The University of Missouri wrestling team, ranked No. 14 nationally, was defeated by No. 15 Northern Iowa with a score of 22-14 in their Big 12 conference opener on Sunday, December 14, in Cedar Falls, Iowa. With this result, Missouri’s season record moves to 6-6 overall and 0-1 in the Big 12 conference. Northern Iowa improves to 3-2 overall and remains undefeated at 2-0 in the conference.
Missouri secured victories in four out of ten matches during the dual and achieved one bonus point win. Northern Iowa started strong by winning the first three bouts before Missouri’s Josh Edmond earned a decision at 149 pounds to put his team on the scoreboard. J Conway followed with another victory for Missouri at 157 pounds through a 6-3 decision, narrowing UNI’s lead to 10-6 halfway through the event.
Aeoden Sinclair, currently ranked No. 2 at his weight class as a redshirt freshman, contributed significantly for Missouri by securing a technical fall at 184 pounds—the fourth such win of his season and his tenth bonus-point victory overall. Evan Bates added another win for the Tigers at 197 pounds, bringing Missouri within three points of Northern Iowa late in the contest.
Missouri’s all-time record against Northern Iowa now stands at 17 wins and 23 losses, including a mark of 12-8 under head coach Brian Smith. The dual also marked true freshman Peyton Westpfahl’s first appearance for Missouri outside of tournament competition this season.
Reflecting on individual matchups, Edmond became the second Tiger this season to defeat UNI’s Ethan Basile; earlier in the year, Seth Mendoza had won over Basile by technical fall.
Looking ahead, Missouri will next compete at the Soldier Salute event in Coralville, Iowa on January 3-4, with streaming available via BIG+.
The full match results are as follows:
125 lbs: Trever Anderson (UNI) defeated Mack Mauger (MIZ) by major decision, 12-0
133 lbs: Julian Farber (UNI) defeated Kade Moore (MIZ) by decision, 9-8
141 lbs: Cory Land (UNI) defeated Zeke Seltzer (MIZ) by decision, 5-1
149 lbs: Josh Edmond (MIZ) defeated Ethan Basile (UNI) by decision, 10-4
157 lbs: J Conway (MIZ) defeated RJ Weston (UNI) by decision, 6-3
165 lbs: Ryder Downey (UNI) defeated Max Mayfield (MIZ) by decision, 1-0
174 lbs: Jared Simma (UNI) defeated Peyton Westpfahl (MIZ) by major decision, 12-0
184 lbs: Aeoden Sinclair (MIZ) defeated CJ Walrath (UNI) by technical fall, 20-4
197 lbs: Evan Bates (MIZ) defeated John Gunderson (UNI) by decision, 5-2
285 lbs: Wyatt Voelker (UNI) defeated Jarrett Stoner (MIZ) by technical fall, 21-6
Attendance for the dual was reported as 3,141.
“Missouri’s all-time record against the Panthers falls to 17–23 and 12–8 under Head Coach Brian Smith.”
“True freshman Peyton Westpfahl competed in his first dual for Mizzou.”
“At 149 pounds, Edmond becomes the second Tiger to beat UNI’s Ethan Basile this season.”
“Sinclair’s technical fall at 184 pounds was his fourth of the season and his tenth total victory by bonus points.”
The Tigers will resume competition after winter break and continue seeking improvement as they move further into their conference schedule.