Missouri Wrestling Tops Oklahoma, Claims Bragging Rights in the SEC - and Momentum for March
Technically, it’s not an official SEC title. But when you’re one of only two SEC schools with a wrestling program - and you beat the other one - you get to hang the banner.
Missouri did just that Thursday night, knocking off No. 20 Oklahoma 23-14 at the Hearnes Center in Columbia.
And while the win might not come with hardware, it came with something arguably more important: confidence, momentum, and a reminder that this Tiger team is trending in the right direction.
“We’re the only two SEC teams, so we have to win it,” head coach Brian Smith said with a grin. “And we did.”
Four Straight and Counting
Missouri, ranked No. 18 nationally, improved to 12-7 overall and 5-2 in Big 12 duals. The win over Oklahoma marked the Tigers’ fourth in a row - a stretch that’s included dominant performances over Northern Colorado (42-0), Little Rock (33-9), and West Virginia (26-13). That winning streak has helped erase the sting of a rough home loss to Oklahoma State three weeks ago and reestablished the Tigers as a team to watch heading into the postseason.
This latest win also added to the legacy of Smith’s program. It marked the 22nd time under his leadership that Missouri has reached double-digit dual wins, and it locked in a winning season for the 25th time in his 28 years at the helm. That kind of consistency is rare in college wrestling - and it’s a big reason Mizzou remains a perennial postseason threat.
Senior Night Spark
Thursday’s win came on Senior Night, and the Tigers made sure to send their veterans out with a statement. Missouri won six of the 10 bouts, including a pivotal stretch of five straight victories from 149 through 184 pounds that flipped the dual on its head.
It all started with Josh Edmond at 149. In a tightly contested match with Hunter Hollingsworth, Edmond broke a 1-1 tie in the third period with a slick transition from a double-leg attempt to a single-leg finish. That 4-1 win not only tied the team score at 6-6 - it lit the fuse for what came next.
“Good to beat Kendric Maple,” Edmond said afterward with a smile, referencing Missouri’s associate head coach - and former Oklahoma NCAA champ. “Feels good to get a win against him.”
Middleweight Domination
After Edmond set the tone, Teague Travis followed with a 15-4 major decision at 157, showcasing crisp takedowns and relentless pressure. At 165, J Conway came through in the clutch, using a third-period takedown to edge Owen Eck 8-6.
Then came the fireworks.
At 174, Cam Steed - a native of Collinsville, Oklahoma - took it to Trae Rios, piling up three takedowns in the first period and three near-fall turns in the second en route to a 21-3 technical fall. Steed was originally slated to face Oklahoma’s Carter Schubert, ranked No. 8 nationally, but with Schubert out, Steed didn’t waste the opportunity to put on a show.
“Being from Oklahoma, it feels great to beat Oklahoma,” he said.
At 184, Aeoden Sinclair followed suit with a 22-6 tech fall over Eli Cordy. Sinclair was supposed to face another top-10 opponent in Brian Soldano, but with Soldano out, Sinclair took full control, racking up seven takedowns - five of them in the first 90 seconds - to ice the dual.
By the time Sinclair walked off the mat, Missouri had a 23-6 lead and the dual was mathematically over.
Energy from the Stars - But Room to Grow
Steed and Sinclair were the headliners, combining for 43 of Missouri’s 89 total match points. Add in Travis’s 15, and that trio accounted for 65% of the Tigers’ offensive output on the night.
“They bring the energy,” Smith said of Steed and Sinclair. “They’re fun to watch.
But some of these other guys, we’ve got to get them going. They’ve got to understand that going forward and attacks are good things - they create good things.”
That’s the balance Missouri is still chasing. While the Tigers dominated the middle of the lineup, they dropped two of their first three bouts by a combined four points and lost the final two by a combined 24. It wasn’t a perfect performance - and Smith didn’t pretend otherwise.
“We’re learning how to win,” he said. “That’s a good thing.
We’re winning some duals. Tonight wasn’t our best performance, I don’t think.
There were some great performances out of a couple guys, but even in some matches we won, I didn’t like the energy levels. That’s something we have to look at.”
One More Test Before the Postseason
Next up: a road trip to face No. 4 Iowa State in the regular-season finale.
That one’s circled. The Cyclones are a legitimate national contender and will provide the Tigers with one last major measuring stick before the Big 12 Championships and, ultimately, the NCAA Tournament.
Missouri’s unofficial SEC crown is a nice feather in the cap. But make no mistake - this team has its eyes on March. And if the middleweights keep firing like this, and the rest of the lineup can match their energy, Missouri could be a dangerous out when the lights get brighter.
Final Score: #18 Missouri 23, #20 Oklahoma 14
- 125 lbs: #32 Conrad Hendriksen (OU) dec. #26 Mack Mauger (MIZ), 4-1 SV
- 133 lbs: #28 Gage Walker (MIZ) dec. Carter Schmidt (OU), 8-6
- 141 lbs: #27 Tyler Wells (OU) dec. Easton Hilton (MIZ), 3-2
- 149 lbs: #22 Josh Edmond (MIZ) dec. Hunter Hollingsworth (OU), 4-1
- 157 lbs: #15 Teague Travis (MIZ) major dec. Layton Schneider (OU), 15-4
- 165 lbs: #26 J Conway (MIZ) dec. Owen Eck (OU), 8-6
- 174 lbs: #9 Cam Steed (MIZ) tech. fall Trae Rios (OU), 21-3
- 184 lbs: #3 Aeoden Sinclair (MIZ) tech. fall Eli Cordy (OU), 22-6
- 197 lbs: #11 DJ Parker (OU) major dec. #12 Evan Bates (MIZ), 18-4
- 285 lbs: #21 Juan Mora (OU) major dec. #25 Jarrett Stoner (MIZ), 14-4
Missouri’s dual season ends next week in Ames. But the real season - the one that counts - is just getting started.