Max McEnelly Wins First 184-Pound National Title in Gophers Wrestling History

McEnelly is Minnesota's first National Champion since Gable Steveson in 2022.

Mar 21, 2026; Cleveland, OH, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers Max McEnelly reacts to defeating Penn State Nittany Lions Rocco Welsh during the NCAA DI Wrestling Championship at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-Imagn Images | Aaron Doster-Imagn Images

Gophers superstar Max McEnelly made history on Saturday night, becoming the first wrestler in program history to win an individual national title in the 184-pound division.

That National Championship feeling... pic.twitter.com/ZLYTcWV2Ci
— Minnesota Wrestling (@GopherWrestling) March 22, 2026

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McEnelly compiled a 17-1 record before the Big Ten Championship, and he earned the No. 2 seed in that event. He cruised to the finals but lost to Penn State's Rocco Welsh, who was the top seed. He avenged that loss on Saturday night in Cleveland, Ohio. McEnelly was the No. 3 seed in the 184-pound division, and he rematched No. 1 seed Welsh in the finals. McEnelly prevailed with a 4-3 win to become the 19th different Gopher to win a national title, and the first in the 184-pound weight class.

McEnelly will finish his redshirt sophomore season with a 24-2 record. He finished third in his weight class at the NCAA Championships last season. He has now etched his name into history as one of 19 different wrestlers to win an individual national title at the University of Minnesota. He's the first to do so since Gable Steveson went back-to-back in 2021 and 2022. He's the first non-heavyweight to win since Jayson Ness in 2010.

Minnesota finished in ninth place in the team standings, which is the fifth top-10 finish for 10th-year head coach Brandon Eggum. Penn State won its fifth straight team title, followed by Oklahoma State in second and Nebraska in third.

Other notable individual performers for the Gophers included Jore Volk, who finished in seventh place in the 125-pound division, and Andrew Sparks, who finished in fifth place in the 165-pound division. It's the second straight season with at least three All-Americans for Minnesota.