5 Biggest Stories From The 2025 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championship
"WYATT HENDRICKSON JUST BEAT GABLE STEVESON!!!!!" #NCAAWrestling x ESPN/ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/3y22fGCUHw
— NCAA Wrestling (@NCAAWrestling) March 23, 2025
Over 18,000 wrestling fans—including President Donald Trump—packed the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia over a three-day period (March 20-22) for the 2025 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championship. The event, which would crown 10 individual weight class champs and one overall team championship, is viewed by many American wrestling fans as the best folkstyle wrestling tournament in the world. There were many storylines heading into the competition, and when the finals came to their epic climax Saturday night, some of those storylines concluded in ways many fans would have thought impossible.
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5. Love Him or Hate Him
While the 330 best collegiate wrestlers competed at the tournament, one of them divides the fan base like no other. That man is Mr. Fast Twitch himself, A.J. Ferrari. Ferrari burst on the scene in 2021, when as a true freshman at Oklahoma State, he dominated the field and captured the national title at 197 pounds. The brash wrestler quickly got under many fans skins by flexing after matches, posing for pictures after doing splits and bragging about how much he can squat. While his career rose quickly, it came crashing down just as fast. He sat out most of the 2022 season after a car accident and then left OSU after local police announced that he was accused and ultimately charged with sexual assault, a charge that was later dismissed.
After three years sitting on the sidelines—besides a brief showing
at one tournament—Ferrari shocked the wrestling world this season
by joining the Cal State Bakersfield team and competing. Ferrari
posted a perfect regular season and ultimately earned the No. 2
seed going into the tournament. He started off by winning his first
three matches before losing a close bout to eventual champion
Stephen Buchanan in the semifinals. Ferrari was able to rebound,
winning the consolation final and capturing third place.
While Ferrari still gets his fair share of boos, the sophomore appeared to convert some to his side after a gutty performance at the event. Many people love his marketability, while others despise him; regardless, he is one of the biggest names in the sport and will hopefully be around for another two seasons. After wrestling, Ferrari has talked about moving to MMA and has already trained with Jorge Masvidal.
4. Finishing a Career on Top
Winning an individual NCAA Division I championship is considered to be one of the most prestigious prizes in wrestling. Every year, hundreds of wrestlers take to the mats on the highest level but come March, only 10 are left standing on the podium. While accomplishing this goal at any time is incredible, winning it in one’s last chance makes it even more special. On Saturday night, four seniors captured the championship for the first time.
Nebraska’s Ridge Lovett was upset last season in the semifinals when he lost to eventual champion Caleb Henson. The senior admitted that he hasn’t stopped thinking about the lost to the Virginia Tech wrestler and wanted to get that one back. Lovett got his chance when he defeated Henson 1-0 in the finals.
Oklahoma State senior Dean Hamiti entered the tournament as a three-seed but was greatly overlooked based on who else was in the field. He had to defeat two previous national champions to reach his goal. He beat Penn State’s Levi Haines (last year’s 157 lbs. champion) in the semi-finals, and Missouri’s Keegan O’Toole (two-time 165 lbs. champion) in the finals.
University of Iowa graduate student Stephen Buchanan, who beat Ferrari in the semifinals, finished off his college career by edging Penn State’s Josh Barr 5-2 in the final.
Lastly, Oklahoma State University fifth-year senior Wyatt Hendricks finished the night off by winning a title at heavyweight—more about this later.
3. Record Broken Again
Oklahoma State and Iowa might have more team titles overall than Penn State, but right now they aren’t close to as dominant as the Nittany Lions. Penn State, the alma mater of MMA products like Bo Nickal and Phil Davis, has dominated the world of NCAA wrestling since legendary coach Cael Sanderson has taken the realm. Since Sanderson became the leader of the program the team has won 12 out of the last 15 team titles, including the last four in a row.
While Penn State underperformed—by its usual standards—in the front side of the bracket, with only two champions and one other finalist, the squad was able to have all 10 of its team members earn All-American status by finishing in the top eight in their respective weight classes. It is only the second time in the tournament's history that a team has accomplished that feat, after the University of Minnesota in 2001.
Just a year ago, Penn State set the all-time record for most points ever scored by a team with 172.5 points. That record only lasted a single year, as Penn State was able to break its own record by putting up 177 points this year. Penn State should continue to dominate next year, with seven starters eligible to return and a slew of top recruits ready to fill the other spots.
2. Five-Timer
The finals kicked off with a battle between two juggernauts, as last year’s 184 lbs. champion, Northern Iowa’s Parker Keckeisen attempted to defend his crown when he squared off with Penn State’s Carter Starocci. While a defending champion would usually be viewed as the favorite, it wasn’t the case for Keckeisen when facing Starocci, who was looking to capture his fifth NCAA wrestling title. Yes, you read that correctly; he had already won four titles. The four-time 174-pound champ was declared eligible for a fifth title after the NCAA granted anybody who competed during the covid-shortened 2000 season an additional year. The 24-year-old Starocci took the hard road to his record-breaking feat by moving up a division and facing a blue-chipper in Keckeisen.
The two met in the main event of the All-Star Classic in back in November, with Starocci defeating Keckeisen by scoring a takedown in the sudden-victory overtime period. The two had another razor-close battle Saturday night, with Starocci getting a late third-period takedown and holding onto a 1-point win. Starocci’s performance propels him to be considered in those Mount Rushmore-type debates of greatest wrestlers in NCAA history. MMA fans might get more acquainted with the legendary wrestler soon, as he has already publicly expressed his interest in one day being a UFC champion.
1. Biggest Upset Ever
Minnesota Golden Gopher Gable Steveson might be the most talented heavyweight wrestler that I have ever seen. The massive man is as nimble as a flyweight and as athletic as a gymnast—see his post-match celebration flips. The dominant star has annihilated virtually anybody who has stepped on the mat with him since 2021. He has already won two NCAA heavyweight titles and two Hodge Trophies, the equivalent of college football’s Heisman. He also competed in the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, where he captured gold. Steveson briefly retired from wrestling after winning the 2022 national title and tried his hand at brief runs with the World Wrestling Entertainment and the NFL’s Buffalo Bills. He also spent time training UFC Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones for his recent fight against Stipe Miocic.
Steveson surprised the wrestling world when he returned this season to Minnesota for one more year of eligibility. Steveson would quickly return to form, destroying everyone he faced and capturing the Big Ten Title. He entered the tournament as the No. 1 seed and easily defeated his first four opponents, putting him into the finals.
Steveson was placed in the final bout of the entire tournament, with the expectation of winning his last match and then exciting the crowd with his backflip celebration. His last victim was the former Air Force Airman turned Oklahoma State University transfer, Wyatt Hendrickson. Hendrickson had an almost impossible road to the title in his final season as he squared off against last year’s champion, Greg Kerkvliet in the semifinals. He bested the Penn State champion, 8-2. Despite getting past the Nittany Lion, Steveson closed on some betting lines as a 13-to-1 favorite.
Steveson came out in the matchup very aggressive, grabbing Hendrickson with a single-leg takedown but the Cowboy was surprisingly able to scramble with the Olympic champion and almost match Steveson move for move. As the match was in its closing moments, Steveson appeared to be about to win his third NCAA title due to a takedown secured earlier, but Hendrickson remained within striking range. Down by two in the closing seconds, Hendrickson shot a high-crotch single-leg takedown on Steveson’s right leg. Steveson sprawled over Hendrickson, but the underdog was able to “cut the corner” and finish the 3-point takedown with about 15 seconds remaining. The arena and the broadcast crew, which included former Oklahoma State wrestling standout and two-division UFC champion, Daniel Cormier, erupted in shock as Hendrickson was able to keep Steveson from tying the match with an escape point and held on to what Cormier described as the biggest upset in NCAA wrestling history.
The NCAA wrestling tournament always has fans talking but this year all the talk will be about this historic upset.
Finals Results
125 lbs:
Vincent Robinson (NC State) def. Troy Spratley (Oklahoma State) via Tiebreaker (TB-1 2-1)
133 lbs:
Lucas Byrd (Illinois) def. Drake Ayala (Iowa) in TB-2 by Riding Time (TB-2 (RT) 3-2)
141 lbs:
Jesse Mendez (Ohio State) def. Brock Hardy (Nebraska) by Decision 12-9
149 lbs:
Ridge Lovett (Nebraska) def. Caleb Henson (Virginia Tech) by Decision 1-0
157 lbs:
Antrell Taylor (Nebraska) def. Joey Blaze (Purdue) by Decision 4-2
165 lbs:
Mitchell Mesenbrink (Penn State) def. Mike Caliendo (Iowa) by Decision 8-2
174 lbs: Dean Hamiti (Oklahoma State) def. Keegan O'Toole (Missouri) by Sudden Victory (SV-1 4-1)
184 lbs:
Carter Starocci (Penn State) def. Parker Keckeisen (Northern Iowa) by Decision 4-3
197 lbs:
Stephen Buchanan (Iowa) def. Josh Barr (Penn State) by Decision 5-2
285 lbs:
Wyatt Hendrickson (Oklahoma State) def. Gable Steveson (Minnesota) by Decision 5-4
