David and Goliath. 

It’s the classic biblical story of the ultimate underdog taking on the mighty, unbeatable foe. The triumphant story is used in various metaphors, and sports have prime examples.

The Miracle on Ice.

Buster Douglas knocking out Mike Tyson.

The heavyweight match in the 2025 NCAA Wrestling Championships. 

Oklahoma State heavyweight Wyatt Hendrickson sat in church a week before the NCAA Championships. His pastor brought a guest speaker to preach to the congregation. The speaker coincidentally talked about the story of David and Goliath. Hendrickson knew who he’d have to defeat in order to win a national title, which is why he found the sermon so moving. 

“Nobody wanted to fight (Goliath),” Hendrickson said. “He’s giant and he’s been killing people, and there’s David… this little shepherd. I saw myself when I was hearing that sermon. I talk about people saying, ‘Oh, this is Gable, he’s gonna win,’ all that stuff. I kinda felt similar. But the people who believed David could kill Goliath, were David, his family, and his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. David had a vision of victory — you have to see it and you have to believe it. That’s exactly what I needed to hear the week before the national tournament.”

Why would Hendrickson relate with David? He’s not the typical underdog, and he’s no little shepherd. He was the #2 seed in the national tournament. As a three-time All-American, he’s beaten some of the best heavyweights Division I had to offer, including returning national champion Greg Kerkvliet of Penn State in the semifinals. 

Of Hendrickson’s 123 career victories, 72 came by fall. He’s a multiple-time NCAA Most Dominant Wrestler award recipient.

But he had never beaten the man picked as the favorite by many to win the heavyweight national championship. Since 2019, nobody in college beat Steveson, the Olympic gold medalist, and not even A.I. was giving Hendrickson a chance. 

“You look at it on paper, or you ask ChatGPT, ‘Hey, what would happen in this match?’ Zero percent chance of me, 100 percent Gable,” Hendrickson said. “ On everything, you look at every social media platform… it was like, ‘This is already spoken for, it’s over, Gable’s gonna win this.’ Nobody really put any thought into me winning — besides us. Seeing all that stuff around, it’s a good feeling. Just because somebody doesn’t believe in you, it doesn’t mean you should lose faith in yourself.”

With 31 seconds left in the third period, trailing by two points, Hendrickson shot a high-crotch to Steveson’s leg. He changed off to a double, drove his feet, and took down the Olympic champion. Hendrickson rode out Steveson to win his first individual NCAA title 5-4. 

Oklahoma State coach David Taylor’s pledge to him rang true, along with the subconscious impersonation of his way of life.

“Coach Taylor said, ‘Hey, I will make you a national champion.’ I trusted him,” Hendrickson said. “From day one in the practice room, I was jokingly doing this, but not jokingly doing it: Everything coach Taylor did, I was doing. He’s walked the walk, he’s done it. I was seeing the way he’s doing his stance, the way he humps his back, what kind of water he drinks, how much he sleeps. Anything he did, I was copying it. I was like, ‘I have an awesome opportunity here, another bonus shot to become a national champion, I’m not gonna waste it.’”

With just 20 seconds on the clock, the reality set in that Hendrickson could upset the Olympic champion. Fans in the background stood with their hands on their heads in shock. In OSU’s corner, the staff was going berserk. 

Even Taylor, as cool as a cucumber he’s been in the corner this season, jumped in unison with assistant coach Tyler Caldwell. Then, Taylor, followed by the staff, rushed onto the mat to celebrate with Hendrickson.

It was a side of Taylor unseen all season, but was reserved for the perfect moment. 

“(Caldwell) kept punching me in the stomach — I remember being like ‘Agh, what the heck dude?’” Taylor joked. “I think for the most part, we’re pretty calm in the corner. But, I mean, my emotions definitely took over there, too. I’m glad (Hendrickson) stayed focused.”

Taylor Magnifies Hamiti’s Title

OSU’s newly crowned champion at 174 pounds, Dean Hamiti, also had no cakewalk to win his first championship. In the semifinals, Hamiti beat returning national champion Levi Haines from Penn State, 4-2. 

In the finals, Hamiti had the daunting task of beating Missouri’s two-time NCAA champion, Keegan O’Toole. O’Toole already beat Hamiti in the Big 12 Championships in sudden victory, 7-4. But, sudden victory in the NCAA finals — and a 4-1 victory — belonged to Hamiti. 

OSU’s Hamiti and Hendrickson were two of three wrestlers in the finals to compete against multiple-time champions. Taylor gave credit to the feat at which both accomplished.

“I just think for both of these guys, I mean, you talk about belief,” Taylor said. “You beat guys in the semis that are returning national champions and neither one of them lost focus of the bigger goal. To do that and stay focused and stay calm and do what they did in the finals… I mean both of these guys beat two different national champions to win the nationals. When you say you’re a national champion and you beat the best guys, it’s a testament to their work.”