No. 14 Missouri wrestling concluded its regular season with a 20-14 loss to No. 4 Iowa State at Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa, on Sunday, February 22. The Tigers finished their season with a record of 12-8 overall and 5-3 in the Big 12 Conference. Iowa State ended at 12-2 (8-1 Big 12).
The dual started at the 197-pound weight class, where Iowa State won the first five matches. At 141 pounds, Easton Hilton of Missouri challenged Anthony Echemendia but lost by a close margin of 3-2. By the halfway point, Iowa State led Missouri by a score of 17-0.
Missouri’s momentum shifted during the last five bouts. Freshman Seth Mendoza defeated Jacob Frost, who is ranked tenth nationally and is a returning All-American. “Mendoza’s big win is his first victory over a top-10 opponent, as well as his first against an All-American,” according to team notes from Missouri wrestling staff.
Max Mayfield returned from injury to defeat Connor Euton, ranked thirteenth in his weight class. Cam Steed secured another ranked win for Missouri with a late takedown for a narrow decision victory. Steed now has three wins this season over ranked opponents and remains undefeated (6-0) against Iowa State wrestlers.
Aeoden Sinclair closed out the dual for Missouri by earning a technical fall after scoring more than twenty points in under three minutes. Sinclair leads all collegiate wrestlers nationwide with 103 total takedowns this season and has achieved eleven technical falls.
Missouri’s all-time record against Iowa State now stands at twelve wins and forty-eight losses; under head coach Brian Smith, it is eleven wins and thirteen losses.
“At the conclusion of his 28th season at the helm, Smith has 353 total dual wins, good for a tie for second amongst active head coaches,” according to team records.
This marks Missouri’s first winning dual meet season since the 2023–24 campaign and represents their forty-fourth overall winning season—twenty-three of which have come under Coach Smith’s leadership.
The Tigers have not suffered a shutout loss in their last four hundred seventy-three dual meets—a streak that dates back to February 13, 1999.
The match marked the fifth consecutive year that Missouri faced Iowa State in its final regular-season dual meet.
Next up for Missouri is preparation for the Big 12 Championship beginning Friday, March 6 at Tulsa’s BOK Center; coverage will be available via ESPN+.
Fans can find updates on Mizzou Wrestling through MUTigers.com or on social media platforms including Facebook (Mizzou Wrestling), Twitter, and Instagram (@MizzouWrestling).
### FULL RESULTS ###
197 | [2] Rocky Elam (ISU) over [8] Evan Bates (MIZ) by decision, 7-3
285 | [1] Yonger Bastida (ISU) over Sampson Stillwell (MIZ) by technical fall, 22-6 (5:43)
125 | [11] Stevo Poulin (ISU) over [22] Mack Mauger (MIZ) by decision, 9-4
133 | Garrett Grice (ISU) over [26] Gage Walker (MIZ) by decision, 7-3
141 | [3] Anthony Echemendia (ISU) over Easton Hilton (MIZ) by decision, 3-2
149 | Seth Mendoza (MIZ) over [9] Jacob Frost (ISU) by decision, 8-2
157 | [7] Vinny Zerban (ISU) over [30] Teague Travis (MIZ) by decision, 5-3
165 | Max Mayfield (MIZ) over [13] Connor Euton (ISU) by decision, 8-6
174 | [10] Cam Steed (MIZ) over [12] MJ Gaitan (ISU) by decision, 4-3
184 | [3] Aeoden Sinclair (MIZ) over Jacob Helgeson (ISU) by technical fall, 21-5 (2:55)