Missouri
West Virginia
No. 20 Wrestling Overcame Early Deficit in Upset Victory at No. 16 West Virginia
2/6/2026 8:50:00 PM | Wrestling
MORGANTOWN, W. Va. – No. 20 Mizzou wrestling knocked off No. 16 West Virginia 26-13 in a Big 12 Conference dual on Friday, Feb. 6 at Hope Coliseum. The wrestlers from Columbia claimed victory in six out of 10 matches, including a five-match win streak to close out the dual. Mizzou advances to 11-7 (4-2 Big 12), while WVU moves them to 9-4 (4-2 Big 12).
The Mountaineers started off on a tear, pulling off three consecutive wins to put up an early 9-0 lead. Mizzou sent out true freshman Seth Mendoza at 149 pounds, and he put together a resounding technical fall victory to get the Black and Gold on the board. West Virginia picked up a fourth-ranked win at 157 pounds to face the Tigers with a 13-5 deficit halfway through.
Redshirt junior J Conway opened up the final five bouts with a quick takedown, but ultimately won by injury default. Returning All-American Cam Steed kept the momentum rolling, picking up a fall in under 30 seconds to give Mizzou a lead it would not relinquish. In a matchup of ranked wrestlers at 184 pounds, redshirt freshman Aeoden Sinclair secured a second-period rideout en route to a 2-1 victory, good for his 10th-ranked win this season. Redshirt senior Evan Bates made it three consecutive ranked wins for Missouri, blazing his way to two first-period takedowns and the decision victory to seal the dual. Redshirt sophomore Jarrett Stoner made it five-for-five in the back half for Tiger Style with a commanding 10-4 win to put a final exclamation point on the Mizzou win.
MATCH NOTES
- Missouri remains undefeated in the all-time series with West Virginia, advancing to 6-0. The series dates back to 2003-04, when Mizzou won 22-15 in the first meeting.
- Tonight's dual win was Mizzou's second of the season over a higher-ranked foe, with the first coming over then-No. 11 Michigan at the National Duals Invitation by a score of 26-10.
- Mendoza picked up his 14th win of the season to go along with his 11th bonus point victory.
- Conway claimed his third victory of the season at 165 pounds, where he has been competing since Jan. 15. He spent the majority of the season competing at 157 pounds.
- Steed's bout at 174 pounds was his 10th victory of the season. With his pin at the 0:23 mark, he now has seven pins in his career in under a minute, with his fastest coming this season against Gunner Holland of Little Rock at the National Duals.
- Sinclair, an Edgerton, Wisconsin native, competed in his 25th bout of the season. Of those 25 bouts, tonight was only the sixth match that has ended with a decision.
- Bates and Stoner continued their winning ways at the upper weights. They claimed their 21st and 19th wins respectively, good for second and third on the team, only trailing Sinclair (24).
UP NEXT
Missouri returns home for Senior Night against Oklahoma on Thursday, Feb. 12. The dual marks the seventh and final home dual of the Tigers' season. Wrestling begins at 6:30 p.m. CT on ESPN+.
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
No. 20 Missouri, 26 | No. 16 West Virginia, 13
125 | [8] Jett Strickenberger (WVU) over [22] Mack Mauger (MIZ) by decision, 4-1
133 | [19] Gunner Andrick (WVU) over [24] Gage Walker (MIZ) by decision, 4-2
141 | Jordan Titus (WVU) over Easton Hilton (MIZ) by decision, 4-2
149 | Seth Mendoza (MIZ) over TJ Langley (WVU) by technical fall, 18-3 (5:27)
157 | [4] Ty Watters (WVU) over [28] Teague Travis (MIZ) by major decision, 8-0
165 | J Conway (MIZ) over Shawn Taylor (WVU) by injury default, 0:31
174 | [9] Cam Steed (MIZ) over [13] Brody Conley (WVU) by fall, 0:23
184 | [3] Aeoden Sinclair (MIZ) over [20] Ian Bush (WVU) by decision, 2-1
197 | [9] Evan Bates (MIZ) over [14] Rune Lawrence (WVU) by decision, 7-4
285 | [29] Jarrett Stoner (MIZ) over Brock Kehler (WVU) by decision, 10-4
*Rankings via NCAA Coaches' Rankings
Players Mentioned
