University of Missouri
Oklahoma State
No. 12 Missouri Takes Down No. 10 Oklahoma State
2/6/2022 5:35:00 PM | Wrestling
The Tigers get their first win against the Cowboys since 2018
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Behind back-to-back pins, the No. 12 University of Missouri wrestling team (10-3, 8-1 Big 12) upset No. 10 Oklahoma State 21-20 in the Hearnes Center on Sunday afternoon for the first win against the Pokes since 2018.
The Tigers stormed back from a double-digit deficit after three matches to take five of the following six bouts, including scoring 15 unanswered points. Missouri got key wins by fall from Zach Elam at 285 pounds and Noah Surtin at 125 pounds to flip the lead in the Tigers favor.
Starting the afternoon at 141 pounds, redshirt junior Connor Brown hung tough with No. 21 Carter Young, dropping the match in a 7-4 decision. Oklahoma State (11-3, 5-3 Big 12) picked up nine points at the next two weights through a pin at 149 pounds and a tightly contested 2-1 decision at 157 pounds.
The momentum of the dual began to shift at 165 pounds with top-ranked Keegan O'Toole grinding out a 3-2 victory over No. 10 Travis Whittlake to get Missouri on the board. O'Toole used a first-period takedown and a third-period escape to hold on for his 15th victory of the season.
In the biggest upset of the matchup, redshirt freshman Sean Harman beat No. 10 Dustin Plott 5-4 to bring the nearly 2000 fans in attendance to their feet. After being awarded a stall point to tie the match, Harman came up on the top side of a scramble to take the lead in the final minute. The win was Harman's third consecutive victory over a ranked opponent.
Following a Mizzou loss at 184 pounds, freshman Rocky Elam capitalized at 197 pounds, falling a point short of a major decision and bringing the Tigers to within striking distance. Zach Elam followed up his brother's performance by pinning 33rd-ranked Luke Surber in the first period to tie the dual.
Missouri took its first lead after Surtin dominated Alexander Yokubaitis, scoring seven takedowns and two stall points before finally finishing the match with a pin near the close of the second period. His six team points proved vital as No. 2 Daton Fix took down Trey Crawford by technical fall to finish the dual one point shy of a tie.
Top Tigers
- Harman's win against No. 10 Plott is the second top-15 win in three matches.
- Redshirt sophomore Zach Elam won by fall for the first time this season.
- Redshirt freshman Noah Surtin recorded his fourth win by fall of the season.
- Freshman Keegan O'Toole improves to 15-0 on the season.
Hear from Coach
"Before the match, our team said we can win this dual," head coach Brian Smith said. "There were no seniors on the lineup. There's eight freshmen and sophomores there. Sean Harman has filled in in for [Peyton] Mocco last two weeks and it's just been unreal. He beat a top-ten kid in the country; that's special. That's a freshman going out there and beating to ranked guys and we needed it. That's just a sign of what's going on in the practice room. Kids are believing and getting takedowns, scoring, and finding ways to pin, so it's fun.
"We'll enjoy it tonight and get back to work tomorrow. We got to get the kids back to Earth and get them ready to work again and ready for a tough Arizona State team."
Hear from Sean Harman
"It's awesome, I mean, it's what we train for." Harman said. "We don't train to wrestle the kind of good guys; we train to wrestle the best and Oklahoma State's one of those teams. It felt really good to go out there and not just get a win but also watch my teammates go win. Watching Surtin go get that pin was crazy."
Hear from Zach Elam
On if the team enjoys duals that come down to the wire…
"It's nice for the fans," Elam said. "It's good for us. You know, it shows a lot of grit, a lot of battle. You know, we just went out and competed hard. There're some weights that got away from us and some that went our way. I think we came out on top and we wrestled tough today."
Up Next
The Tigers are back on the road to face Arizona State on Feb. 12. The dual is set for 7 p.m. in Tempe, Ariz.
Visit MUTigers.com for the latest information on all things Mizzou Wrestling. You can also find the Tigers on social media by liking us on Facebook (Mizzou Wrestling) and following us on Twitter and Instagram (@MizzouWrestling).
Results (Started at 141 pounds)
141 | (21) Carter Young over Connor Brown by 7-4 decision
149 | (13) Kaden Gfeller over (21) Josh Edmond by fall (4:51)
157 | (18) Wyatt Sheets over (22) Jarrett Jacques by 2-1 decision
165 | (1) Keegan O'Toole over (10) Travis Whittlake by 3-2 decision
174 | Sean Harman over (10) Dustin Plott by 5-4 decision
184 | (11) Dakota Geer over (16) Jeremiah Kent by 3-0 decision
197 | (5) Rocky Elam over Gavin Stika by 10-3 decisiom
285 | (15) Zach Elam over (33) Luke Surber by fall (2:25)
125 | (13) Noah Surtin over Alexander Yokubaitis by fall (5:58)
133 | (2) Daton Fix over Trey Crawford by 22-7 technical fall
Players Mentioned
