Live Thread: NCAA Wrestling Championships Session Three

Five Mizzou wrestlers remain, I’ve got all the information Tigers fans need to know from the Friday morning session in KC,

Five Tigers are still standing and five were sent home on the first day of the NCAA Championships. You can catch up on all the action in my live threads from the first day:

Session One

Session Two

Three Mizzou wrestlers, two-time defending national champ Keegan O’Toole alongside Rocky and Zach Elam, won both their matches on day one and advanced to the quarterfinals. You can read the interviews I’ve done with the Elam brothers below for more information on them both on and off the mat:

Tiger Style Explored: A Mizzou Wrestling Interview Series – Rocky Elam

Tiger Style Explored: A Mizzou Wrestling Interview Series – Zach Elam

Meanwhile, Josh Edmond and Colton Hawks will be fighting to survive and advance in the wrestlebacks. Here’s more information on them:

Tiger Style Explored: A Mizzou Wrestling Interview Series – Josh Edmond

Tiger Style Explored: A Mizzou Wrestling Interview Series – Colton Hawks

The Tigers enter the day with 14 points and tied for tenth place with Oklahoma State. They are 3.5 points behind Virginia Tech in ninth and one point ahead of Arizona State and South Dakota State.

Here are some of my key takeaways from the first day:

Keegan O’Toole has demolished all early competition thrown his way, he’s started strong on the path to a third national title.
The Elam brothers have stepped up right when they were needed most. The Tigers will need another day of strong performances from them if they want to finish in the top-10.
Colton Hawks has done a fantastic job since returning to the starting lineup and went 1-1 yesterday. He appears to have a favorable path through the wrestlebacks and could put up some desperately needed team points if he continues his strong performance.
Josh Edmond has taken a step up in the final weeks of the season and the Tigers will need him to match his performance from the Big 12 Championships. He was able to make his way through the wreslebacks in that tournament. They won’t need to him to win every match from here on out (though I’m sure fans and coaches would have no complaints), but a few wins from Edmond in the consolation bracket could be important this team’s placement at the end of Saturday.
Noah Surtin and Kade Moore both fall into the category of “what if” seasons. Surtin looked like an All-American before missing the final week of the regular season and being injured. Moore was the breakout story of this team before missing the second half of the season, he wasn’t the same upon his return.
Logan Gioffre is another wrestler whose season trajectory was changed by injury. He bows out early after some quality wins and strong flashes of potential in the first half of the season.
Peyton Mocco and Brock Mauller finish their Tigers careers on a disappointing note. They’ve been so successful over their careers at Mizzou and have meant a lot to the program but struggled down the final stretch of the season like so many others.

Josh Edmond

Josh Edmond’s match with CJ Composto of Penn in the second consolation round is up next on mat eight.
Edmond drives at Composto and gets the takedown with a double leg before a quick escape. Edmond with another takedown, he’s showing his power early. Another escape and after a slow in the action Edmond goes right back to the driving double leg, that’s a 9-3 lead after one.
Edmond scores a quick escape from bottom to start the second. Composto is the aggressor in this period but Edmond shuts down all of his attacks, he takes a 10-3 lead into the final period. Composto goes to bottom.
Composto escapes after about 15 seconds. Edmond goes for a single leg shot but Composto goes over the top and it stalemates. Composto with a shot, it’s caught by Edmond and that’s the final score. Edmond was penalized for stalling in the final period but added the extra point for riding time to take the 11-5 decision and advance to the next round.
Edmond will face #20 Tom Crook of Virginia Tech in the third consolation round. The winner of that match will take on #26 Vance Vombaur with a chance to become an All-American.

Josh Edmond’s third consolation round match with Tom Crook of Virginia Tech is up next on mat two.
Edmond with an early takedown, he rides for 35 seconds before an escape. That’s it for the scoring in the first period, Edmond leads 3-1 heading into period two. Crook takes bottom.
Edmond scores a three-point nearfall about 35 seconds in before they go out of bounds. Crook escapes but Edmond is over a minute in riding time. Edmond uses a powerful double leg for another takedown, bringing Crook to the mat. He rides the period out and will start on bottom. Edmond with a comfortable lead.
Edmond escapes then Crook scores his first takedown of the match. Edmond gets another escape. Edmond goes for the single leg and gets another powerful takedown, lifting him up and bringing him back down to the mat. Crook escapes but it’s a big 15-6 MD victory for Edmond with the extra point for riding time.
Edmond advances to face #26 Vance Vombaur of Minnesota. He is one win away from becoming an All-American.

Keegan O’Toole

Keegan O’Toole’s quarterfinals match with Antrell Taylor of Nebraska is up next on mat three.
O’Toole with a single leg shot and uses a trip for the takedown. He immediately goes for back points and scores a four-point nearfall. O’Toole continues to ride, gets more swipes and another four-point nearfall. Taylor gets his first takedown off a double leg shot.
O’Toole scores a reversal in the final seconds of the period, he takes a 13-5 lead after the first period. For now. They’re going to the monitor.
The call stands! We go to period two. They’re starting from neutral.
Taylor with a low single leg shot, O’Toole with some impressive defense and scrambling for the takedown. He locks in the cradle and gets the fall, victory O’Toole! He is a four-time All-American and advances to the semis!
O’Toole and Carr both advance, meaning they will face each other in the semifinals. That means….
O’TOOLE – CARR V. TONIGHT.

Colton Hawks

Colton Hawks and Caleb Hopkins of Campbell are on deck for their second consolation round match on mat two.
Hawks wins a long scramble in the first to go up 3-0 entering period two. Hopkins responds in the second period by nearly pinning Hawks, he scores a four-point nearfall. Hawks’ move, he gets a reversal to regain the lead at 5-4. He rides out the period, two minutes left now.
Hopkins scores a reversal, then Hawks with a reversal, he’s got a cradle! He adds a four-point nearfall and gets the 13-6 decision in the end with a bonus point for riding time.
Hawks’ third consolation round match later in this session will be against #29 Jha’Quan Anderson of Gardner-Webb.

Colton Hawks’ third consolation round match with Jha’Quan Anderson of Gardner-Webb is up next on mat four.
We’re scoreless after one period of limited action. Hawks takes bottom to start the second period.
Hawks escapes after 57 seconds. Anderson is very hesitant to initiate the action here, coaches wanting a stalling call. Hawks leads 1-0 after the second period, Anderson takes bottom to begin period three.
Anderson gets the quick escape to start the final period. Anderson goes for a single leg, Hawks with some nice scrambling to prevent the takedown. It’s 1-1 at the end of regulation, we go to sudden victory.
Anderson with a single leg, Hawks again with fantastic scrambling to hold on and prevent the takedown. Hawks gets the match-winning takedown off a double leg shot, he drives Anderson to the mat and advances!
Hawks advances to face #25 David Key of Navy, he is now one win from an All-American finish.

Rocky Elam

Rocky Elam’s quarterfinals match with Michael Beard of Lehigh is up next on mat four.
Elam catches a shot from Beard and grabs his leg, he uses a trip for the takedown. Elam rides out the period, taking a 3-0 lead and 1:57 in riding time into period two.
Elam starts on bottom, he escapes after a little under 25 seconds. Beard with a shot, Elam scrambles and forces a stalemate. He leads 4-0 entering the final period with a shot to go to the semis.
Elam with a double leg shot early as they start from neutral, he wins a long scramble for the takedown. There’s a pause for blood on the mat, Elam leads 7-0 with 1:03 left in the period.
Elam nearly rides it out, Beard escapes in the final seconds and adds on another point for stalling but Elam advances to the semis 8-2!
Elam is now a four-time All-American and will face #1 seed Aaron Brooks of Penn State in the semifinals tonight.

Zach Elam

Zach Elam’s quarterfinals match with Wyatt Hendrickson of Air Force is up next on mat five.
Hendrickson gets a takedown in the first period and rides it out for a 3-0 lead. Elam takes bottom to start period two.
Elam scores a quick escape to start the second period. That’s the only point in these two minutes, Elam is down 3-1 heading into the final period. Hendrickson starts on bottom.
Hendrickson escapes, 4-1. Elam throws caution to the wind with a last-second desperation shot and Hendrickson scores another takedown. Elam loses 8-1 after the extra point for riding time and will move to the wrestlebacks.
Elam will face the winner of the Hunter Catka-Grady Griess match tonight. A win will secure his second straight All-American finish.

End of Session Three

Keegan O’Toole and Rocky Elam advanced to the semifinals and both became four-time All-Americans.
Zach Elam fell in his quarterfinals match while Josh Edmond and Colton Hawks moved their way through the wrestlebacks, all three find themselves in the blood round and one victory away from being an All-American.
Mizzou Wrestling ends the third session of the NCAA Championships in a tie for ninth place with Oklahoma State. The Tigers are half a point behind NC State and half a point ahead of Cornell.
Here are the next matches for each Tigers wrestler:
141 – #21 Josh Edmond vs. #26 Vance Vombaur of Minnesota in the blood round.
165 – #1 Keegan O’Toole vs. #4 David Carr in the semifinals.
184 – #11 Colton Hawks vs. #25 David Key of Navy in the blood round.
197 – #12 Rocky Elam vs. #1 Aaron Brooks of Penn State in the semifinals.
285 – #6 Zach Elam vs. #26 Hunter Catka of Virginia Tech in the blood round.
This was a very strong session for the Tigers as all five Mizzou wrestlers on the mat at the beginning of this morning will take the mat again this evening. They will need to carry that momentum into the next session to stay in the top 10.
We’ve reached the end of session three. Up next: semis, blood round, and the dogbone. Make sure to come back later tonight for my live coverage of session four!