Bigger tests are still yet to come for Noah Surtin, but Missouri’s 125-pounder has aced everything placed in front of him this season — in and outside the Tigers’ practice room. 

The three-time NCAA qualifier — who’s trying to break through to the national podium for the first time — is off to a 5-0 start with four bonus-point victories. His early-season success is a product of being healthier, stronger, more mature and more confident this season, according to Mizzou coach Brian Smith. 

“I was putting him through a drill the other day and it’s exciting to see the improvements that he's made just with the confidence in his attacks because that's always been something he struggled with — getting takedowns,” Smith said. “If we can get him on top of people, man, he's a beast on top, that's a big deal. He gets on top of these guys, they don't want to be underneath him.

“He's never had that confidence on his feet, so it's exciting to see because if he's hitting his leg attacks then it opens up where he fakes and he gets his front heads and he's really dangerous there, so it's a good thing. I really like where he's at right now. He works hard. He's a very confident young man."

Surtin has piled up three pins and a technical fall in his first five matches this season. His other win was a 6-1 victory against Little Rock’s Jeremiah Reno at the Tiger Style Invite. 

Surtin was hoping to gauge himself against Richard Figueroa when Mizzou wrestled Arizona State on Nov. 19, but the second-ranked Sun Devil wasn’t in the lineup. Surtin scored a first-period pin against replacement Damien Moreno. 

“Obviously I wanted the other guy,” Surtin said. “I wanted that bigger match, but there's nothing you can do about that. I told the team that before, just wrestle who they put out there.” 

A big match for Surtin is on the horizon. Missouri wrestles at home Dec. 8 against Wyoming and Jore Volk, who handed Surtin an 11-1 loss when the two teams wrestled last season. 

“He’s one of those kids who’s been at the nationals three times now and we need a kid like that to step up for this team and he’s been preparing himself to do that,” Smith said of Surtin. “To see him healthy now is good.” 

Back To Work

Surtin’s pin in the Arizona State dual was one of eight match victories for the Tigers during the 39-6 win against the short-handed Sun Devils, who also wrestled without All-Americans Jacori Teemer and Cohlton Schultz. 

There were plenty of positives for Mizzou, including the scoring barrage for the Tigers from 157 to heavyweight — a stretch in which Smith’s team scored bonus points in all six matches and put up 15 points or more in every bout except Zach Elam’s first-period pin. 

But also some areas for improvement. 

There was some where, even in the matches we won big, I feel like we're holding back at times so it's trying to get our guys to get through that,” Smith said. “That's the frustrating thing for me. I see people are seeing a final score and say ‘Oh wow, they had an easy time,’ but there were times in matches I felt like we could be scoring (more). That stuff we have to get back and work on it. Just need little things to get better at.”

Mizzou had opportunities to register a ninth match win against the Sun Devils, but freshman Zeke Seltzer couldn’t make an early takedown hold up in a 6-4 loss to #11 Julian Chlebove at 133. 

Smith said Seltzer had opportunities in the match, but “he’s just got to make the most of them.” 

“It's just getting disciplined with his game plan and weight control,” Smith said. “When you're young and you're not (managing) your weight as well as you can, you question your conditioning. He took breaks during the match when he could have put him away and he didn't.”

But Smith believes Seltzer will learn from the experience and improve because the freshman “cares a lot about it. He’s going to get better.” 

Said Surtin: “I'm excited for what he can do. I think he's kind of sliding (off) the radar a little bit. We'll fix some things. But he's got the offense. He's got the mindset. He's a big, strong 33. And it'll come together.”

On Deck

Mizzou returns to competition Friday night in the Big 12 opener for the Tigers against Oklahoma, a dual that will be streamed live on Flowrestling. 

There’s potential for several bouts between ranked opponents, including the 141-pound match between Mizzou’s #16 Josh Edmond and #14 Mosha Schwartz of Oklahoma.  

The Tigers downed the Sooners 33-3 last season in Norman, but much has changed for both squads since then. 

“We bring in a different team — we're different at ‘33, ‘41, ‘84, and ‘49, so we have four new guys in the lineup,” Smith said. “They have a solid team, as well as five or six transfers in their lineup.” 

It’s unlikely, however, that second-ranked All-American Rocky Elam will be back in the Tiger lineup in time for a Friday night showdown with #3 Stephen Buchanan of Oklahoma. Buchanan defeated Elam three times during the 2022 season when he wrestled for Wyoming. 

“We're hoping that Rocky will be ready here in the next week or so, we're hoping to get him back here real soon,” Smith said. “If (Elam looks good this week in practice), there's a chance I may put him in the Cougar Clash (on Saturday), so we'll see, just to get him a couple matches to catch up.” 

In addition to the dual against the Sooners, the Tigers are also planning to send 15 wrestlers, including four starters, to SIU Edwardsville’s Cougar Clash. Minnesota, Army, Northern Illinois, Northern Colorado and Little Rock are among the programs expected to send wrestlers to the tournament.