Some will call it cinema, everyone else would dub Wyatt Hendrickson’s NCAA wrestling finals victory one of the greatest upsets in tournament history.
The former Air Force heavyweight and current Oklahoma State wrestler defeated Olympic gold medalist and Minnesota’s top-seeded Gable Steveson 5-4 on Saturday at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.
Hendrickson, who entered the match as the No. 2 seed, broke the two-time NCAA champion’s 64-match winning streak and handed the heavyweight his first collegiate loss since 2019-20.
“This is the craziest moment in NCAA history,” retired UFC fighter and commentator Daniel Cormier said after the match. “I’m just happy I could say I was here.”
Hendrickson, who transferred from Air Force to Oklahoma State after a third-place finish for the Falcons in 2024, entered the final period of his match with Steveson (18-1) trailing 3-2, where the score remained for most of the third.
Steveson blocked a shot attempt by Hendrickson (27-0) with 30 seconds left in the match, but the Oklahoma State senior battled for a score. Hendrickson used Steveson’s right leg to gain leverage, carried him near the edge of the mat and dropped Steveson for three points and built a 5-4 lead with 20 seconds left. Hendrickson staved off Steveson’s escape attempts and held on – literally – for the win.
Prior to Saturday, Hendrickson’s last collegiate match against Steveson occurred March 2021 in the NCAA Tournament where the Golden Gopher’s heavyweight earned a 17-2 technical fall win over Hendrickson. But Hendrickson entered this bout with a different swagger than their previous collegiate meeting.
As Hendrickson exited the tunnel and headed toward the mat for his final match, he did so draped in the American flag. As he walked on the mat, Steveson approached Hendrickson.
“He reminded me that we’re both good wrestlers and that he’s won an Olympic medal,” Hendrickson said during his post-match interview on ESPN. “But today, I took the gold medal. I’m number one.”
Hendrickson’s victory gives him his first national title and gives Oklahoma State its first individual champion since 2021 when AJ Ferrari did so at 197 pounds. Between his time at Air Force and a year at Oklahoma State, Hendrickson compiled a 127-11 record.