Welcome to Mizzou Tigers wrestling coverage for the 2025-26 season. I am Colin Simmons, and I will be keeping you updated on all things Tiger Style. If you are new to collegiate wrestling, refer here and here for an informative
rundown on the sport.
It was a frustrating and uncharacteristic 2024-25 season for the Tigers that ended in a 5-10 record, an eighth-place finish in the Big 12 Championships and a 14th-place finish in the NCAA Championships.
Keegan O’Toole and Colton Hawks both suffered early ACL injuries in the season, and when they returned, it was evident that their time spent on the sidelines weighed on them. O’Toole has since joined the coaching staff as an assistant, and Hawks transferred to Arizona State for his graduate season.
The program can still be the powerhouse that it once was, with Missouri Sports Hall of Fame head coach Brian Smith leading the way. This year will be an interesting one to watch for as Smith’s roster has nine freshmen and one returning NCAA All-American in Cam Steed.
Smith brought in proven transfers from Northwestern in graduate Max Mayfield (165) and redshirt senior Evan Bates (197) to combat having a young, but promising roster.
Along with a deep freshman class, former high school standouts Mack Mauger (125), Logan Cole (184), Kolten Oborny (174), Aeoden Sinclair (184) and Jake Stoffel (174) are all redshirt freshmen who could burst onto the scene.
2025-26 Outlook
The coaching staff for Tiger Style looks familiar, except for one assistant coach. Smith is entering his 28th season at the helm and assistants Dom Bradley and Kendric Maple have multiple years of experience in Mizzou’s system. The new face of the staff is one fans know all too well. O’Toole was hired in an assistant role May 12, 2025, just months after concluding his collegiate career.
The Mizzou great will look to bring knowledge from his competing days to a young roster in need of development.
Looking at the Tigers’ depth further, they return six wrestlers who were national qualifiers in Kade Moore (133), Josh Edmond (149), J Conway (157), Mayfield, Steed and Bates. The last NCAA champion in program history was O’Toole in 2023.
Potential Lineup
125: Mack Mauger, R-Fr
The Blackfoot, Idaho, native had a rough start to his true freshman season, but finished strong. Mauger finished his first season with an 8-4 record in attached matches and a promising 19-6 overall record.
He finished the season with seven straight wins, the longest streak of his young career, including a first-place finish at the Missouri Valley Open. Mauger never appeared in a dual meet as a freshman, but should lead 125 without much doubt this season.
133: Kade Moore, R-Jr
There are few more experienced players in the system than Moore. He is a back-to-back NCAA qualifier and finished fourth at the Big 12 Championship in 2025.
Moore finished last season with a 13-19 record and went 2-12 in duals. Sophomore Gage Walker could challenge for playing time, but he is making the move up from 125 and is in good position to take a redshirt.
141: Zeke Seltzer, R-Jr or Seth Mendoza, Fr
Seltzer brings in tons of experience, but he will have to adjust to a move down from 149. He went 21-8 overall and 2-5 in duals at 149 pounds, earning a title at the Kaufman Brand Bayly Open.
Despite being a freshman, Mendoza may be ready for a big role in Mizzou’s lineup. The Mokena, Illinois native was the No. 11 recruit in the nation on MatScout’s big board. It will be a tight battle between Seltzer and Mendoza at 141, but Seltzer’s veteran skills could edge out the freshman.
149: Josh Edmond, R-Sr
Unlike Seltzer, who moved from 149 down to 141, Edmond is making the move up to 149 pounds from 141 – a weight he has prior experience in. Entering his sixth season in the program, Edmond brings in three NCAA qualifying seasons.
He boasted a 13-12 overall record and an 8-7 dual record last season at 141 pounds. Edmond’s pedigree in collegiate wrestling should leave him with little competition in attached matches.
157: J Conway, R-Jr
Conway was a 2025 NCAA qualifier after going 18-17 overall and 6-9 in duals. Last season was his first time being a starter, his highest ranking of the season being 26th.
He won a match at nationals and had a few other close matches that he could’ve won. Conway has shown significant signs of improvement in each season of his career and should contend in the postseason again.
165: Max Mayfield, Gr
The first of two Northwestern transfers has a wide-open opportunity at 165. The other two competitors in the weight class are both true freshmen who will likely take redshirt seasons and learn under Mayfield.
Mayfield has been an NCAA Qualifier in three consecutive seasons and boasts a 62-41 overall record at 165 pounds. His seven tech falls last season would’ve led the Tigers.
174: Cam Steed, R-Jr
This is another weight class that is extremely young, aside from the lone returning All-American leading the pack. Steed is making the move up from 165 pounds, his third weight class with Mizzou, but he is expected to excel in the move.
The 2025 Most Improved Wrestler Award went to Steed after he totaled a 19-7 overall record and went 5-4 in duals.
184: Aeoden Sinclair, R-Fr or Logan Cole, R-Fr
Sinclair saw limited action in attached matches in his redshirt season, going 2-3 at the varsity level, but he wrestled primarily at 197 pounds. The former No. 1-ranked 2024 recruit at 190 pounds per FloWrestling went 6-1 in unattached matches last season.
There are only two contenders in the 184 class – Cole is making the move up from 174 pounds. Sinclair probably has the edge because of that fact, but Cole took home a first-place finish at the Missouri Valley Open while wrestling unattached.
197: Evan Bates, R-Sr
Coach Smith’s second Northwestern transfer of this offseason was Bates, and he is currently the only wrestler listed at 197 with the departure of Hawks. He is coming off back-to-back NCAA Qualifying seasons and finished last season with a 20-12 overall record.
Bates picked up nine ranked wins last season and he should fill in well for Rocky Elam, who transferred to Iowa State in the offseason.
285: Jarrett Stoner, R-So
There are three options in the biggest weight class, but Stoner has a wide edge at 285, finishing last season with a 20-7 overall record. He won three different opens in the regular season, and he was ranked in the top 20 heavyweights at multiple points in the season.
Whether or not Stoner is the main starter at 285 pounds, Mizzou will have someone step up and should feel good about its heavyweight production.
Schedule at a Glance
The Tigers begin their season Nov. 2 with duals against Drury, Maryville and Central Methodist at the Hearnes Center. All three opponents are either Division II or NAIA programs, which will give Mizzou a chance to ease into the season.
Next up is the Tiger Style Invite, also at the Hearnes Center, Nov. 9. Smith’s squad finished first last season at the invite with 168.5 points and four weight titles. This event will bring a higher level of competition in Little Rock, Oklahoma, Purdue and South Dakota State.
The National Duals Invitational will send Mizzou out to Tulsa, Oklahoma, where it will see plenty of talented teams. Bracket information can be found here. The Tigers are set to play Iowa in the first round Nov. 15.
Mizzou returns to the Hearnes Center Nov. 24 for a dual against Illinois. The Braggin’ Rights matchup didn’t go the Tigers’ way last season, with a 23-14 loss. A win against the Fighting Illini early in the season would build a lot of momentum going into a long break.
The December slate starts on the fifth at the Hustle in the Heartland Invite in Saint Charles, Missouri. Long Island University and Nebraska will both face Mizzou. Brown University is the other team competing at the tournament, and it should be a good opportunity for the Tigers to get multiple weight titles.
It will be a quick turnaround for Mizzou, as it has to travel to Edwardsville, Illinois Dec. 7 for the Cougar Clash Invitational. The Tigers placed second at the tournament last season with 183 points and one weight title. The invite will feature eight teams, many of which Smith’s squad will be familiar with.
Conference duals begin a week later on Dec. 14 with an away match at Northern Iowa. The Panthers have consistently been ranked in the top 25 the past few seasons, and Mizzou has not had a dual win over them since 2023.
After their first Big 12 dual, the Tigers will have a near three-week break before competing in their last regular-season tournament of the season. The Soldier Salute Invite will be hosted by Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa. 10 programs will be represented at the tournament.
Mizzou will finish out the remainder of its conference schedule from there. The Tigers will duel Arizona State (Jan. 15), Utah Valley (Jan. 17), West Virginia (Feb. 6) and Iowa State (Feb. 22) on the road and Oklahoma State (Jan. 23), Northern Colorado (Jan. 25) and Oklahoma (Feb. 12) at home.
A dual against Little Rock will take place between conference duals on Jan. 31.
The Big 12 Championships will begin March 6 in Tulsa, followed by the NCAA Wrestling Championships March 19 in Cleveland, Ohio.
Mizzou wrestling’s comeback tour is just around the corner, and it all begins this Sunday at the Hearnes Center.
