Wrestling Starts 2022-23 Campaign with Dual on the Diamond, Nov. 6

COLUMBIA, Mo. – The University of Missouri wrestling team will kick off its 2022-23 season when it hosts Lindenwood in the Dual on the Diamond Sunday, Nov. 6. The Tigers finished last season 11-4 and ninth in the NCAA Championships.
        Lindenwood was 6-3 a season ago and ended its year 34th at the NCAA Divison II Championships. The Lions announced Feb. 23, 2022, that they would make the step up to Division I for the 2022-23 season. 

— LAST SEASON RECAP — Missouri finished the 2021-22 season with an 11-4 record and earned its 11th straight conference title, and head coach Brian Smith was named Big 12 Coach of the Year. The Big 12 Champion Tigers closed the season with a ninth-place finish at the NCAA Championships, earning a top-10 finish for a seventh consecutive year. A pair of freshmen earned All-American honors, Rocky Elam finished fourth at 197 pounds, while Keegan O’Toole took home the championship at 165 pounds and became the first title-holder at 165 for Mizzou. 

— DEFENDING THE BELT — Sophomore Keegan O’Toole returns to defend his 2022 National Title, and 25-0 record in the 2022-23 season at 165 pounds. O’Toole is ranked first in the country by FloWrestling,  Intermat and Win Magazine, while also being ranked pound-for-pound sixth in the nation by Flo. The sophomore is the only sophomore to be ranked No. 1 in the preseason and will begin his title defense against Lindenwood, Nov. 6. 

— CHAMPIONSHIP STANDARD —  Missouri’s wrestling team was ranked No. 4 in the preseason National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) Coaches Poll. Including sophomore Keegan O’Toole, the Tigers bring back nine of ten starters from a season ago and see redshirt junior Brock Mauller return after a redshirt season. 
        Individual top-20 rankings by FloWrestling include O’Toole (1st – 165), Rocky Elam, (4th – 197), Allan Hart, (6th – 141), Zach Elam, (7th – 285), Mauller, (9 -149), Peyton Mocco, (9 – 174), Noah Surtin, (15 – 125) and Jarrett Jacques, (17 – 157).

— MAN IN CHARGE —  Head Coach Brian Smith is entering his 25th year at Mizzou. The 2022 Big 12 Coach of the Year looks to lead a stacked team full of aspirations in 2022-23. Smith has led the Tigers to 21 consecutive seasons with a dual record at-or-above .500 and has coached 29 All-Americans and six national champions. He is the winningest coach in program history, with a record of 318-113-4.

— MOST WINS (ACTIVE, 50+) —  Brock Mauller (87), Jarrett Jacques (85), Allan Hart, (81), Zach Elam (71), Peyton Mocco (67), Connor Brown (56) and Noah Surtin (51). 

— THE BIG 12 CHAMPS RETURN — Mizzou’s return to the Big 12 ended with its 11th consecutive conference championship. The Tigers won the 2012 Big 12 Title before leaving and joining the Mid-American Conference. From the jump, Missouri did not skip a beat with its dominance and rattled off nine straight MAC Championships before returning to the Big 12 for the 2021-22 season. 
        Mizzou left no doubt at the 2022 tournament in Tulsa, Okla. March 5-6. The team totaled 131.5 points, with second place accumulating 113 points (Oklahoma). The Tigers saw Keegan O’Toole claim the 165-pound championship, while three placed second: Allan Hart (141), Peyton Mocco (174) and Jeremiah Kent (184). Brothers Rocky Elam (197) and Zach Elam (285) both earned third.   

— STACKED — Mizzou returns eight of nine NCAA Qualifiers from the 2021-22 season, led by the 165-pound NCAA National Champion, Keegan O’Toole. The Tigers have three two-time NCAA All-Americans in O’Toole, Rocky Elam and Brock Mualler. The Tigers also return Noah Surtin (125), Allan Hart (141), Jarrett Jacques (157), Peyton Mocco (174) and Zach Elam (285) from last year’s tournament lineup.
        With nine wrestlers ranked in the top 20 of their weight class and six in the top 10, Missouri is looking stacked ahead of the 2022-23 season. 

— MILESTONE WATCH  — Redshirt junior Brock Mauller enters the season as the team’s winningest active wrestler. At 87 career wins, Mauller has the chance to become the 29th Tiger to enter the exclusive 100-Win Club. 

— DUAL ON THE DIAMOND  — The Tigers bring back Dual on the Diamond as they welcome Lindenwood Sunday, Nov. 6. The team will wrestle at the Softball Stadium for the first time since 2017 when they defeated Illinois, 20-17. 

— ALL-TIME vs. LINDENWOOD — Mizzou is 8-0 all-time against Lindenwood, and look to keep the streak alive Sunday, Nov. 6. The Lions recently made the jump to Division I, making Sunday the first dual match between the two with both at the DI level. 

— CATCH US ON FLO  — Mizzou wrestling will be on FloWreslting for the 2022-23 season. Fans can find all home-dual matches on the streaming platform, as well as the Tiger Style Invite, Nov. 12. 

— UP NEXT — Following the Dual on the Diamond, the Tigers turn their attention to the Tiger Style Invite Saturday, Nov. 12 in Kansas City, Mo. The event is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. inside the Staley High School Fieldhouse.