Tiger wrestling win streak draws to a close at Virginia Duals
The No. 9 Missouri Tigers dropped their first dual since Nov. 18 on Saturday, as they were upset by No. 22 Kent State by a score of 18-14 in the finals of the Virginia Duals.
The Tigers, who came into the Virginia Duals as the top seed, cruised to the championship round with wins over North Dakota State and No. 23 Edinboro after a first round bye. But despite two matches won by major decision against Kent State, Missouri could not hold on for the victory.
Sophomore Alan Waters, ranked No. 3 in the country at 125 pounds, had a big test against No. 4 Nic Bedelyon of Kent State. But like he had twice before in his career, Waters bested Bedelyon, this time by a score of 7-5.
Redshirt freshman Drake Houdashelt and sophomore Zach Toal continued the strong start for the Tigers, giving the team victories at 157 and 165 pounds.
Things quickly fell apart for MU in the remaining matches, though. Losses from seniors Patrick Wright and Dorian Henderson gave Kent State a lead that it would not relinquish for the remainder of the dual, despite an 8-0, major decision victory for junior Brent Haynes against Kent State’s Ryan Buckner that closed the gap to 15-14.
Freshman Devin Mellon could not earn the needed points for MU, failing to upset Kent State’s Brendan Barlow, who came into Saturday’s action as the No. 16 heavyweight in the country.
The loss snapped a seven-dual winning streak for Missouri.
The Tigers will get a chance to refocus before trying to get back to their winning ways. The Tigers are off next week, but head to Edwardsville, Ill., on Sunday, Jan. 29, for a quad meet. MU will take on Eastern Michigan, SIU-Edwardsville and Truman State, beginning at 1 p.m.