Mizzou Tigers have a national champion: Keegan O’Toole wins big at NCAA wrestling meet
Keegan O’Toole made history for the Missouri Tigers wrestling program on Saturday night.
The 165-pound O’ Toole defeated Stanford’s Shane Griffith to win the national championship in his weight class, becoming the first Mizzou wrestler to do so in that weight class.
O’Toole, a native of Hartland, Wisconsin, is also the first national champion for the Tigers program since J’den Cox in 2017.
“I had to find a way,” O’Toole said on the broadcast after claiming the title in Detroit, “and that’s exactly what I did.”
O’ Toole, who is technically a freshman due to COVID-19 eligibility, entered the NCAA Wrestling Championships as a No. 2 seed after posting a 24-0 record on the season. He didn’t allow a single point in the tournament entering the final match, shutting out No. 7 seed Carson Kharchla (Ohio State) in the quarterfinals and No. 6 seed Cameron Amine (Michigan) in the semifinals.
Prior to Saturday’s match, O’Toole told the media: “I’m prepared to die for a national title.”
O’Toole faced more of a challenge against No. 5 seed Griffith, who had knocked off top-seeded Evan Wick (Cal Poly) in the previous round. The match was knotted at 4-4 late, but O’Toole had the advantage in the third period and won 6-5.
“He wouldn’t take me down,” O’Toole said. “I would go to the death.”
This story was originally published March 19, 2022 at 8:33 PM.
