Takedown Report

Steveson Makes History with Fourth Big Ten Title

EVANSTON, Ill. – Minnesota’s Gable Steveson made history with his fourth career conference championship as the 2025 Big Ten Championships wrapped up Sunday night at Welsh-Ryan Arena in Evanston, Ill.
Steveson became the first heavyweight in Big Ten history to win four titles, and he became just the 19th wrestler to accomplish the feat overall. The only other Gopher to do so was Verne Gagne, who recorded wins in 1944 and 1947-49. 
As a team, Minnesota finished in fourth place with 108.5 points, equaling its best finish under head coach Brandon Eggum, after also reaching fourth in 2019. Penn State won the team title with 181.5 points, followed by Nebraska (137) and Iowa (112).
Steveson’s title win came over the defending national champion and fellow undefeated Greg Kerkvliet of Penn State. Steveson had takedowns in each period on his way to a 10-3 decision, snapping Kerkvliet’s 38-match win streak dating to the 2023 NCAA Championship match. Steveson has yet to be taken down this season and he’s now 6-0 this year against top-10 opponents and 14-0 overall. It was Steveson’s 66th straight victory, passing Dustin Schlatter for the second longest win streak in program history. The record belongs to Cole Konrad at 76 from 2005-07.
Steveson, who was named First Team All-Big Ten and Outstanding Wrestler of the Championships, was one of three Gophers to make the finals Sunday night.
In a battle of undefeated wrestlers at 184 pounds, redshirt freshman Max McEnelly was dealt the first loss of his collegiate career in an overtime battle against top-ranked and four-time NCAA champion Carter Starocci of Penn State. McEnelly, a Second Team All-Big Ten honoree, had won the first 35 matches of his career, including 15 last year in a redshirt season.
It was McEnelly who struck first, scoring the opening takedown for a 3-1 lead … more at … https://gophersports.com/news/2025/3/9/wrestling-steveson-makes-history-with-fourth-big-ten-title

March 11, 2025 - Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized