Friday, January 3
Columbia, Mo.
6 p.m.
University of Missouri
vs
Cornell
No. 19 Wrestling Hosts No. 12 Cornell for Beauty and the Beast
1/2/2025 4:23:00 PM | Wrestling
| MATCH 8: #19 Missouri (2-5-0) vs. #12 Cornell (1-1-0) | |
| Match Details | Friday, Jan. 3 • 6 p.m. • Columbia, Mo. • Mizzou Arena |
| Match Coverage | ESPN+ |
| Match Notes | Missouri | Cornell |
| Social Media | Twitter: @MizzouWrestling | Instagram: @MizzouWrestling |
COLUMBIA, Mo - University of Missouri wrestling partners with the gymnastics program to bring back Beauty and the Beast at Mizzou Arena on Friday. The two teams will compete simultaneously, with wrestling taking on No. 12 Cornell. The wrestling action inside Mizzou Arena can be streamed on ESPN+ starting at 6 p.m.
LAST TIME OUT
- Mizzou went 1-2 at Collegiate Duals, defeating Binghamton (19-16) but falling to No. 19 Little Rock (24-19) and No. 1 Penn State (41-3).
- True freshman Gage Walker earned a ranked win over Tyson Roach, marking the second time this season Walker defeated Roach, dating back to Tiger Style Invite.
- In his first dual start, redshirt freshman Jarrett Stoner grabbed a win at heavyweight over Keith Miley of Little Rock.
- Still undefeated, senior Keegan O'Toole went 3-0 at 174 pounds against three ranked opponents, including No. 2 Levi Haines of Penn State.
RANKINGS REPORT
- The Black and Gold are ranked No. 19 in the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) Poll.
- Mizzou has seven of 10 wrestlers ranked by both InterMat and FloWrestling.
- Keegan O'Toole comes in at No. 3 on FloWrestling's pound-for-pound list.
STILL ON TOP
- No. 1-ranked 174-pounder Keegan O'Toole remains at the top of the weight class after defeating No. 2 Levi Haines of Penn State on Dec. 22.
- 1-1 heading into overtime, O'Toole secured the sole takedown of the match in SV-1 to earn the 4-1 win and remain undefeated (11-0) this season.
- O'Toole also defeated two additional ranked opponents that day (Tyler Brennan-Little Rock, Brevin Cassella-Binghamton) to earn Big 12 Wrestler of the Week honors, the fourth of his career.
- Moreover, the senior boasts a 91 percent bonus rate since moving up to 174 pounds and is two wins shy of joining the 100-Win Club.
WALKER WATCH
- True freshman Gage Walker is ranked No. 30 at 125 pounds by InterMat for the first time in first career.
- Walker most recently when 2-1 at Collegiate Duals, losing to No. 12 Luke Lilladahl of Penn State by one point, 6-5.
MAUGER MAKING MOVES
- Mack Mauger, another 125-pound wrestler, grabbed attention over the weekend at Soldier Salute, where he advanced to the finals after defeating Isaac Hampton of Navy by fall, Damion Ryan of Bellarmine and Adrian Meza of Iowa State.
- The Blackfoot, Idaho native nearly topped No. 19 Kysen Terukina of Iowa State in the final, losing 5-4.
- Following the tournament, Mauger is ranked No. 33 at 125 by FloWrestling.
ALMIGHTY AEODEN
- True freshman Aeoden Sinclair made it to the finals of the Soldier Salute, wrestling unattached at 197 pounds.
- Sinclair defeated No. 9-ranked Isaiah Salazar of Minnesota 5-3 in the semifinals before losing to No. 1 Stephen Buchanan of Iowa in the finals.
- The win marks the freshman's second-ranked win of the season after defeating No. 10 Zac Braunagel of Illinois on Nov. 21
LAST TIME VS CORNELL
- The Tigers traveled to Ithaca, N.Y., on Jan. 28, 2024, and dropped the road match to Cornell, 20-16.
- Missouri saw wins from Noah Surtin (125), Keegan O'Toole (165), Peyton Mocco (174) and Zach Elam (285).
THE SERIES: CORNELL
- The dual between Missouri and Cornell will mark the 15th meeting between the two programs, with the Tigers holding a 9-5 in the series.
- The first match between the two teams was in 1934-35, with Cornell winning by a point, 15.5-14.5. Moreover, the Tigers have lost the last two contests to the Big Red.
CORNELL CONNECTION
- Head Coach Brian Smith has a history with Cornell wrestling, serving as an assistant coach from 1992-97 before taking the head job at Syracuse.
- Smith is 9-5 against Cornell since taking over at Mizzou.
HOME STAND
- After wrestling on the road for the first half of the season, the Tigers enter a home stand, competing five times in Columbia in January.
- Missouri takes on No. 12 Cornell (Jan. 3), No. 15 Stanford (Jan. 12), Utah Valley (Jan. 17), Arizona State and No. 22 West Virginia (No. 22).
MOST WINS (active, 50+)
- Keegan O'Toole (99), Rocky Elam (70) and Noah Surtin (65).
ON THE HORIZON
- Missouri stays home, welcoming No. 15 Stanford to Hearnes Center on Sunday, Jan. 12.
- The action starts at 2 p.m. and can be streamed on ESPN+.
Players Mentioned
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