PHILADELPHIA – 18,826 fans gathered for the NCAA Championship finals at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday at Wells Fargo Center. Among those fans saw President Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and Senator Dave McCormick who shook hands and celebrated with wrestlers after their bouts.
Finals resulted in the Penn State Nittany Lions claiming their fourth consecutive team title. Following was Nebraska in second 117.0, Oklahoma State in third 102.5, and Iowa in fourth 81.0.
The Hawkeyes saw 197-pound Stephen Buchanan defeat Penn State’s Josh Barr to claim national champion. Using a second-period takedown, third-period escape, and riding time, the No. 2 seed left the mat with a dominant 5-2 score against the No. 4 Nittany Lion.
The Hawkeyes saw No. 2 133-pound Drake Ayala earn a second-place finish after falling short 3-2 against Illinois Lucas Bryd in a tie-breaker. No. 1 165-pound Michael Caliendo was also defeated in finals by Penn State No. 1 Mitchell Mesenbrink 8-2.
Additionally, Oklahoma State’s 285-pound Wyatt Hendrickson upset Minnesotas Olympic Champ Gable Stevenson, causing an uproar throughout the stadium.
The men’s wrestling championship will meet again March 19-21 2026 at Rocket Arena in Cleveland, Ohio.
