The Tigers are currently without their three expected key contributors, two gone for the rest of the season

For the second straight year, Mizzou Wrestling has begun its season with high hopes and expectations before seeing the year take a sharp turn due to injuries.

The injuries this season have come earlier and had a more severe effect than they did during the 2023-24 campaign, when the Tigers placed 11th at the NCAA Championships for their lowest finish since the 2013-14 season.

Mizzou’s dual meet record for the season currently stands at 2-5, the team’s worst start to a season since 2000-01, when the Tigers went 1-6 to begin the year.

And the squad’s path for the rest of the campaign just got tougher.

The team announced yesterday in a press release that four time All-American Rocky Elam, viewed as a title contender at 197 lbs this season, will be unable to compete this season due to continued recovery from injuries. He was previously expected to enter the lineup at some point during the season.

Cal Tobias/Rock M Nation

Keegan O’Toole, Mizzou’s top wrestler and the favorite to win the national title at 174 lbs, will also be out for the remainder of January. Head coach Brian Smith said he hopes to get Keegan back in time for the postseason.

Tiger Style’s third key senior, Noah Surtin, announced his medical retirement from wrestling in December after attempting to return for this season with an appearance at the Cougar Clash.

The team has also been hit by injuries to other starters, with two more missing the Collegiate Duals in late December.

Heavyweight Seth Nitzel, in his first season as a starter replacing the graduated Zach Elam, has been out of action since the team’s dual in late November against Northern Iowa.

Cam Steed has had even worse injury luck. The redshirt sophomore showed enormous potential early in the season as O’Toole’s successor at 165 lbs with a run of dual meet victories but fell by injury default against Braeden Scoles in the Braggin’ Rights dual.

He returned a month later at the Collegiate Duals but was injured 89 seconds into his match against Little Rock’s Matty Bianchi, again losing by injury default after he was unable to continue.

All together, that puts five starters currently out of action heading into tonight’s dual against last year’s national runners up in Cornell.

The Tigers have faced other issues this season, to be sure.

Kade Moore, who had a meteoric rise at 133 lbs last season, has not looked the same since his injury which caused him to miss the final months of that year’s regular season. The Texan is 5-9 this season and has not yet won a dual meet match, leading to him falling out of InterMat’s rankings.

Meanwhile, lineup regular Logan Gioffre and newcomer Jay Conway have both had some promising moments but more frequently struggled to score takedowns. Some wrestlers, though, have stood out despite the team’s slow start.

Mizzou has seen strong performances from returners Josh Edmond (141 lbs) and Colton Hawks (184 lbs), who both reached the blood round at nationals last season and are ranked in the top 15 of their respective weight classes.

Cal Tobias/Rock M Nation

The freshmen in the Tigers’ lineup have also stepped up to fill roles neither expected at the beginning of the year.

Gage Walker recently entered InterMat’s weight class rankings at 125 lbs after going 2-1 at the Collegiate Duals with a narrow loss to 12th-ranked Luke Lilledahl of Penn State, while phenom Aeoden Sinclair reached the finals of the Soldier Salute last weekend after defeating Big Ten champion and All-American Isaiah Salazar 5-3 in the semis.

But Tiger Style, on the whole, is wounded and looking in bad shape entering the conference season. The team is ranked 19th in the NWCA coaches poll, dropping 10 spots from their preseason ranking.

Mizzou also faces an extremely tough remaining schedule, with six top 25 opponents in eight dual meets.

Despite the Tigers’ early season woes, something nearly unseen during Brian Smith’s tenure as head coach, hope remains for this team.

Edmond and Hawks have again been top wrestlers while the squad’s freshmen have continued to develop throughout the season. Mizzou expects O’Toole to return for a postseason run, and getting Steed and Nitzel back would be a boon for the team’s success.

A massive wave of injuries and misfortune has crashed down on the Tigers this season. But if they can weather the storm and stay afloat, calmer seas might just be ahead.