Saturday, November 2
Greeley, Colo.
7 p.m.
University of Missouri
at
Northern Colorado
No. 9 Ranked Wrestling Begins Season at Northern Colorado Saturday
10/31/2024 3:42:00 PM | Wrestling
COLUMBIA, Mo. - University of Missouri wrestling starts the 2024-25 season on the road, traveling to Northern Colorado on Saturday, Nov. 2. The match will take place inside the Bank of Colorado Arena at 7 p.m. CT and can be streamed on FloWrestling.
LAST SEASON LOOK BACK
- Mizzou ended the 2023-24 season tied for 11th at the NCAA Tournament with three All-Americans.
- The Tigers placed fourth at the 2023-24 Big 12 Championship with 115.5 points and one conference champion.
- Senior Keegan O'Toole won the Big 12 Title for the second time in his career at 165 pounds, and finished third at the national tournament.
- Rocky Elam returns for his senior season after a second-place conference finish and sixth-place national finish at 197 pounds.
- Tiger Style qualified all 10 starters for the National Tournament for the third time in the past four seasons and the sixth time in the Brian Smith era.
MOVIN' ON UP
- Keegan O'Toole is coming back for his fifth season in a Mizzou singlet, but this time at 174 pounds.
- At 165 pounds, O'Toole has amassed two national titles, three conference championships, four All-American finishes, and an 87-4 record.
- The Hartland, Wisconsin native is ranked No. 1 at 174 in both InterMat and FloWrestling preseason rankings.
RETURNERS
- The Tiger Style starting lineup returns seven NCAA qualifiers from last season, including Noah Surtin, Kade Moore, Josh Edmond, Logan Gioffre, Keegan O'Toole, Colton Hawks and Rocky Elam.
- O'Toole and Elam return with the potential to become Missouri Wrestling's first five-time All-Americans after earning their fourth podium finishes a season ago.
- Additionally, Mizzou brings back a squad that totaled 55 bonus-point wins in 2023-24, 20 of which came via fall.
NEW FACES
- Some new faces will enter the Missouri lineup this season, with redshirt sophomores James Conway and Cam Steed expected to debut, along with redshirt junior Seth Nitzel.
- Conway will slide into the 157-pound spot after an 18-8 record last year and a team-leading seven technical falls.
- There will be a fresh face at 165 pounds, with Keegan O'Toole moving up. Steed finished 2023-24 with three pins and a 7-1 record.
- Nitzel is expected to take on the mantle at 285 pounds following Zach Elam's graduation. The heavyweight is coming off a redshirt season in 2023-24, during which he was 13-3 wrestling unattached and totaled seven falls.
RANKINGS
- The Tigers begin the season with all 10 wrestlers ranked by InterMat, while eight starters were picked in the top 24 by FloWrestling.
- Keegan O'Toole comes in at No. 2 on FloWrestling's pound-for-pound list.
- Furthermore, the team sits at No. 9 in the NWCA Poll.
ALL-TIME VS. NORTHERN COLORADO
- Missouri holds a 2-0-0 record against Northern Colorado all-time, with the first meeting dating back to the 1977-78 season.
- Moreover, the Tigers have topped the Bears 64-11 in the previous two matches.
LAST TIME AGAINST THE BEARS
- The Mizzou claimed nine of 10 matches against Northern Colorado on Nov. 14, 2021, defeating the Bears 38-3.
- Six Tigers earned bonus-point wins, with Jarrett Jacques (157), Peyton Mocco (174) and Zach Elam (285) getting major decisions. Jeremiah Kent claimed a 15-0 tech fall, while Keegan O'Toole and Rocky Elam both got the fall.
ON THE HORIZON
The Tigers will return home to Missouri to host the Tiger Style Invite in Kansas City on Saturday, Nov. 9. The tournament will again be held at Staley High School starting at 10 a.m. and will feature wrestlers from Maryland, Purdue, Cal Poly, Little Rock and SIUE.
Players Mentioned
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