The University of Missouri wrestling team finished eighth at the Big 12 Conference Championship in Tulsa, Oklahoma, with a total of 65.5 points. Five wrestlers from Missouri reached the podium by placing in the top eight, and three athletes earned automatic bids to the NCAA Championship scheduled for March 20-22 in Philadelphia.
During the medal round, redshirt sophomore Kade Moore advanced to the third-place match after winning his consolation semifinal by injury default but lost to Julian Farber of Northern Iowa, securing fourth place. James Conway, also a redshirt sophomore, claimed seventh place at 157 pounds after defeating Caleb Dowling from West Virginia. Colton Hawks finished eighth at 184 pounds following an 11-7 loss to Aidan Brenot of North Dakota State.
In championship matches, Cam Steed competed at 165 pounds and finished as runner-up after losing a close decision to Peyton Hall of West Virginia. Keegan O’Toole defended his conference title at 174 pounds by defeating Dean Hamiti of Oklahoma State in overtime.
“Seeking to defend his conference title, Keegan O’Toole took the mat against top seed Dean Hamiti of Oklahoma State. After a scoreless first period, surrendering an escape, and takedown in the second, the Hartland, Wisconsin native faced an early deficit. A clutch third-period takedown, followed swiftly by an overtime takedown, clinched a third Big 12 title for the Tiger. O’Toole will head to Philadelphia as a favorite to earn the No. 1 overall seed and will seek his third national title.”
Missouri’s automatic qualifiers for nationals are Moore (133), Steed (165), and O’Toole (174). Both Moore and Steed received their first automatic NCAA bids this season; Moore had previously qualified via an at-large bid last year. O’Toole earned his fifth career automatic qualification.
Moore’s fourth-place finish was his best performance so far in conference competition—an improvement over last year’s result when he did not win any matches at this stage. Steed placed second after entering as a fifth seed; O’Toole captured first despite being seeded second.
“O’Toole secured his first official victory over the Cowboy Hamiti with his title match victory. The two faced off in an exhibition match in November of 2022 with Mizzou’s own securing a 7-1 victory, but the match did not count for official records.”
O’Toole is now a four-time conference champion—three titles from Big 12 events and one from competing in the Mid-American Conference during the pandemic-shortened season.
With these results, Missouri has maintained its streak since 2020-21 of producing at least one individual conference champion each year.
The Tigers will next compete at the NCAA Championship later this month in Philadelphia.