Author James S.A. Corey once said, “You know who talks about moral victories? The team that lost.” He’s not wrong because there were plenty of moral victories for No. 14 Tigers Style in a 20-14 loss to No. 4 Iowa State.
Mizzou looked strong, particularly strong from 141lbs-184lbs and two of those bouts were losses. Easton Hilton staked his claim as the future at 141lbs by wrestling Anthony Echemendia close and true freshman Seth Mendoza made one of the biggest upsets of the season against Jacob Frost.
Head coach Brian Smith is likely going to want some losses back, such as the ones at 133lbs and 157lbs. As the Tigers were blown away by the Cyclones, so was the regular season. Mizzou finished the 2025-26 campaign 12-8 overall and 5-3 in Big 12 competition.
All individual rankings are according to InterMat.
197
No. 13 R-SR Evan Bates (MIZ) defeated by No. 2 SR Rocky Elam (ISU) via decision 7-3
The dual started at 197lbs in a battle between Bates, a Northwestern transfer in his first season with Mizzou, and Elam, a four-time NCAA qualifier in his time with the Tigers before transferring to the Cyclones. Elam is yet to be defeated this season.
Bates had an opportunity to upset Elam, with the score standing at 3-3 after he grasped both of Elam’s legs and got behind him for the takedown. Elam capitalized on an unsuccesful single leg shot by Bates and countered with a single leg of his own for the takedown. Iowa State captured a 3-0 lead.
285
FR Sampson Stillwell (MIZ) defeated by No. 1 SR Yonger Bastida (ISU) via tech fall 22-6
Stillwell made his first career start in place of Jarrett Stoner against the top-ranked heavyweight. All things considered, he put up a strong fight.
There wasn’t a feeling that Stillwell was scared on the mat. He tried to be aggressive, but multiple attack attempts ended in Bastida flipping the script on him. Bastida didn’t secure the tech until the third period, and Stillwell escaped every takedown to avoid a pin. Iowa State improved to an 8-0 lead.
125
No. 30 R-FR Mack Mauger (MIZ) defeated by No. 10 SR Stevo Poulin (ISU) via decision 9-4
After being dominated for the majority of the bout, Mauger escaped into a takedown to rack up all four of his points in the third period and avoided giving up any bonus points. Mauger showed some fight, but Pulin’s defense proved too sturdy to break through until the end of the match.
Poulin had 1:28 of riding time in the bout, earning the point. It seemed like Mauger found rhythm at the end of each period, but couldn’t carry it over. Iowa State’s lead grew to 11-0.
133
No. 28 SO Gage Walker (MIZ) defeated by JR Garrett Grice (ISU) via decision 7-3
This is one that Mizzou is going to want back. The Cyclones usual starter, No. 4 Evan Frost, didn’t compete in the dual, leaving the door open for Walker.
Grice overpowered him for much of the bout. Walker threw a lot of fakes out while Grice simply applied pressure to earn early takedowns in the first and second periods. Grice had 1:11 of riding time, adding to his pair of takedowns. Iowa State began to run away with the match at 14-0.
141
R-JR Easton Hilton (MIZ) defeated by No. 3 SR Anthony Echemendia (ISU) via decision 3-2
In what could’ve been the biggest upset of the college wrestling season, Hilton made a powerful claim as the 141lbs favorite for the Tigers going into the Big 12 Championships. Echemendia jumped out to an early 3-0 lead after a double leg takedown in the first minute of action, but Hilton had solid defense onward.
Hilton got into many disadvantageous holds and stayed composed until stalemates. There were glimpses of takedown opportunities, but the No. 3 wrestler scrambled free easily. Iowa State’s lead stood at 17-0.
149
FR Seth Mendoza (MIZ) over No. 10 JR Jacob Frost (ISU) via decision 8-2
Mendoza carried the momentum that Hilton provided in the previous bout to a huge upset over Frost. The true freshman earned the start over Joshua Edmond, and after that performance, he’s unlikely to let go.
After a successful first two periods where Mendoza held a 7-1 lead, he shifted to a defensive mindset that helped him secure the win. On his first takedown, he swept the single leg into a position where he had both of Frost’s ankles above his head before he brought him down. If Mendoza stays consistent, he could be a dark horse in the postseason. Mizzou trailed 17-3.
157
No. 15 R-SR Teague Travis (MIZ) defeated by No. 7 SR Vinny Zerban (ISU) via decision 5-3
At this point in the season, we know what to expect from most of the Tigers’ starters, even a second-semester enrollee like Travis. Despite the final score, the match wasn’t close. Travis failed to get on the attack and was on the wrong end of riding time.
Zerban earned a takedown 40 seconds into the first period after a long scramble, where he seized Travis’ leg. The score remained 3-1 going into the second period. Travis started on top in the second and allowed the lone point of the period to Zerban on the escape. Not much went down in the final period. Zerban dominated riding time and gave up a stalling point as Travis tried to make a takedown in the final minute. Iowa State regained its 17-point margin at 20-3.
165
GR Max Mayfield (MIZ) over No. 14 JR Connor Euton (ISU) via decision 8-6
In the return of “Mad Max,” he made it clear that the 165lbs division is his. J Conway filled in admirably while Mayfield was out, but the latter gives the Tigers the best chance in the postseason.
Mayfield got down 3-1 after the first period before turning up the intensity in the second. He escaped from bottom position and claimed a 5-3 lead after making a single leg takedown. The third period began with Mayfield up 5-4. Euton evened things up with an initial escape, but Mayfield got his hips cradled and swept him off his feet for the winning takedown. The match score moved to 20-6, and Iowa State clinched the win despite Mayfield’s victory.
174
No. 9 R-JR Cam Steed (MIZ) over No. 12 JR MJ Gaitan (ISU) via decision 4-3
Steed seems to always wrestle his best as the postseason rolls around. There was a patience to his approach against Gaitan that he doesn’t always have. Sometimes Steed shows visible frustration, but he waits for his moment to strike, and it tends to pay off.
The bout was scoreless going into the second period, before Gaitan took the lead with an escape from bottom position. No more points were scored in the period after a lot of hand-fighting on both sides. Steed evened the score with an escape from bottom position to begin the third before turning an underhook into a wraparound for the takedown on Gaitan. Aside from Gaitan’s escape, no other points were awarded, which pushed the match score to 20-9, Iowa State.
184
No. 3 Aeoden Sinclair (MIZ) over FR Jacob Helgeson (ISU) via tech fall 21-5
Dominance is an understatement for Sinclair’s performance. The Cyclones’ usual starter, No. 12 Isaac Dean, did not wrestle in the dual. He took care of business against the replacement in 2:56, making six takedowns and one two-point near fall in that time frame.
Once Sinclair got ahold of a single leg, he was unstoppable on the drive back. His speed is looking better than ever to go with his deep arsenal of attack moves.
With the regular season wrapped up and in the rear view mirror, focus shifts to the Big 12 Championships. The conference tournament takes place in Tulsa, Oklahoma, from March 6-7. Brackets for the tournament should be released on March 2.
