FAYETTE, Mo. - Missouri Baptist Men's Wrestling competed in their first dual of the season against Central Methodist, taking the No. 7 ranked Eagles down to the last match. 

The contest began at an unusual starting spot, with the 197-pound grapplers hitting the mats first. Jared Volcic and CMU's Kaden Cryer were instant entertainment; the pair pushing back and forth, neither able to pull ahead. The bout lasted all three periods, and when the dust had settled, Cryer put Central Methodist on the scoreboard first, winning by decision, 9-7. 

Amad Soufi, the No. 23 ranked heavyweight man for Missouri Baptist, continued his excellent start to the 2026-27 season with a major decision (12-4) win over his opponent. Two matches that both lasted the entire three were a sign of what was yet to come between these conference foes. 

CMU claimed the 125-pound match by decision (11-5) before Missouri Baptist rattled off three straight wins. Brenden Rayl had the first of two wins by fall on the night at 133-pounds, pinning his opponent at the 2:51 mark. 141-pounder Jackson Bassett had the other, besting his competition in a quick 22 seconds. Noah Richardson was the final individual victor for MBU, claiming the 149 bout by decision, 9-4. 

At this point in the dual, Missouri Baptist held a 19-6 lead in team scoring. Unfortunately, CMU won the final four matches, piling on a pair of tech falls and major decisions, overtaking the Spartans for a final score of 24-19. 

Despite dropping the dual MBU took the highly ranked Central Methodist squad to the final match. Spartan Men's Wrestling will look to rebound in their first home dual of the season, hosting Saint Ambrose on Wednesday, Nov. 11th at 7 p.m. in the Petty SRC.