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TULSA, Okla. – Behind 10 podium finishes and a championship from Keegan O’Toole, the University of Missouri wrestling team won the 2022 Big 12 Championships in Tulsa, Oklahoma, with a final tally of 131.5 points Sunday evening. The Tigers took home the title in their first year following its conference championship and subsequent departure from the conference in 2012.
Following the action, head coach Brian Smith was named Big 12 Coach of the Year. Smith also won the award in 2012 following the Tigers’ first Big 12 Championship.
The Tigers outlasted Oklahoma and Oklahoma State, who finished in second and third, respectively. Following a slow start to the tournament, Mizzou gained momentum into Saturday night and finished Session II in first place with 109.5 points. The team would not give up the lead for the remainder of the tournament.
Missouri’s lone champion, Keegan O’Toole ran the 165-pound bracket after defeating West Virginia’s Peyton Hall by a 13-7 decision. O’Toole started the match off with a 5-3 advantage after the first period behind two takedowns and an escape. He put more points up on the board in the second with an additional two takedowns before finishing the match with a strong third to hold off Hall.
In the 141-pound bracket, Allan Hart finished in second place following a 6-4 loss in the finals. Hart scored big team points for the Tigers on Saturday with a major decision in the semifinals to advance to Sunday’s finale.
At 174 pounds, Peyton Mocco was the runner-up after dropping a tight 4-3 decision to Oklahoma State’s Dustin Plott. Mocco held the lead until the final 20 seconds of the match when Plott scored a takedown to flip the advantage.
Jeremiah Kent finished Mizzou’s run in the tournament with a second-place finish in a 14-3 final against the top-seeded Parker Keckeisen from Northern Iowa. He knocked off the second and third seeded wrestlers on his way to Sunday’s final.
In Sunday afternoon’s Session III, the Tigers picked up where they left off Saturday night with two wins in the seventh-place matches from Connor Brown and Noah Surtin. Brown beat third-seeded Gabriel Tagg for the second time in the tournament, this time with a third-period pin. Meanwhile, Surtin gutted out a 5-3 sudden victory decision to reach the podium.
The Elam brothers went a combined 4-0 to finish the weekend as both won third-place matches. Zach Elam beat fourth-seeded AJ Nevills in the consolation semifinals and followed up with a 6-1 win over third-seeded Sam Schuyler in the placing match. Rocky Elam advanced to the placing match via a medical forfeit and beat third-seeded Jake Woodley 6-1 to finish his tournament.
After dropping matches in the consolation semifinals, Jarrett Jacques and Josh Edmond rebounded to win their respective fifth-place matches. Jacques won in sudden victory against seventh-seeded Derek Holschlag while Edmond won by 17-8 major decision against Air Force’s Dylan Martinez.
Hear from Coach Smith
“That’s why we came back to the Big 12,” Smith said. “We wanted to be in this tough atmosphere. When you think of 11 years of winning a conference, that’s a long time. it’s a great accomplishment by many people; staff members, an institution that’s bought into building a great wrestling program and supporting it.
“We’ll celebrate tonight and then get ready to do it again in 10 days in Detroit.”
Up Next
Mizzou will conclude the 2021-22 season at the NCAA Championships in Detroit, Michigan. The three-day competition is set for Thursday, March 17- Sunday, March 19.
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).
MISSOURI RESULTS (Through Session IV)
125 – Noah Surtin (#5 Seed), 7th Place | 2-2
#4 Trevor Mastrogiovanni (OSU) over #5 Noah Surtin (MIZ) by 4-2 dec.
#5 Noah Surtin (MIZ) over Jared Van Vleef (AFA) by 6-3 dec.
#7 Jace Koezler (UNC) over #5 Noah Surtin (MIZ) by 2-1 dec.
#5 Noah Surtin (MIZ) over #6 Kysen Terukina (ISU) by 5-3 SV-1
133 – Connor Brown (Unseeded), 7th Place | 3-2
Connor Brown (MIZ) over #3 Gabriel Tagg (SDSU) by 6-4 dec.
#6 Haiden Drury (UVU) over Connor Brown (MIZ) by 6-2 dec.
Connor Brown (MIZ) over #4 Kellyn March (NDSU) by 11-9 SV-1
#7 Anthony Madrigal (OU) over Connor Brown by 4-3 dec.
Connor Brown (MIZ) over #3 Gabriel Tagg (SDSU) by fall (5:53)
141 – Allan Hart (# 4 Seed), 2nd Place | 2-1
#4 Allan Hart (MIZ) over Ty Smith (UVU) by 9-2 dec.
#4 Allan Hart (MIZ) over #8 Dylan Droegemueller (NDSU) by 14-1 MD
#3 Andrew Alirez (UNC) over #4 Allan Hart (MIZ) by 6-4 dec.
149 – Josh Edmond (#4 Seed), 5th Place | 4-2
#4 Josh Edmond (MIZ) over Cameron Hunsaker (UVU) by 19-4 TF (7:00)
#5 Colin Realbuto (UNI) over #4 Josh Edmond (MIZ) by 3-1 dec.
#4 Josh Edmond (MIZ) over Jaron Jensen (WYO) by 17-8 MD
#4 Josh Edmond (MIZ) over #8 Gaven Sax (NDSU) by 10-6 dec.
#3 Jarrett Degen (ISU) over #4 Josh Edmond (MIZ) by 15-13 dec.
#4 Josh Edmond over Dylan Martinez (AFA) by 17-8 MD
157 – Jarrett Jacques (#4 seed), 5th Place | 3-2
#5 Jacob Wright (WYO) over #4 Jarrett Jacques by 3-2 TB-1
#4 Jarrett Jacques (MIZ) over Nathan Moore (UNC) by 11-3 MD
#4 Jarrett Jacques (MIZ) over Kenny O’Neil (SDSU) by 5-3 dec.
#6 Justin Thomas (OU) over #4 Jarrett Jacques (MIZ) by 3-1 SV-1
#4 Jarrett Jacques (MIZ) over #7 Derek Holschlag (UNI) by 3-1 SV-1
165 – Keegan O’Toole (#1 seed), 1st Place | 3-0
#1 Keegan O’Toole (MIZ) over #8 Joe Grello (OU) by 6-1 dec.
#1 Keegan O’Toole (MIZ) over #5 Luke Weber (NDSU) by 12-3 MD
#1 Keegan O’Toole (MIZ) over #2 Peyton Hall (WVU) by 13-7 dec.
174 – Peyton Mocco, (#6 seed), 2nd Place | 2-1
#6 Peyton Mocco (MIZ) over Kekana Fouret (UVU) by 13-4 MD
#6 Peyton Mocco (MIZ) over #3 Anthony Mantanona by fall (6:39)
#6 Peyton Mocco (MIZ) over #2 Cade DeVos (SDSU) by 2-1 dec.
#1 Dustin Plott (OSU) over #6 Peyton Mocco (MIZ) by 4-3 dec.
184 – Jeremiah Kent (#6 seed), Second Place | 2-1
#6 Jeremiah Kent (MIZ) over #3 Tate Samuelson (WYO) by 6-2 dec.
#6 Jeremiah Kent (MIZ) over #2 Marcus Coleman (ISU) by 8-4 dec.
#1 Parker Keckeisen (UNI) over #6 Jeremiah Kent (MIZ) by 14-3 dec.
197 – Rocky Elam (#5 seed), 3rd Place | 5-1
#5 Rocky Elam over John Gunderson (UNI) by 14-3 MD
#4 Yonger Bastida (ISU) over #5 Rocky Elam (MIZ) by 4-3 dec.
#5 Rocky Elam (MIZ) over Gavin Stika (OSU) by 4-1 dec.
#5 Rocky Elam (MIZ) over Evan Bockman (UVU) by 4-2 SV-1
#5 Rocky Elam (MIZ) over Owen Pentz (NDSU) by Med. Foreit
#5 Rocky Elam (MIZ) over #3 Jake Woodley (OU) by 6-1 dec.
285 – Zach Elam (#2 seed), 3rd Place | 4-1
#7 Luke Surber (OSU) over #2 Zach Elam (MIZ) by 6-4 SV-1
#2 Zach Elam (MIZ) over Jacob Seely (UNC) by 6-0 dec.
#2 Zach Elam (MIZ) over #6 Brandon Metz (NDSU) by fall (1:47)
#2 Zach Elam (MIZ) over #4 AJ Nevills (SDSU) by 8-6 dec.
#2 Zach Elam (MIZ) over #3 Sam Schuyler (ISU) by 6-1 dec.
TEAM RESULTS
- Missouri, 131.5
- Oklahoma, 113.0
- Iowa State, 110.0
- Oklahoma State, 107.5
- Northern Iowa, 100.5
- South Dakota State, 66.0
T7. North Dakota State, 62.0
T7. West Virginia, 62.0
9. Wyoming, 57.5
- Air Force, 45.0
11. Northern Colorado, 35.5
12. Utah Valley, 34.0
