Gable Steveson had stepped away from college wrestling for two and a half years, but let’s be real, he never actually left. The guy is basically Minnesota’s wrestling royalty. The two-time NCAA heavyweight champ and Olympic gold medalist called it quits after the 2021-22 season, even though he still had a year of eligibility left. But you know how it goes—once a wrestler, always a wrestler. The mat started calling, and Gable couldn’t resist. And boom—he returned last year, with a bit of controversy! Since then, he was winning, dominating, and flexing on opponents until…

For his final home appearance in a Gophers singlet, Gable Steveson made sure to give the Maturi Pavilion crowd a show before even stepping on the mat. As the lights dimmed and the introductions began, Steveson soaked it all in, pacing around with his arms outstretched, feeding off the energy of the roaring fans. The Olympic gold medalist knew this was more than just another match—it was a farewell to the home crowd that had watched him dominate for years. And if there’s one thing Gable Steveson never does, it’s leave quietly. But this time… the night didn’t belong to him.

Gable Steveson needed a Valentine’s Day miracle, instead, Iowa gave him a reality check

On Valentine’s Day, February 14th, Gable Steveson wasn’t just feeling the love—he was feeling the roar of a sellout crowd of 5,307 as he stepped onto the mat for his final home match with the Gophers. The gold medal champion delivered a spectacular performance which led him to rule over No. 11 Ben Kueter for an impressive 2-minute and 48-second technical fall resulting in a 19-3 score.

The undefeated performance of Steveson involved four takedowns while he generated seven near-fall points which pushed his record to 63 victories. Steveson finished his night with a celebratory display of fireworks as the Minnesota squad endured a defeat throughout the rest of the competition. The sixth-ranked University of Minnesota Gophers approached their major rivalry with a goal to end their running string of losses against third-ranked Iowa Hawkeyes. But..

From the very first whistle, Iowa set the tone, winning six of the first seven matches and leaving Minnesota scrambling for answers. Gophers head coach Brandon Eggum had stressed the importance of starting fast, but Iowa executed the game plan better. “That was our message to the guys—we’ve got to get on the board earlier,” Eggum said. “That’s what we’ve done a really good job of this year—attacking early and scoring points.”

Minnesota failed to recover from their early deficit because Gable Steveson got to the cusp of his match after the Gophers fell too far behind Iowa. The Gophers fell 23-11. The Hawkeyes earned their eleventh straight victory over Minnesota with this defeat. But did Minnesota stand any real opportunity to shock Iowa during the game or was Iowa in complete dominance?

One-sided rivalry or just a very long losing streak?

Minnesota needed a near-perfect performance to pull off the upset, including winning all their favored matchups, stealing at least one they weren’t expected to win, and picking up bonus points. Instead, Iowa flipped the script, with No. 26 Joey Cruz stunning No. 13 Cooper Flynn at 125 pounds in sudden victory. Third-ranked Drake Ayala added to the Hawkeyes’ lead at 133, and while Minnesota’s Vance VomBaur picked up a win at 141, Iowa responded by winning the next three matches to stretch their lead to 17-3.

The night’s biggest showdown came at 184 pounds, where Minnesota’s fourth-ranked Max McEnelly faced off against No. 8 Gabe Arnold. McEnelly needed sudden victory to grind out a 4-1 win and stay undefeated at 18-0, but by then, the damage was already done. Iowa’s top-ranked Stephen Buchanan clinched the dual at 197 with a 5-1 win over Minnesota’s No. 8 Isaiah Salazar, officially sealing the Gophers’ fate. Then came Steveson, who delivered one last dominant performance to close out the night.

Though the team loss stung, Steveson made it clear he wasn’t done yet. “Just coming back was a great thing for the team, and I feel like they believed in it. I believed in it, too,” he said. “But I’ve got two more tournaments, and I’m going to bring the hammer.” With the Big Ten Championships in early March and the NCAA Championships looming, Gable Steveson’s comeback tour is far from over. As for Minnesota? Their rivalry woes against Iowa march on, leaving them still searching for that long-overdue breakthrough.