A former Kansas star high school wrestler reached the mountain top at the collegiate level, in one of the biggest upsets in college wrestling history.

 

Wyatt Hendrickson of Oklahoma State University, and formerly of Newton High School, defeated Olympic Champion Gable Stevenson of Minnesota to capture the 285 pound NCAA championship.

 

Hendrickson was in his first season with the Cowboys, following time at the Air Force Academy, where he ranks as a second lieutenant. Stevenson had not lost a college match since 2019, and was a gold medalist at the 2024 Olympics in the freestyle wrestling event.

 

Hendrickson becomes the first NCAA champion wrestler from the state of Kansas since Kendric Maple, who won with Oklahoma in 2013 after attending Wichita Heights High School.