The University of Missouri has announced the addition of Evan Bates to its wrestling program. Head coach Brian Smith confirmed that Bates, a transfer from Northwestern University, will join the Tigers as a redshirt senior with one year of eligibility left.
Bates arrives in Columbia after competing at 197 pounds for Northwestern, where he qualified twice for the NCAA Championships and compiled a career record of 69-48. In the opening round of the 2025 NCAA Championships, Bates recorded an upset victory over Stanford’s Nick Stemmet by a score of 13-10. He finished the 2024-25 season ranked No. 20 by InterMat and achieved wins against nine ranked opponents. Over his collegiate career, he accumulated five pins, five technical falls, and three major decisions.
Before his time at Northwestern, Bates wrestled for Chesterton High School in Indiana. He posted a record of 124-12 over three years and won an Indiana State Championship. He also earned Indiana Class 3A All-State honors during both his sophomore and junior seasons and was named Team MVP. From ages eight to fourteen, Bates competed with Chesterton Wrestling Club.
Bates expressed his reasons for joining Missouri: “I chose Mizzou because of the great team culture and amazing people.”
Coach Brian Smith commented on what Bates brings to the team: “Evan is graduating with an engineering degree and has outstanding wrestling accomplishments. His maturity and experience on and off the mat will be valuable to a young team this year. His leadership will help us do great things.”
Bates reunites at Missouri with Max Mayfield, who joined Tiger Style earlier in April.