University of Missouri
Little Rock
No. 16 Wrestling Set to Take on Collegiate Duals in Nashville
12/20/2024 12:04:00 PM | Wrestling
The Tigers will match up with No. 19 Little Rock, Binghamton and No. 1 Penn State
| MATCH 5, 6 and 7: #16 Missouri (1-3-0) at Collegiate Duals | |
| Match Five | No. 19 Little Rock • 2 p.m. |
| Match Six | Binghamton • 4 p.m. |
| Match Seven | No. 1 Penn State • 6 p.m. |
| Match Details | Sunday, Dec. 22 • Nashville • Ensworth Frist Campus |
| Match Coverage | Rokfin.com |
| Match Notes | Missouri | Little Rock | Binghamton | Penn State |
| Social Media | Twitter: @MizzouWrestling | Instagram: @MizzouWrestling |
COLUMBIA - Mo. - University of Missouri wrestling takes on Collegiate Duals by Journeymen Wrestling in Nashville on Dec. 22. The Tigers will compete in three duals in one day, wrestling No. 29 Little Rock at 2 p.m., Binghamton at 4 p.m. and No. 1 Penn State at 6 p.m. The action will take place inside Ensworth Frist Campus and can be streamed on Rokfin.com.
LAST TIME OUT
• Mizzou competed at the Cougar Clash on Dec. 7, hosted by SIUE, and placed second behind Minnesota (268 points), totaling 183 points.
• Redshirt freshman Jarrett Stoner was the sole title-winner for the Tigers, claiming the top spot at 285 pounds. Stoner defeated Kaden Darwin (Little Rock), Jacob Christensen (Northern Illinois), and Bennett Tabor (Minnesota).
• Redshirt sophomore James Conway earned an upset win over No. 13 Vinny Zerban of Northern Colorado, 4-1, in sudden victory on his way to a second-place finish.
Overall, Missouri totaled 37 wins on the day with all 14 wrestlers placing.
STAND UP FOR SURTIN
• Missouri's four-year 125-pound starter, Noah Surtin, announced his retirement from the sport of wrestling on Friday, Dec. 13.
• The decision came after Surtin competed for the first time this season at the Cougar Clash on Dec. 7, where he went 3-2 and placed fourth.
• The redshirt senior is a four-time NCAA qualifier for Mizzou with a 65-28 record and finishes his career with a 41.3 percent bonus rate.
• Closing his career in his hometown, the Edwardsville, Illinois native wrestled the last year in a neck brace and tried to give it one last go but ultimately made the decision to prioritize his long-term health.
RANKINGS REPORT
• The Black and Gold have nine of eight wrestlers ranked by InterMat, and nine by FloWrestling.
• Keegan O'Toole comes in at No. 3 on FloWrestling's pound-for-pound list.
• Furthermore, the team sits at No. 16 in the NWCA Poll and is ranked as high as No. 7 by FloWrestling.
LAST TIME AT COLLEGIATE DUALS
• The last time Missouri competed in the Collegiate Duals was Dec. 20-21, 2021, where it matched up against Binghamton, No. 5 NC State and No. 17 Lehigh.
• The Black and Gold finished 2-1, besting the Bearcats (33-6) and the Mountain Hawks (26-9) but falling to the Wolfpack (19-12).
• Two Tigers remain from the 2021-22 season lineup: senior Keegan O'Toole and redshirt junior Josh Edmond.
• O'Toole finished the event 3-0 at 165 pounds, with two major decisions and two wins over ranked opponents. Edmond went 2-1 at 149 pounds, including a decision win and ranked win over Manzona Bryant of Lehigh in sudden victory.
THE SERIES: LITTLE ROCK
• Collegiate Duals marks the first meeting between Missouri and Little Rock.
• Little Rock Wrestling's first season was 2019-20, and today, it is ranked No. 19 in the country by the NWCA Coaches Poll.
• Last season, 2023-24, the Trojans saw their first two All-Americans in program history in, Nasir Bailey and Stephen Little.
THE SERIES: BINGHAMTON
• The match between Mizzou and Binghamton will mark the third meeting between the two programs, with the Tigers holding a 2-0 record against the Bearcats.
• The first clash of the two programs came in 2001-02 in Ithaca, New York, during the Cornell duals. Missouri finished on top, 40-6, with the Tigers earning two falls and the Bearcats forfeting three weights.
• Most recently, Mizzou defeated Binghamton 33-6 at the 2021 Collegiate Duals, winning nine of 10 bouts and totaling a fall, technical fall and major decision.
THE SERIES: PENN STATE
• Missouri will take on Penn State for the seventh time in program history, holding a 2-3-1 record against the Nittany Lions.
• Head Coach Brian Smith has a winning record against Penn State, going 2-1 over his 26 seasons at the helm of Mizzou wrestling.
• The last meeting between the two teams was at the 2009 NWCA National Duals, with Penn State coming out on top, 20-19.
In the loss, the Tigers saw wins from Marcus Hoehn (141), Nicholas Marable (165), Raymond Jordan (174), Max Askren (197), and Mark Ellis (heavyweight).
O'TOOLE'S RETURN
• Senior Keegan O'Toole returned home to Arrowhead High School, where he won four Wisconsin State Titles, becoming just the eighth wrestler from the state to do so. The Tigers dropped a dual to Northern Iowa, 23-10.
• O'Toole was a perfect 49-0 his senior year, winning the Junior Dan Hodge trophy and represented Wisconsin as a Dave Schultz High School Excellence award winner.
• The senior picked up the major decision over Nick Fox, 14-2, to remain undefeated (8-0) and keeping his 100-percent bonus rate alive.
TRAVELIN' MEN
• The Tigers begin the 2024-25 away from home for the entire first semester, not wrestling in Columbia until Jan. 3 against Cornell.
• After returning home, Mizzou will host five home matches in January before hitting the road again to Oklahoma and Oklahoma State.
• The last time the Black and Gold were not home until January (not including the shortened 2020-21 season) was 1998-99, head coach Brian Smith's first season at the helm.
MOST WINS (active, 50+)
• Keegan O'Toole (95), Rocky Elam (70) and Noah Surtin (65).
ON THE HORIZON
• Returning after the holidays, Missouri hosts its first home date with gymnastics bringing back Beauty and the Beast on Friday, Jan. 3.
• Wrestling will challenge No. 12 Cornell while simultaneously, gymnastics hosts a quad meet against Ball State, Illinois and SEMO.
• The fun starts at 6 p.m. inside Mizzou Arena, with all the wrestling action streaming on ESPN+.
Players Mentioned
