CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – No. 9 ranked University of Missouri wrestling lost a 23-14 battle to No. 16 Illinois on Thursday, Nov. 21. The Tigers won four out of 10 matches on the night, including bonus points in two of the victories. Mizzou drops to 1-2, while Illinois improves its record to 4-0.

True freshman Gage Walker opened the match with his first collegiate dual victory over the Illini's Caelen Riley by major decision. Redshirt junior Josh Edmond powered his way to a ranked win at 141 pounds to get the Tigers back on the board. Three victories by the Fighting Illini led to an 11-7 deficit for the Tigers at the halfway point.

National champion Keegan O'Toole battled his way to yet another major decision over a ranked opponent. Freshman Logan Cole filled in at 184 pounds, putting up a tough fight before ultimately losing to reigning Big Ten conference champion Edmond Ruth. Freshman Aeoden Sinclair picked up a big win by an upset over Illinois's tenth-ranked Zac Braunagel to get Mizzou back on track. Illinois picked up three wins in the back half to put the dual on ice for the Fighting Illini.

Match Notes

• Missouri moves to 16-20-0 all-time against Illinois following the loss.
• Thursday's dual marked the 36th meeting in the history of the Bragging Rights rivalry.
• The event was hosted at Illinois' Lot 31 stadium club with a dinner theater theme and magician, mirroring last season's dual at the Stifel Theater in St. Louis.
• Walker's win at 125 pounds marked his first dual win and his second victory with bonus points on the season.
• Edmond's 8-6 victory was his third consecutive match decided by 3 points or less, going back to the Tiger Style Invite on Nov. 9.
• Redshirt sophomore James Conway (157) fell to 2-5 on the season, with all five losses coming to ranked opponents.
• O'Toole's major decision maintained his 100% bonus rate on the season, with his closest win coming by eight points.
• With his 16-10 victory, Sinclair notched the first upset of his career and has now wrestled three matches this season, scoring 44 points up to this point.
• Mizzou now has a losing record in duals for the first time since opening the 2019-20 season 0-2. That season, both losses also came to Virginia Tech and Illinois.

Up Next
The Tigers will head to Hartland, Wisconsin for a dual against No. 14 Northern Iowa on Tuesday, Nov. 26. The action will take place at Arrowhead High School, the alma mater of senior Keegan O'Toole. Wrestling will begin at 7 p.m. CT, and can be streamed on UFC Fight Pass.

Full Results

No. 9 Missouri 14, No. 17 Illinois 23

125 | Gage Walker over Caelen Riley by major decision, 13-1

133 | (2) Lucas Byrd over (30) Kade Moore by major decision, 17-4

141 | (18) Josh Edmond over (15) Danny Pucino by decision, 8-7

149 | (10) Kannon Webster over (24) Logan Gioffre by major decision, 20-7

157 | (20) Jason Kraisser over James Conway by decision, 9-3

165 | (24) Braeden Scoles over (15) Cam Steed by injury default, 4:21

174 (1) Keegan O'Toole over (16) Danny Braunagel by major decision, 16-7

184 | (9) Edmond Ruth over Logan Cole by decision, 10-3

197 | Aeoden Sinclair over (10) Zac Braunagel by decision, 16-10

285 | (10) Luke Luffman over (21) Seth Nitzel by decision, 4-3

*InterMat Individual Rankings