Air Force 2nd Lt salutes Trump after historic upset at NCAA wrestling championship: ‘Won him that national title’

Oklahoma State University student and Air Force second lieutenant Wyatt Hendrickson won the NCAA heavyweight wrestling title Saturday with President Donald Trump in attendance.

This was the first time Trump had attended the championship as the sitting president. He had, however, previously attended in 2023. As the president entered Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, his first visit to the state since entering office, the crowd met him with cheers and “USA” chants. Trump shook the hands of fans as he walked in.

Hendrickson beat 2020 Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson, who had a 99-2 record and hadn’t lost an NCAA match since the 2018-2019 season. The final score was 5-4 following Hendrickson’s third-period comeback. Steveson led by a score of 4-2 with thirty seconds left on the clock and Hendrickson achieved a takedown against the two-time national champion, which won him the match.

Immediately after winning, Hendrickson pointed to Trump in the crowd and saluted him. Hendrickson draped himself in an American flag before approaching Trump to shake his hand. Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) and his son also approached the wrestler to hug him after his exchange with Trump.

“He said he’s very proud of me,” Hendrickson told a reporter. “I’m very proud of that. He came here to support his troops. I put on a show for him. I won him that national title.”

After two years of wrestling for Air Force, Hendrickson transferred to OSU, which holds the NCAA record with 143 individual titles and 34 team titles. This year the team title went to Penn State, as Oklahoma hasn’t had its team win since 2006.

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“GO POKES! @CowboyWrestling’s WYATT HENDRICKSON just pulled a huge upset. Huge moment for the sport, @okstate, and [American flag emoji],” Mullin wrote on X.

Trump’s last major sporting event was the Super Bowl in February, making history as the first sitting president to attend a Super Bowl.