University of Missouri
Arizona State
No. 19 Wrestling Picks Up Road Conference Win Over Arizona State
1/15/2026 10:03:00 PM | Wrestling
TEMPE, Ariz. – No. 19 Mizzou wrestling started the weekend road trip on the right foot with a 22-17 win over conference foe Arizona State on Thursday, Jan. 15, in Desert Financial Arena in Tempe.
Missouri won five out of ten matches in the evening, with two big falls making the difference on the scoreboard. Three of the Tigers' wins came with bonus points. The Tigers move to 7-6 (1-1 Big 12), while the Sun Devils remain winless, falling to 0-8 (0-5 Big 12).
The Tigers dropped the first match with redshirt junior J Conway bumping up to fill in for graduate student Max Mayfield. The Sun Devils' lead did not last long, as No. 11 Cam Steed made his return to action, muscling his way to a first-period fall to give Mizzou the early lead. Redshirt freshman and second-ranked Aeoden Sinclair followed up Steed with an even quicker first-period fall of his own at 184 pounds. At 197 pounds, redshirt senior Evan Bates picked up a decision over a familiar face for Tiger fans, Arizona State's Colton Hawks. Following a brief intermission, Arizona State picked up a win at 285 pounds to set the score at 15-6 in Missouri's favor at the halfway point.
The final five matches of the evening started off on a high note with redshirt freshman Mack Mauger keeping the momentum rolling. The 125-pound Salute champion controlled all three positions en route to a decisive decision. After competing unattached at a few tournaments, sophomore Gage Walker officially had his redshirt pulled to face the sixth-ranked Sun Devil Kyler Larkin. Larkin would get Arizona State back on the board with a win. Bonus points for ASU brought the Sun Devils within a four-point margin, 18-14, with two bouts to go, and redshirt senior Josh Edmond taking the mat at 149 pounds. The Detroit, Michigan native lit up the scoreboard with a feet-to-back throw at the end of the first period on his way to a major decision, adding four points to the Tigers' lead and clinching the dual in their favor. Arizona State's No. 2-ranked wrestler picked up a victory at 157 pounds, but that was not enough to put a damper on the Tigers' night, bringing home a big team victory by a score of 22-17.
MATCH NOTES
- Missouri's all-time record against Arizona State moves to 5-5-1, and the team is moving toward a winning advantage of 5-4-1 under Head Coach Brian Smith. The series now sits at 2-0 in favor of Missouri since Arizona State joined the Big 12 Conference, dating back to the 1988-89 season.
- Mizzou has won the last three meetings between the two teams, a tie for the longest win streak in the series. Arizona State won three consecutive duals between the 1988-89 season and the 2005-06 season.
- Conway's bout at 165 pounds was his first action since a dual on December 21, 2023, where he took on Illinois' Chris Moore. He also spent his redshirt season at 165 pounds, finishing that campaign with an 11-11 record.
- At 174 pounds, Steed returned to action for the first time in 2026, and his first match since acquiring an injury at the National Duals Invitational on Nov. 16, 2025. The pin was his third of the season.
- Walker made his first official appearance of the season for the Tigers, as well as his first at 133 pounds after spending the entirety of his freshman season at the weight below, 125 pounds.
- Edmond's major decision at 149 pounds was his fourth major of the season and sixth bonus-point victory to this point. He now sits at 17 wins.
- Columbia's own Teague Travis made his dual debut for the Black and Gold after his midseason transfer. His last dual action came over a year ago, a 7-4 overtime loss to future All-American Ethan Stiles on Nov. 17, 2024, when he was still competing for Oklahoma State.
UP NEXT
The Tigers will stay out west for the weekend, heading to Orem, Utah, to face off with the Wolverines of Utah Valley on Saturday, Jan. 17. Wrestling begins at 8 p.m. CT and is available to watch via livestream on UVU's YouTube page, GoUVU, available here. Mizzou looks to remain undefeated against Utah Valley, currently sitting at 3-0.
FOLLOW THE TIGERS
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).
FULL RESULTS
[19] Missouri, 22 | Arizona State, 17
165 | [14] Nicco Ruiz (ASU) over J Conway (MIZ) by decision, 8-1
174 | [11] Cam Steed (MIZ) over Leo Tukhlynovych (ASU) by fall, 1:49
184 | [2] Aeoden Sinclair (MIZ) over [30] Shay Addison (ASU) by fall, 1:14
197 | [16] Evan Bates (MIZ) over Colton Hawks (ASU) by decision, 7-3
285 | [18] David Szuba (ASU) over [25] Jarrett Stoner (MIZ) by decision, 7-3
125 | [25] Mack Mauger (MIZ) over Damian Moreno (ASU) by decision, 7-2
133 | [6] Kyler Larkin (ASU) over Gage Walker (MIZ) by decision, 9-3
141 | [29] Pierson Manville (ASU) over Zeke Seltzer (MIZ) by technical fall, 21-5 (5:20)
149 | [18] Josh Edmond (MIZ) over Daniel Miranda (ASU) by major decision, 9-1
157 | [2] Kaleb Larkin (ASU) over [15] Teague Travis (MIZ) by decision, 5-1
*Rankings via InterMat
Players Mentioned
