Wyatt Hendrickson assumed the new role of Captain America after his stunning upset in the NCAA championship. (Isaac Wasserman/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)
Oklahoma State’s Wyatt Hendrickson won the NCAA heavyweight wrestling championship in a stunning victory against Olympic champion and two-time NCAA champ Gable Steveson of Minnesota on Saturday night in Philadelphia.
In a raucous scene at Wells Fargo Arena reflective of one of the biggest upsets in NCAA wrestling history, Hendrickson won 5-4.
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After winning, Hendrickson, a former wrestler at the Air Force Academy, saluted President Donald Trump, who was in attendance. He later shook hands with the president, along with Sen. Markwayne Mullin (Okla.).
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To put Hendrickson’s remarkable feat into context, Steveson made history in the 2020 Olympic Games when he stunned the field at just 21 years old to become the youngest freestyle super heavyweight wrestler to ever win gold. Steveson then cruised to his second NCAA championship in 2022, as well as a second Dan Hodge Trophy, establishing himself as one of the most dominant amateur wrestlers ever before departing the college ranks to capitalize on his success.
However, after failed runs with the WWE and the NFL’s Buffalo Bills, Steveson returned to University of Minnesota this past year to fulfill his final year of eligibility and win another NCAA title. And for much of 2025, that third championship appeared to be a mere formality — heading into Saturday’s finals, Steveson’s dominance was so unparalleled that he hadn’t even given up a single takedown throughout the NCAA season and tournament.
But that all changed with 30 seconds left on the clock in the final match of the season, as Hendrickson grabbed hold of a desperation leg, transitioned to a double-leg, then bulldozed his way to one of the most shocking, buzzer-beating takedowns in NCAA wrestling history, leaving Oklahoma State legend and former two-division UFC champion Daniel Cormier breathless in the ESPN mat-side commentary booth.
