NCAA Wrestling Champion Hugs President Trump After Historic Win
03/22/2025 10:43 PM
For the last five years Gable Steveson has effectively been the king of heavyweight wrestling, winning two national titles, four Big Ten titles and an Olympic gold medal for the University of Minnesota. But tonight his reign ended in one of the wildest finishes in NCAA wrestling history. And it all happened with President Trump in attendance.
In the final of today's NCAA Wrestling Championships, Steveson took on Oklahoma State's Wyatt Hendrickson. With 30 seconds left in the third, Steveson led Hendrickson 4-2. The two locked up and Steveson appeared to be setting Hendrickson up for a takedown.
But with less than 20 seconds left, Hendrickson managed to reverse the hold and pin Steveson for a three-point takedown to take a 5-4 lead. Steveson tried to fight back, but Hendrickson would not break the grip.
And with that, he became the 285-pound champion.
285 NCAA Final 🏆: Wyatt Hendrickson (OSU) defeats Olympic Champion Gable Steveson (Minnesota) to win the national title!!!! Biggest Upset in NCAA History!!!!! pic.twitter.com/Q2HTNJ8d4Z
— Saturday Night Lights (@WrestlingSNL) March 23, 2025
Users on social media immediately called Hendrickson's win over Steveson the biggest upset in the history of NCAA wrestling:
"WYATT HENDRICKSON BEATS GABLE STEVESON TO WIN THE NATIONAL TITLE BIGGEST UPSET IN COLLEGE WRESTLING HISTORY!" Barstool Sports proclaimed.
"That Wyatt Hendrickson championship bout was the greatest 10 minutes of wrestling I've ever seen. I'm not a wrestling guy, but that got me PUMPED UP. What a finish! The story, how Gable acted when Wyatt walked out. The salute to Trump after the win. Hugging his crying parents. This has EVERYTHING," another user wrote.
"Shut up! That was the craziest endings in NCAA wrestling history. What a moment. I'm so lucky to say I was here," NCAA wrestling and UFC champion Daniel Cormier wrote on X. "And that's why this match was the main event! Thank you ESPN for making that main event. Even if Gable had won both the heavyweights really laid it on the line. What a match and what a night."
Following his big win, Hendrickson - a U.S. Air Force second lieutenant - also offered a salute to President Trump, who had been in attendance for the event.
Wyatt Hendrickson — a second lieutenant in the @usairforce — salutes President Donald J. Trump after winning an @NCAAWrestling national championship 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/KK4ngwH7mW
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) March 23, 2025
Shortly afterwards, he draped himself in an American flag and gave the Commander-in-Chief a hug:
Wyatt Hendrickson just upset the overall #1 seed to win the national championship at heavyweight. He attended Air Force Academy, got a military exemption to complete his final year of eligibility, won the title, and hugged President Trump while wearing the American flag. pic.twitter.com/gRaOe103u4
— Stache Autonomy (@StacheAutonomy) March 23, 2025
It's a special moment for Hendrickson and everyone else who was in attendance, for sure.
Related: President Trump Attending Major Sports Event Today - Not NCAA Tournament
