. Nebraska proved to be deserving of its ranking, handing Mizzou a 27-10 loss.
Here are the bouts that provided the most intrigue:
At 149lbs for the Tigers, No. 14 Joshua Edmond finished the invite 2-0 with a 16-8 major decision win over unranked Scott Robertson. Nebraska’s No. 6-ranked wrestler at 149lbs, Chance Lamar, did not compete in either of the Cornhuskers’ duals.
I identified the 184lbs and 197 lbs groups as the swing matches for Mizzou that it could likely win. Both No. 2 Aeoden Sinclair (184lbs) and Bates took decision victories. They were not the swing matches they had the potential to be due to the Tigers struggling in the lighter weight classes.
Sinclair continues to perform against high-ranked opponents, defeating No. 7 Silas Allred this time around. Going up to Bates’ territory, he had the biggest upset for Mizzou, taking down No. 10 Camden McDanel after securing the lone takedown of the bout in the second period.
No. 12 Cam Steed (174lbs) was still out of the lineup with an apparent leg injury, leaving true freshman Danny Heiser as the starter in both duals. He went 1-1, falling to No. 6 Christopher Minto by a 19-4 tech fall in the Nebraska dual.
Losses at 125 and 165lbs will leave a bad taste in the mouths of the coaching staff and fans alike. Even so, the Tigers clearly have some National contenders on the roster as Big 12 play approaches. First, the Tigers will participate in the Cougar Clash in Edwardsville, Illinois, on Sunday, Dec. 7.
