Penn State’s Carter Starocci received an unprecedented fifth nationwide title and Oklahoma State’s Wyatt Hendrickson surprised Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson 5-4 within the heavyweight closing Saturday evening on the NCAA males’s wrestling championships with US president Donald Trump in attendance.
Hendrickson, a switch from Air Power, trailed within the final match of the night till scoring on a takedown within the closing 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 celebration. Trump attended the occasion, simply as he did as a candidate in 2023 when the match was in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
“It’s larger than worlds, Olympics, something,” an emotional Hendrickson mentioned moments after the win.
Minnesota’s Steveson, searching for his third nationwide title, was on a 70-match win streak. The 2021 and 2022 nationwide champion retired on the finish of the 2022 occasion, however returned this 12 months after stints in World Wrestling Leisure and the Nationwide Soccer League.
Steveson entered the third interval with a 3-2 lead earlier than giving up the takedown with about 20 seconds remaining. The gang erupted when Hendrickson scored and as time expired.
Starocci’s Nittany Lions claimed their third four-peat, working away from the sector to say their twelfth males’s Division I males’s wrestling nationwide title underneath coach Cael Sanderson.
Starocci defeated Northern Iowa’s Parker Keckeisen 4-3 within the 184-pound closing. Keckeisen was the defending champion within the class.
Starocci saved all of it in perspective.
“It means so much to me, however as for me – I by no means wish to down play the second – however I imply, it’s all the time cool, however one factor that Coach Cael actually instills in us, that is all simply preparation for the subsequent factor.”
Penn State, simply the second program to have 10 All-People in a single season, scored 177 factors to prime their file from final 12 months. The Nittany Lions picked up one other championship when Mitchell Mesenbrink received the 165 closing 8-2 over Iowa’s Michael Caliendo. Mesenbrink completed unbeaten this season after shedding within the nationwide closing a 12 months in the past.
Nebraska completed second with 117 factors and closed out it’s finest match ever with Ridge Lovett successful at 149 and Antrell Taylor at 157. Oklahoma State completed third with 102.5 factors and Iowa was fourth with 81.
North Carolina 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 beat Nebraska’s Brock Hardy 12-9 and declare his second straight nationwide title. Hardy was the No 1 seed.
At 149, Lovett toppled the defending champion, Virginia Tech’s Caleb Henson, 1-0. Lovett grew to become the primary Cornhusker nationwide champion since Jordan Burroughs in 2011.
Nebraska’s Taylor held on 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 throughout regulation that was reversed and allowed him to get to additional time. In sudden victory, one other takedown was challenged, however this time, it was upheld, and Hamiti celebrated with first-year coach David Taylor.
Iowa’s Stephen Buchanan defeated Penn State’s Josh Barr 5-2 within the 197 closing. He’s been an All-American at Wyoming, Oklahoma and now Iowa.
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