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Gophers' Max McEnelly claims third place at 184 pounds at NCAA Championships

Vance VomBaur also claimed a podium with an eighth-place finish at 141 pounds on Saturday.

Nolan O'Hara

Gophers wrestler Max McEnelly poses for a photo. The redshirt freshman placed third at 184 pounds in the NCAA Championships on Saturday, March 22, 2025, in Philadelphia.
Gophers wrestler Max McEnelly poses for a photo. The redshirt freshman placed third at 184 pounds in the NCAA Championships on Saturday, March 22, 2025, in Philadelphia. / Gopher Athletics

Gophers redshirt freshman wrestler Max McEnelly claimed third place at 184 pounds in the NCAA Championships in Philadelphia, winning a 6-5 decision over Oklahoma State's Dustin Plott in the third-place match on Saturday.

McEnelly, the third seed at 184 pounds, took down Plott, the fourth seed, twice in the third period and was able to secure the extra point for riding time to seal the victory. His third-place finish is the best by a Gophers wrestler at 184 pounds since Roger Kish claimed third in 2007. Coach Brandon Eggum is the only higher finisher at the weight (second in 1999).

McEnelly wasn't the only Gophers wrestler to find a podium as Vance VomBaur came in eighth at 141 pounds. The sixth-seeded redshirt junior lost a 17-3 major decision to Iowa State's Jacob Frost, the ninth seed, in the seventh-place match. It's VomBaur's second straight eighth-place finish, becoming the 59th Gophers wrestler to be a multi-time All-American.

As a team, the Gophers sit in fifth place with 51.5 points. Penn State (169.0 points) has already clinched the team title, while Nebraska (109.0), Oklahoma State (94.5) and Iowa (77.0) sit second, third and fourth, respectively.

The Gophers, of course, are still waiting for the finale of the day when top-seeded Gable Steveson will compete for his third heavyweight title when he faces No. 2 Wyatt Hendrickson of Oklahoma State. If Steveson claims the title, he'll become the first three-time champion in program history. Finals start at 6 p.m. CT and will be televised on ESPN.

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Nolan O'Hara
NOLAN O'HARA

Nolan O'Hara covers all things Minnesota sports, primarily the Timberwolves, for Bring Me The News and Sports Illustrated's On SI network. He previously worked as a copy editor at the St. Paul Pioneer Press and is a graduate of the University of Minnesota's Hubbard School of Journalism. His work has appeared in the Pioneer Press, Ratchet & Wrench magazine, the Minnesota Daily and a number of local newspapers in Minnesota, among other publications.

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