Mizzou Central

Missouri Wrestling Advances 3 Wrestlers to the Semifinals of the Big 12 Championship

All 10 Tigers will appear in consolation matches or semifinals for Session II of the Big 12 Wrestling Championship.
Izabelle Cool|
Oklahoma State’s Reece Witcraft takes down Missouri’s Kade Moore during an NCAA wrestling meet between Oklahoma State and Missouri at Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater, Okla., on Sunday, Feb. 2, 2025.
Oklahoma State’s Reece Witcraft takes down Missouri’s Kade Moore during an NCAA wrestling meet between Oklahoma State and Missouri at Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater, Okla., on Sunday, Feb. 2, 2025. | NATHAN J. FISH/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Big 12 Wrestling Championships are taking place this weekend, and Missouri wrestling aims to reclaim the title after Iowa State won it last season. Currently, the Tigers are tied for sixth place with North Dakota State with 33 points. Oklahoma State leads with 83 points.


The Tigers started slowly in Session I, with Gabe Walker losing 9-2 to No. 3 Troy Spratley (OSU). However, No. 8 Kade Moore helped the Tigers regroup as they moved into the rest of the morning.

In the first win of the day for the Tigers, No. 8 Kade Moore (133) took an early lead with a takedown over Gavin Caprella (Air Force). He scored a four-point nearfall, increasing his lead to 11-1. Despite Caprella's attempts to ride him through, Moore maintained his advantage. The match ended with a late takedown by Moore in the third, securing his victory 15-3.

Moore appeared in the quarterfinals against No. 1 Evan Frost (Iowa State). Moore had a quick takedown and held on tight to secure riding time. Moore then continued to get takedown after takedown to lead 16-6 as time dwindled in the third period. To end the match, Moore scored another takedown and had the upset win over Frost, 20-5. Moore will appear in the semifinals.

No. 5 Cam Steed (165) had his first match of the day against Boeden Greenley (North Dakota State University). Steed had a few early takedowns in the matchup that put him ahead of Greenley. He then put the riding time to his advantage to hold his lead through the end of the first period. Late in the second period, Steed had a four-point near fall as he kept Greenly on his back. Steed scored a takedown that secured his technical fall win with a score of 18-3.

Steed proceeded to the quarterfinals against Clayton Ulrey from Northern Colorado, defeating him with a 12-2 major decision after scoring 11 of those points in the first period alone. Steed will move on to the semifinals.

Following Steed, No. 2 Keegan O'Toole appeared in his last appearance at the Big 12 Wrestling Championships against Devin Wasley (NDSU). O'Toole had an early takedown in the first period, but Wasley responded with an escape and held O'Toole to one more takedown before the second period. O'Toole had the 3:12 riding time advantage heading into the third period. Wasley had a late reversal in the third, but O'Toole maintained his lead to win 14-5.

O'Toole returned for the quarterfinals against No. 7 MJ Gaitan, who had a BYE Saturday morning. O'Toole made quick work of the bout with a 15-0 technical fall with 1:16 left in the first period. O'Toole is now qualified for the 2025 NCAA Wrestling Championship.

Round Two Consolation Appearances

  • 125| Gage Walker will wrestle No. 6 Antonio Lorenzo (OU) after his dropped match against No. 4 Troy Spratley (OSU), 9-2, and a 1-0 win over Mitchel Neiner (Cal. Baptist).
  • 141| No. 6 Josh Edmond will face Jordan Titus (WVU) in round two of consolations after he dropped his match to No. 3 Jacob Frost, 15-8.
  • 149| No. 7 Logan Gioffre will face Sam Hilegas (WVU) in round two of consolations after he dropped his match to No. 2 Paniro Johnson (ISU), 6-5 in sudden victory.
  • 157| No. 7 James Conway will face No. 8 Drayden Morton (Cal. Baptist) after his 8-5 loss to No. 2 Caleb Fish (OSU).
  • 184| No. 8 Colton Hawks defeated AJ Heeg (UNCO), 2-0, to move on to round two of consolations and will wrestle Caleb Uhlenhopp (Utah Valley).
  • 197| Jesse Cassatt will wrestle No. 6 Nathan Schon (ISU).
  • 285| No. 4 Seth Nitzel will wrestle Andrew Blackburn-Forst (NDSU) after he lost 6-3 in sudden victory to No. 5 Juan Mora (OU).

Standings

  1. Oklahoma State - 83
  2. Iowa State - 54
  3. Northern Iowa - 50
  4. South Dakota State - 40
  5. Northern Colorado - 39.5
  6. Missouri and NDSU - 33
  7. Oklahoma - 29.5
  8. West Virginia - 23
  9. Arizona State - 18.5
  10. California Baptist - 15
  11. Utah Valley - 13.5
  12. Wyoming - 13.5
  13. Air Force - 4.5

Session II

Session II will begin at 5:00 p.m. CST and will include the semifinal and consolation quarterfinal Matches. The matches will be streamed on ESPN+, which requires a subscription.

Published | Modified
Izabelle Cool
IZABELLE COOL

Izabelle is a master’s candidate at the University of Tennessee studying Sports Management. She received her Bachelor of Journalism with an emphasis in Sports Broadcast from the University of Missouri in 2024. She has been covering wrestling for Missouri On SI since 2023 and has covered wrestling for the Ohio State Buckeyes On SI and Iowa Hawkeyes On SI since 2024. Additionally, Izabelle has covered various Olympic sports, including track and field, soccer, and tennis, since 2021 with other outlets.

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