Mizzou wrestling opened the season the same way it has been opening seasons lately: by rolling through the Missouri Duals with three straight wins.
The Tigers put together a dominant day at the Hearnes Center, finishing the three duals with a combined score of 132-9 and dropping only three individual matches along the way. That kind of margin usually tells the story on its own, but head coach Brian Smith still spent part of the day looking at the rough edges.
“We weren’t very good in a lot of situations, just guys not trusting their shape,” Smith said. “They figured it out at some point in the match, but they’ve got to have that trust from the beginning.
But those are things we can work on. We had a leg a million times and didn’t get turns.
We had turks and didn’t get turns, so those are the things my wheels are turning about, that we’ve got to be better in those positions.”
With a schedule that spreads things out, Mizzou should have time to keep tightening those spots up. For now, though, the opener was about the results and a few early standouts.
Against Central Methodist, the Tigers wasted no time setting the tone in a 46-3 win. Mizzou piled up seven victories by fall or tech fall in the dual, and a couple of younger wrestlers made memorable first impressions.
Kollin Rath, who missed his entire first season because of injury, was one of the biggest storylines. The freshman is expected to start at 157 pounds, and he answered with a pin in the second period. Cash Cooley also made his college debut count, sticking his opponent with one second left in the first period.
There was also a quick look at All-american transfer Zan Fugitt, who wasted little time getting a pin in his homecoming match.
The Maryville dual brought another lopsided result, this one a 44-6 Mizzou win. The Tigers took eight individual matches, and both losses came against freshmen in the lightweight and heavyweight spots.
Trey Craig came close to his first college win, but Orest Nazarchuk got a late takedown to hand him the loss. At the other end of the lineup, Cam Steed made his season debut in emphatic fashion, pinning his opponent in 28 seconds. Two matches later, Ohio State transfer Luke Geog picked up his first Tiger win with a first-period tech fall.
“Luke was a beast getting out there,” Smith said. “He’s very physical and gets after it.”
Seth Mendoza also made a fast start in his match, scoring two takedowns in the first 25 seconds before finishing with a pin. Gage Walker, meanwhile, started slowly but worked his way to a third-period tech fall.
The final dual of the day may have been the toughest test. Mizzou still swept the Mules, but the matchup offered the most resistance, especially with projected starters in the lineup. The Tigers did not use All American Aeoden Sinclair at 184 pounds, giving others a chance to get matches, but Smith otherwise went with what appears to be the starting group.
Mack Mauger showed off the power that makes him such an intriguing lightweight, pinning his opponent in 52 seconds. Steed was even faster, recording the night’s quickest fall at 17 seconds. Mauger said the first dual of the year still comes with its own buzz.
“I’m just super excited for another opportunity for another season. It always feels good to wrestle the first one of the season and get the adrenaline going competing again,” Mauger said.
The night ended with Stoner putting on a show. He turned a 7-0 lead into a last-second tech fall in the third period, and he finished the day with two tech-fall wins of his own.
Across the three duals, the Tigers got the kind of opening weekend that shows both depth and firepower. The scoreboard was lopsided, the bonus points came in bunches, and the freshmen and transfers had their moments right alongside the established names.
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