Chris McCormick took the Tigers’ starting spot at 141 pounds.
What tasted sweet for some MU wrestlers left a bitter taste in the mouths of others at the Black and Gold match at Hearnes Center on Thursday night.
That was the case for teammates Chris McCormick and Josh Wagner. McCormick, a senior, defeated the sophomore Wagner 5-4 in the 141-pound weight class, sealing McCormick a spot in the starting lineup when the Tigers open up their season against Stanford on Friday in Kansas City. At the same time, it forced Wagner to sit and watch his teammates compete in the match.
A dejected Wagner threw his headgear in disgust after the loss and quickly walked into the locker room.
“I was pretty bummed,” Wagner said. “I never like losing, so I’m never going to be happy after a loss.”
Both McCormick and Wagner knew the match would be close because the Tigers wrestle each other every day in practice. But the stakes were higher in the Black and Gold match. Now McCormick will get an opportunity against Stanford to prove he belongs in the lineup.
“I’m definitely more excited now that I’ll be in the lineup,” McCormick said. “It’s our first chance to face real competition. You kind of get sick of beating up on each other. It would be nice to beat up on another team.”
Despite the loss, Wagner still has the opportunity to steal the spot from McCormick later in the season.
“Those two are going to battle for that spot every week,” coach Brian Smith said. “They are very even wrestlers. What happens for the rest of the season hasn’t been decided yet.”
Wagner regained his spirits shortly after the match. He is now focusing on the Missouri Open, which will give him a chance to wrestle to get his place back.
“I got to go out and compete hard there,” Wagner said. “I have to stay in better position and not let my head get pulled down. That’s something that’s my weakness and I need to work on if I want to win more matches.”
Many of the Black and Gold matches came down to the final few seconds. On three occasions, MU wrestlers lost leads late in the third period, something Smith said the Tigers need to work on.
“We’ve got a lot of little things we need to get better in,” Smith said. “We got leads and then gave them up. Guys got timid and started opening up. We can’t sit on leads. We still have to work hard.”