Gophers heavyweight Gable Steveson repeats as NCAA champion

Though Gable Steveson considers himself a showman, he didn't spring any dramatic twists in the final act of his college wrestling career Saturday night. In fact, he gave away the ending in advance.

The Gophers senior said earlier this month he was going to make the NCAA championships "the greatest show you will ever watch," then leave his shoes on the mat at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit to signify his retirement from college sports. The main event wasn't particularly gripping, as Steveson handled Arizona State's Cohlton Schultz 6-2 to win his second consecutive NCAA heavyweight crown.

As promised, Steveson, 21, sat down and unlaced his shoes after the match, saying farewell to amateur wrestling as he prepares to start his WWE career. But he didn't leave a full house of about 20,000 fans hanging. Following his victory, Steveson stalked around the mat, flexed, raised his fists and did his signature move — a roundoff into a backflip — one last time as a college wrestler.

The former Apple Valley star finished his Gophers career with two NCAA championships, three Big Ten titles and a career record of 85-2.

"I did what I came to do," Steveson said. "Win an Olympic gold. Win the national tournament again.

"It's crazy. It's hard to describe. It means a lot, just going out there and enjoying myself."

Unlike his Olympic gold medal match last summer in Tokyo, when Steveson rallied to win with five points in the final 10 seconds, he controlled his final college match from beginning to end. Schultz, a redshirt freshman, was the No. 2 seed and came in with a 26-0 record.

Steveson scored two quick points on a takedown about five seconds into the match and held a 5-1 lead after two periods. He yielded only two points, both on escapes. In his five NCAA tournament matches, Steveson won two by technical fall, then outscored his final three opponents 24-10.

Two other Gophers wrestled in the consolation bracket Saturday. Junior Patrick McKee of St. Michael finished in fifth place at 125 pounds, beating Brandon Courtney of Arizona State 8-3 in his final match of the tournament. Senior Jake Bergeland of Hugo earned a 10-0 major decision over Penn's C.J. Composto in the seventh-place match at 141 pounds.

The Gophers, with 44.5 points, finished 11th in the team standings.

For all his talk about his WWE future, Steveson could not resist the allure of chasing one more NCAA title. Nothing fuels him like performing for a live audience, and COVID-19 took that away twice, canceling the 2020 NCAA championships and forcing the 2021 edition to be held in an empty arena.

The NCAA's new name, image and likeness rules allowed Steveson to wrestle one final college season after signing a three-year deal with the WWE in September. He viewed the NCAA tournament as "a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to put on a good show in front of 20,000 people," and he said he wanted to use his last season to give college wrestling more visibility.

After Friday's semifinal victory, Steveson already sounded a little wistful. He said his time at the U had gone by quickly, and he felt as if he had just stepped onto the mat for his first college dual meet. Steveson expects to miss his teammates and fellow heavyweights, some of whom he has known for more than half his life, as well as the intense competition of college wrestling.

"To finally go is going to be a weird feeling," Steveson said. "But every book has to close, and every next book has to start."

He was a little less sentimental Saturday. Steveson, who aspires to the kind of stardom enjoyed by The Rock and Brock Lesnar, also said it felt weird to be getting so close to making that happen. He's been getting used to more attention, with more people asking him for photos and autographs.

After the match, Steveson hugged his coaches and family, then was asked about his legacy among the great college heavyweights.

"I feel like I stacked up pretty high," he said. "Might just be the best."

The Star Tribune did not travel for this event. This article was written using the television broadcast and video interviews before and/or after the event.