Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson, wrestling for the Gophers in a home match for the first time since Feb. 11, 2022, fueled the No. 8 Gophers’ 44-0 victory over Campbell on Sunday at Maturi Pavilion.
Gable Steveson returns to wrestle at Maturi Pavilion as Gophers shut out Campbell
Gable Steveson earned his second technical fall in as many meets this season as the Gophers earned their first back-to-back shutouts in nearly 27 years.
The Minnesota Star Tribune
November 25, 2024 at 12:16AM
The two-time NCAA champion heavyweight, who made his season debut with a technical fall in the Gophers’ 39-0 victory at North Dakota State on Friday, opened Sunday’s match with a 20-4 technical fall over Taye Ghadiali, who was an All-America last year and ranked No. 7 this season. It was Steveson’s 54th consecutive college victory and gave him an 87-2 record in his Gophers career.
The Gophers earned back-to-back shutout victories for the first time since December 1997, when they had four shutouts in a row. The 1997-98 roster included sophomore Brandon Eggum, who is now the team’s coach.
Nine of the Gophers’ 10 victories on Sunday came with bonus points — three technical falls, five major decisions and one forfeit.
At 184 pounds, Max McEnelly improved to 6-0 on the season with a 19-4 technical fall victory over Conor Maslanek. McEnelly has outscored his opponents 126-26 this season.
The Gophers will wrestle at South Dakota State next Sunday. The Jackrabbits are coached by former Gophers standout Damion Hahn, who was a two-time NCAA champion and four-time All-America during his college career.
Widely known that Minnesota sports fans are among the most suffering in the nation, this holiday season has the chance to become special, given the recent success of the Vikings, Wolves, Lynx and Wild.
