Three state wrestlers help U.S. win title

August 8, 2017 at 11:10PM
Apple Valley's Gable Steveson (shown celebrating with the Class 3A wrestling team championship trophy in March) won a gold medal at wrestling's junior world championships in Tampere, Finland. ] AARON LAVINSKY � aaron.lavinsky@startribune.com The Class 1A, 2A and 3A state wrestling team championships were held Thursday, March 2, 2017 at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn.
Apple Valley's Gable Steveson (shown celebrating with the Class 3A wrestling team championship trophy in March) won a gold medal at wrestling’s junior world championships in Tampere, Finland. ] AARON LAVINSKY � aaron.lavinsky@startribune.com The Class 1A, 2A and 3A state wrestling team championships were held Thursday, March 2, 2017 at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn. (Brian Wicker — STAR TRIBUNE/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Mark Hall and Gable Steveson of Apple Valley won gold medals at wrestling's junior world championships in Tampere, Finland, while Mitch McKee of St. Michael finished with a silver medal.

Hall, who won an NCAA title last spring as a Penn State freshman, won his second consecutive world championship by pinning Isa Shapiev of Uzbekistan in 43 seconds in the 163-pound freestyle class. Steveson, a three-time state high school champion who will be a senior at Apple Valley this fall, beat Iran's Naeiim Hassanzadeh 5-1 at 264 pounds. McKee, who wrestles for the Gophers, was second in the 132-pound class.

Steveson's victory pushed the U.S. past Russia 68-67 for its first team title in junior men's freestyle since 1984.

RACHEL BLOUNT

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