Gophers heavyweight Gable Steveson reaches NCAA finals

ST. LOUIS – Unbeaten Gophers heavyweight Gable Steveson defeated fifth-seeded Tony Cassioppi of Iowa 16-6 to reach the finals of the NCAA wrestling championships Friday night.

Steveson had seven takedowns and more than four minutes of riding time in the match. He led 4-1 after one period against Cassioppi (14-3), and 8-3 after two. This was his fourth consecutive victory over Cassioppi, including a 12-4 major decision in the teams' dual meet at Maturi Pavilion in January.

The win gives the top-seeded Steveson a 16-0 record as a junior and extends his winning streak to 33 matches going back to last season. He has a 65-2 career record.

Steveson will meet second-seeded Mason Parris of Michigan in the championship. Parris (12-1) pinned Gannon Gremmel of Iowa State at 4 minutes, 2 seconds in his semifinal using an arm bar. He was ahead 7-1 at the time. Steveson beat Parris in the heavyweight final of the Big Ten tournament the past two years, 8-6 and 12-4 this year.

"I wrestled great," Steveson said. "Got to keep my foot on the gas pedal. Next one is going to be tough."

Not that Steveson is too worried: "Just got to do what I did last week. I'm just believing in myself. Dedication. Determination right now. If I see it, I can believe it. That's what I am thinking right now."

Asked if this weekend was a great opportunity for him, Steveson agreed it was.

"This being the biggest tournament of the year," he said, "I think I can go out there and showcase who I really am on the mat and entertain the fans for a whole seven minutes and [they can] watch me for the weekend. I am thankful to be here. Always."

Then he assessed Parris, his opponent in the championship.

"He is a great competitor," Steveson said. "I'm looking forward to tomorrow. Like I said, I got to keep my foot on the gas pedal and things will go correctly."

Parris is 0-2 against Steveson since the start of last season and 40-0 against everybody else.

"We are coming back with a better strategy, a better approach this time," Parris said. "… I am super excited to get some redemption. I have stuff to prove. I am coming even way harder than last time.'

Steveson is Minnesota's first NCAA finalist since Ethan Lizak and Brett Pfarr were runners-up in 2017 and, if he beats Parris again, he would be the Gophers' first national champion since Tony Nelson won back-to-back heavyweight titles in 2012-13

Earlier on Day 2, Steveson won 9-4 over Penn State's Greg Kerkvliet in the quarterfinals.

Kerkvliet, a four-time Minnesota prep state champion for Simley — as Steveson was for Apple Valley, trailed only 3-0 after two periods.

But the ninth-seeded redshirt freshman could not rally from a 5-0 deficit in the third period even with a late takedown — the first against Steveson this season.

Three teammates of Steveson's competed in the so-called "blood round" of the wrestlebacks in the evening session, meaning a win would assure them a top eight finish and All-America status and a loss would eliminate them.

Two of those Gophers won. Patrick McKee won his third match of the day at 125, beating Brody Teske of Northern Iowa 9-2. Brayton Lee, the sixth seed, won 3-1 over Jarrett Jacques of Missouri at 165.

Owen Webster lost in the blood round, falling 6-1 to third-seeded Lou Deprez of Binghamton at 184.

Iowa led the team race with 109 points, Penn State was second with 94.5. The Gophers were in eighth place with 55.5 — but only three points out of a tie for fifth with Michigan.