University of Missouri
West Virginia
No. 7 Wrestling Prepped for Showdown With No. 9 Virginia Tech, Dec. 11
12/9/2022 10:10:00 AM | Wrestling
COLUMBIA, Mo. - The No. 7-ranked University of Missouri wrestling team will travel to Blacksburg, Va. and take on No. 9 Virginia Tech Sunday, Dec. 11. The dual is scheduled to begin at 3:30 p.m. CT inside Cassell Coliseum.
— NEW NO. 1 — The 197-pound weight class has a new name at No. 1. Sophomore Rocky Elam is the No. 1 197-pound wrestler by all major publications after Penn State's Max Dean lost at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. Elam previously defeated then No. 15- ranked Kordell Norfleet at Arizona State, Nov. 17, and No. 2-ranked Jacob Warner of Iowa in an exhibition bout at the NWCA All-Star Classic, Nov. 22. Those performances were enough to move the sophomore to the No. 2 ranking, prior to this week.
— WE WANT SOME MOORE — Freshman Peyton Moore stepped up against West Virginia Friday, Dec. 2. Moore was inserted into the starting lineup at 125 pounds and earned the fall against Mountaineer Colton Drousias in 1:16. The pin is the freshman's first in a collegiate dual, having also secured two falls earlier at the Lindenwood Open, Nov. 19.
— MAN IN CHARGE — Mizzou Athletics announced the extension of Head Coach Brian Smith's contract through the 2026-27 season Monday, Dec. 5. Smith is in his 25th season at the helm of the program and looks to lead a stacked team full of aspirations in 2022-23. He has led the Tigers to 21 consecutive seasons with a dual record at-or-above .500 and has coached 29 All-Americans and six national champions. He is the winningest coach in program history, with a record of 320-114-4.
— REIGNING, DEFENDING, UNDISPUTED — Defending national champion sophomore Keegan O'Toole defeated West Virginia's No. 7-ranked Peyton Hall by 3-0 decision Friday, Dec. 2. The win extended his streak to 35 consecutive bouts dating back to the 2021 NCAA Championships. O'Toole is the top-ranked 165-pounder by all major publications and is ranked sixth by FloWrestling on the pound-for-pound list.
— THANK YOU, JACQUES — Senior Jarrett Jacques continues to shine, jumping out to a 7-0 start this season. Jacques' seven wins lead all starters for Mizzou and with two decisions, he holds a 71.4 percent bonus rate to start the season. Additionally, the senior is tied for the team lead with 92 career wins.
— PREVIOUSLY — Mizzou took care of business at home, defeating its first Big 12 Conference foe in West Virginia, 38-3, Dec. 2. The team kicked off the dual with a pair of falls from freshman Peyton Moore (1:16) and redshirt senior Connor Brown (4:25) at 125 and 133 pounds, respectively. With the 12-0 lead, redshirt senior Allan Hart earned a major decision (11-1) at 141 pounds, followed by redshirt junior Brock Mauller (10-2) at 149 pounds.
From there, the Tigers continued to dominate with decisions from senior Jarrett Jacques (165: 4-3), sophomore Keegan O'Toole (165: 3-0), redshirt junior Peyton Mocco (174: 10-4) and classmate Zach Elam (285: 6-3).
— ALL-TIME vs. VA TECH — Mizzou leads the series all-time series between the two teams at 4-2-0. However, Virginia Tech has won the last two meetings between the squads: 18-16 (Dec. 4, 2021) and 29-10 (Nov. 2, 2019).
— LAST TIME vs. THE HOKIES — The Tigers just fell short last season against the Hokies. Mizzou battled Virginia Tech at home, losing 18-16, Dec. 4, 2022. At 125 pounds, Noah Surtin got the fall over Sam Latona (2:38) who has moved up to 133 pounds this season. Allan Hart earned a 3-1 sudden victory at 141 pounds, while Keegan O'Toole claimed a major decision (12-4) at 165. Rocky Elam grabbed an 8-2 decision at 197 pounds.
— MOCCO'S REMATCH — Redshirt junior Peyton Mocco will get his rematch against Virginia Tech's Mekhi Lewis Sunday, Dec. 11. Mocco, the No. 10 ranked 174-pounder by FloWrestling, will match up against No. 3 Lewis after narrowly dropping their first matchup, 9-6 TB-1, Dec. 4, 2021.
Last season Mocco came back in the match after being down 4-2, and tied the bout at five-all with a takedown and an escape. In the end, he fell just shy of the upset over the then No. 4 ranked wrestler at 174.
— UNI OPEN — The Tigers will also be sending wrestlers to the UNI Open Saturday, Dec. 10 in Cedar Falls, Iowa. Last season, Jarrett Jacques and Colton Hawks had second-place finishes at 157 and 184 pounds, respectively. Additionally, Logan Gioffre placed fifth at 149 pounds, as well as Sean Harman in the 174 weight class.
Fans can follow along via TrackWreslting.com or watch the stream on FloWrestling. Links can be found on the wrestling schedule page at MUTigers.com.
— MILESTONE WATCH — At 92 career wins, both senior Jarrett Jacques and redshirt junior Brock Mauller have the chance to enter the exclusive 100-Win Club. The two veterans would be the 29th and 30th members to join.
— TUNE IN — The matchup between the No. 7 Tigers and No. 9 Hokies can be streamed on ACCNX. A link to the showdown can be found on the wrestling schedule page of MUTigers.com.
— UP NEXT — Mizzou returns home to the Hearnes Center to host No. 15 North Dakota State Tuesday, Dec. 20. The military appreciation match will begin at 6:30 p.m. CT and can be stream on FloWrestling.
Players Mentioned
