Apple Valley's Gable Steveson Wins 3rd Big 10 Wrestling Title

LINCOLN, NE —University of Minnesota senior wrestler Gable Steveson, an Apple Valley native, captured the heavyweight division Sunday at the Big Ten Wrestling Championships in Nebraska.

It was Steveson's third Big Ten title, making him the seventh wrestler in Gopher history to capture three conference crowns.

Steveson, a gold medal winner at last summer's Olympics, quickly turned his attention to the NCAA Championships, which will take place March 17-19 in Detroit. There, Steveson will be the top heavyweight seed and be looking to repeat as the heavyweight champ.

"I'm going to make this last NCAA Championships the greatest show you will ever watch and then leave my shoes on the mat.. The last 5 matches of my career. See u in Detroit," Steveson tweeted on Sunday.

The No. 1-seeded Steveson's Big Ten title may have been a little easier than expected after his finals opponent, No. 2 seed Tony Cassioppi of Iowa, took a medical forfeit.

After securing the crown, Stevenson received a rousing ovation from the Nebraska crowd.

Steveson, whose 2021-22 record improved to 13-0, was named the Big Ten Wrestler of the Year, an award voted on by the conference's coaches.

Steveson opened the Big Ten Championships with a 20-5 (technical fall) victory over Ohio State's Tate Orndorff, the No. 8 seed, in the quarterfinals. He then defeated No. 4 seed Mason Parris of Michigan, 14-6 (major decision) in the semifinals.

Michigan (143 points) won the overall conference title, finishing ahead of Penn State (141.5). Minnesota finished sixth with 77.5 points.

Steveson was one of eight Gophers wrestlers to receive an automatic bid to the NCAA Championships. The others were: Patrick McKee (125 pounds), Jake Gliva (133), Jakob Bergeland (141), Michael Blockhus (149), Cael Carlson (165), Isaiah Salazar (184), Michial Foy (197).