Mar 22, 2025, 11:44 PM ET
PHILADELPHIA — Oklahoma State’s Wyatt Hendrickson surprised Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson 5-4 within the heavyweight ultimate Saturday evening on the NCAA males’s wrestling championships with President Donald Trump in attendance.
Hendrickson, a switch from Air Pressure, trailed within the remaining tournament of the night time till scoring on a takedown within the ultimate minute — the one takedown Steveson allowed all season.
Hendrickson saluted Trump after his victory. With a United States flag draped over his shoulders, he then walked over and shook Trump’s hand and hugged him as a part of his birthday party. Trump attended the development, simply as he did as a presidential candidate in 2023 when the event used to be in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Wyatt Hendrickson is the primary Oklahoma State wrestler to win an NCAA identify at heavyweight since Steve Mocco in 2005. Eric Hartline-Imagn Photographs
“It is larger than worlds, Olympics, the rest,” an emotional Hendrickson stated moments after the win.
He turned into the primary Oklahoma State wrestler to win an NCAA identify at heavyweight since Steve Mocco did it in 2005.
Minnesota’s Steveson, in the hunt for his 3rd nationwide identify, used to be on a 70-match win streak. The 2021 and 2022 nationwide champion retired on the finish of the 2022 match. He attempted skilled wrestling with WWE and carried out most commonly in NXT, the corporate’s developmental logo. After his unencumber, he attempted out for the Buffalo Expenses remaining yr regardless of by no means having performed arranged soccer. He didn’t make the roster. He then returned to Minnesota for this season.
Steveson entered the 3rd duration with a 3-2 lead ahead of giving up the takedown with about 20 seconds final. The gang erupted when Hendrickson scored and as time expired.
The 2 had met as soon as in the past, with Steveson successful a second-round tournament within the 2021 NCAA event via technical fall.
Penn State claimed its 3rd four-peat, operating clear of the sector to assert its twelfth males’s Department I males’s wrestling nationwide identify beneath trainer Cael Sanderson. Best Iowa’s Dan Gable has extra (15).
Carter Starocci gained an extraordinary 5th nationwide identify, defeating Northern Iowa’s Parker Keckeisen 4-3 within the 184-pound ultimate. Keckeisen used to be the protecting champion within the magnificence.
Starocci, whose 4 earlier titles got here at 174, saved all of it in standpoint.
“It way so much to me, however as for me — I by no means need to downplay the instant — however I imply, it is at all times cool, however something that Trainer Cael in point of fact instills in us, that is all simply preparation for the following factor.”
Penn State’s Carter Starocci gained 4 NCAA titles at 174 kilos and made it an extraordinary 5th with a win at 184 on Saturday. (AP Picture/Matt Rourke)
Penn State, simply the second one program to have 10 All-American citizens in a single season (Minnesota, 2001), scored 177 issues to most sensible its document from remaining yr. The Nittany Lions picked up any other championship when Mitchell Mesenbrink gained the 165 ultimate 8-2 over Iowa’s Michael Caliendo. Mesenbrink completed unbeaten this season after shedding within the nationwide ultimate a yr in the past.
Nebraska completed moment with 117 issues and closed out its easiest event ever with Ridge Lovett successful at 149 and Antrell Taylor at 157. Oklahoma State completed 3rd with 102.5 issues and Iowa used to be fourth with 81.
NC State freshman Vincent Robinson defeated Oklahoma State’s Troy Spratley 2-1 at 125, and Illinois’ Lucas Byrd defeated Iowa’s Drake Ayala 3-2 at 133.
At 141, Ohio State’s Jesse Mendez rallied from a 5-0 deficit to overcome Nebraska’s Brock Hardy 12-9 and declare his moment immediately nationwide identify. Hardy used to be the No. 1 seed.
At 149, Lovett toppled the protecting champion, Virginia Tech’s Caleb Henson, 1-0. Lovett turned into the primary Cornhuskers nationwide champion since Jordan Burroughs in 2011.
Nebraska’s Taylor hung directly to defeat Purdue’s Joey Blaze 4-2.
Oklahoma State’s Dean Hamiti defeated Missouri’s Keegan O’Toole 4-1 in additional time to win at 174. O’Toole, the nationwide champ at 165 in 2022 and 2023, challenged a takedown right through legislation that used to be reversed and allowed him to get to additional time. In surprising victory, any other takedown used to be challenged, however this time, it used to be upheld, and Hamiti celebrated with first-year trainer David Taylor.
Iowa’s Stephen Buchanan defeated Penn State’s Josh Barr 5-2 within the 197 ultimate. He has been an All-American at Wyoming, Oklahoma and now Iowa.
Data from The Related Press used to be used on this document.
