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Wyatt Hendrickson Stuns Olympic Champion Gable Steveson in NCAA Heavyweight Finals

One of the biggest upsets in the history of NCAA wrestling.

Tom Dierberger

Wyatt Hendrickson won the NCAA heavyweight finals on Saturday night.
Wyatt Hendrickson won the NCAA heavyweight finals on Saturday night. / ESPN

Oklahoma State's Wyatt Hendrickson shocked the world Saturday night, defeating Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson 5–4 in the NCAA heavyweight finals at Wells Fargo Center.

Steveson, a two-time national champion and gold medalist at the 2020 Olympic Games, started the match with a 3–0 lead after the first period and led 4–2 early in the third. However, Hendrickson stormed back to claim his first national championship.

The broadcasters on ESPN were besides themselves calling the final seconds of Hendrickson's win.

"Oh my goodness! The biggest upset in the history of the NCAA," play-by-play announcer Mike Couzens exclaimed. "Could this be it? Yes! He has done it!"

Steveson entered the night with a career 99–2 record on the mat. Hendrickson had placed third at nationals the past two years while wrestling at Air Force.

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Tom Dierberger
TOM DIERBERGER

Tom Dierberger is a staff writer and editor on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He joined SI in November 2023 after stints at FOX Sports, Bally Sports and NBC Sports. Dierberger has a bachelor's in communication from St. John's University. In his spare time, he can be seen throwing out his arm while playing fetch with his dog, Walter B. Boy.

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