One of the Greatest Upsets in NCAA Wrestling, Hendrickson with an All-Time OSU Moment
(Oklahoma State University Athletic Media Relations and the NCAA contributed to this story.)
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – On the final night of the NCAA Wrestling Championship Oklahoma State Cowboy wrestlers in the finals climbed a podium of their own and heavyweight Wyatt Hendrickson stood tallest. The heavyweight’s went last and from start to finish it was the show stopper of perhaps, all-time, as Hendrickson, now known as “Captain America” defeated the heavily favored two-time NCAA champion and Olympic Gold Medalist Gable Steveson of Minnesota.
With the President of the United States Donald Trump watching alongside Oklahoma Senator Markwayne Mullin, a huge wrestling enthusiast, Hendrickson came in wearing a USA t-shirt and draped in an American flag. It rubbed top seed and USA Olympic Gold Medal winner Gable Steveson the wrong way as Steveson agressively went to Hendrickson and had a conversation.
“He just reminded me that we are both good wrestlers and that he had won an Olympic Gold Medal, but today I took the gold medal and I’m number one,” Hendrickson said after the match, spoiler alert. However, it was so dramatic just read on.
Then when the march started Steveson wasted no time in going on the attack. He got a leg and the two athletic heavyweights scrambled. Hendrickson ended up with a single but Steveson fought that off. In the final minute of the first period, Steveson got the single and had Hendrickson flipped in the air and finally worked to gain control and a 3-0 lead with the takedown. Hendrickson escaped and the first period ended with Steveson leadin 3-1.
The second period, Hendrickson started down and and quickly escaped to narrow the score to 3-2. The third period started with Steveson on the escape to lead 4-2. Several times Hendrickson attacked, but the counters by Steveson were just as effective as the two flirted with points. Finally with 30 seconds left, Hendrickson got in on a single and had the strength to spin Steveson around several times before he gained control of Steveson’s other leg and had the takedown.
Hendrickson had 15 seconds where he had to keep Steveson under control. An escape would have sent it to overtime. It was 5-4 Hendrickson for one of the greatest upsets and NCAA matches of all-time.
“I told myself, I know I can do this,” Hendrickson said of the late match. “God gifted me and all week I’ve been looking at David and Goliath and nobody thought David could do it, but he did. I trusted my one savior Jesus Christ and he gave me that victory.
“I was thinking I was the national champion,” Hendrickson said of his thought in the last 15 seconds. “I’m holding him down and I’m winning this tournament, baby!”
Hendrickson first laid on the mat in utter joy and then when he hopped to his feet he looked over at President Trump, stood and saluted. He celebrated with his coaches, his family and girlfriend, and then he made his way over to the President and allowed his Commander-in-Chief an opportunity to congratulate him.
“He said he was very proud of me,” Hendrickson told ESPN’s Quint Kessenich after the conclusion of the match and the immediate celebration. “That’s my Commander-in-Chief and he came to support his troops. I put on a show for him and won that national title.”
Say what you want, but this was the absolute finest moment of this Oklahoma State wrestling season and it will always compete as one of the greatest moments in Oklahoma State wrestling history. What a way for the first season for David Taylor as Cowboys coach to end. Oklahoma State ends up third in the NCAA standings, but they provided the greatest memory and moment of the championship.
One Cowboy certainly seemed to learn from another championship finals. Dean Hamiti Jr. became the Cowboys 144th individual NCAA champion when he defeated defending national champion and recent Big 12 champion Keegan O’Toole of Missouri 4-1 in sudden victory. Hamiti got aggressive in his match, more so than he did in Tulsa.
The match looked like a lot of the other matches on the night as they were conservative and heading to overtime more than not. In the first period, O’Toole, who beat Hamiti Jr. in sudden victory in the Big 12 Championships in Tulsa, got Hamiti’s leg and had him hopping around trying to avoide the leg sweep and also escape. It went on nearly a minute and Hamiti got free.
The second period started with Hamiti down and he escaped in eight seconds for a 1-0 lead. There was action, but no scoring. In the third period, O’Toole escaped in nine seconds to tie the match at 1-1. Hamiti got a single leg and moved around back, but O’Toole still had Hamiti’s leg crossed underneath. The official awarded Hamiti a takedown and the Missouri corner through the brick. After review the call was reversed. It was on to sudden victory again.
This time Hamiti Jr. left nothing to chance. He got the single leg and that launched the two wrestlers into a scramble, but Hamiti Jr. always seemed to be in the best position and he eventually worked it to a takedown with control of both legs. A win at 1:11 in sudden victory. Yes, the challenge brick was thrown, but the review was fast and the call was confirmed. Dean Hamiti Jr. national champion with a 4-1 decision in sudden victory. Hamiti Jr. first went over and hugged his coaches including David Taylor and then climbed off the stage mat and celebrated with his family.
“I kept my composure and didn’t take shots that I didn’t have to and scoring as many points as I can,” Hamiti Jr. answered ESPN’s Kessenich on how he did it this time. “My lifestyle and I’m doing everything right, and I have the right mindset.”
Spratley was the first Cowboy on the mat in the finals as he and Vince Robinson of North Carolina State staged a rematch of Robinson’s 7-3 in in the dual in Stillwater. The two wrestled conservatively and after Spratley warded off a late attack by Robinson and than had one of his own squashed in the third period, it was 1-1 and on to overtime and sudden victory. That period was two more minutes conservative attempts at scoring.
In the first tiebreaker, Robinson started down and he got up almost at the whistle and escaped leaving Spratley with just three seconds of riding time. The shots became more active, but Robinson was ready with the defense. Spratley opted to start in neutral for his 30 seconds and again, plenty of shots and plenty of Robinson defense. Robinson wins the 125 pound national championship with a 2-1 decision in TB1. Robinson finishes 23-3 while Spratley is the runner up with a 24-5 record. It was a great run, but you could tell that Spratley thought he could win the title.
Here are the final NCAA team standings for the 2025 Championships
| Place | Team | Points |
| 1. | Penn State | 177 (new all-time record) |
| 2. | Nebraska | 117 |
| 3. | Oklahoma State | 102.5 |
| 4. | Iowa | 81 |
| 5. | Ohio State | 51.5 |
| 5. | Minnesota | 51.5 |
Oklahoma State wrestlers Dustin Plott (184 pounds), Caleb Fish (157 pounds) and Cameron Amine (165 pounds) wrapped up their run at the 2025 NCAA Wrestling Championships Saturday morning by finishing fourth, eighth and eighth in their respective weight classes.
Plott started the day with a 2-1 win over Cornell's No. 6 Chris Foca in the consolation semifinals to reach the third-place match. He then faced the No. 3 seed Max McEnelly of Minnesota and nearly pulled off the upset but fell, 6-5, in a match that was decided late in the final period.
The fourth-place finish wraps up an impressive career for the Cowboy senior as he finishes with an overall record of 114-29 that includes 58 bonus-point wins. His win total ranks in the top 25 in program history and his 19 technical falls rank eighth. His 143 career matches as a Cowboy also rank among the top 15 all-time. Plott is just the 16th four-time All-American in program history and the 12th to record four finishes in the top six. He is also a two-time Big 12 champion and four-time conference finalist.
Fish and Amine wrestled one match each Saturday as they wrapped up their All-America seasons with losses in seventh-place matches. Fish fell to Little Rock's No. 11 Matty Bianchi while Amine dropped his match to Missouri's No. 9 Cam Steed. They spent just one season in Stillwater, but Fish wraps up his career with an overall record of 104-49 and Amine is now a four-time All-American with an 85-35 collegiate record.
2025 NCAA Wrestling Championships
March 22, 2025 | Wells Fargo Center | Philadelphia, Pa.
Session VI (Saturday Night) | Attendance: 18,806
Finals Involving Oklahoma State Wrestlers
125: No. 4 Vincent Robinson (NCST) dec. No. 7 Troy Spratley (OSU) 2-1 TB1
174: No. 3 Dean Hamiti Jr. (OSU) dec. No. 1 Keegan O'Toole (MIZZ) 4-1 SV1
HWT: No. 2 Wyatt Hendrickson (OSU) dec. No. 1 Gable Steveson (MINN) 5-4
Consolation Semifinals
184: No. 4 Dustin Plott (OSU) dec. No. 6 Chris Foca (COR), 2-1
3rd Place
184: No. 3 Max McEnelly (MINN) dec. No. 4 Dustin Plott (OSU), 6-5
7th Place
157: No. 11 Matty Bianchi (UALR) dec. No. 12 Caleb Fish (OSU), 4-2
165: No. 9 Cam Steed (MIZZ) fall No. 8 Cameron Amine (OSU), 2:08
