The US collegiate wrestling has kicked off its latest season and things have already turned explosive. With every wrestler and wrestling program trying to assert their dominance, an underdog wrestler caused massive tremors. Hailing from Oregon State University, the young wrestling sensation shocked everyone with a major upset.
Gabe Whisenhunt is an unranked wrestler competing for the Oregon State Beavers. A social media upload congratulated Whisenhunt for his amazing display of talent in the first week. Interestingly, Gabe’s father, Josh Whisenhunt was also a formidable Beaver wrestler. In fact, the young Beaver took the senior Beaver’s legacy forward with the nail-biting upset he pulled off.
The showdown that defeated every NCAA wrestler
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Competing in the 133-pound weight class, Gabe Whisenhunt is a sophomore at Oregon State University. The Beaver did the impossible when he defeated the 2x All-American collegiate wrestling star Sam Latona. NCAA Wrestling announced an excellent honor obtained by the sophomore for his brilliance via its official X handle.
NCAA Athlete of the Week@gabehwis went 6-1 over the weekend highlighted by his win over two-time All-American Sam Latona and his Southeast Open win at 133.#NCAAWrestling x @BeaverWrestling pic.twitter.com/8CTw1Cnto9
— NCAA Wrestling (@NCAAWrestling) November 7, 2023
The tweet carried the caption, “NCAA Athlete of the Week. @gabehwis went 6-1 over the weekend highlighted by his win over two-time All-American Sam Latona and his Southeast Open win at 133. #NCAAWrestling x @BeaverWrestling.” The bout between Whisenhunt and Latona had everyone on the edges of their seats as the Beaver secured a one-point win.
Despite the humongous experience of Virginia Tech’s Sam Latona, the unranked OSU wrestler effectively answered all of his opponent’s questions. Despite both wrestlers performing equally well, Whisenhunt won the match by decision with a score of 10-9. Interestingly, this hard-won match didn’t just beat Latona, but every NCAA wrestler in the opening week of the new season.
The OSU wrestling sensation claimed the Athlete of the Week Award. His win against the Virginia Tech wrestler was one out of six wins he secured in seven matches. The tenacity and the strength displayed by Gabe interestingly resembled that of his father, Josh Whisenhunt. Moreover, the young Beaver picked up on his father’s traits on the mat right from his high school days.
Second-generation Beaver upholds Dad’s celebrated legacy
Wrestling for the Crescent Valley High School, Gabe Whisenhunt possesses five OSAA 5A championships under his name. Gabe also boasted a 143-8 high school record, with which he joined the wrestling program of his father. Senior Beaver Josh wrestled for OSU alongside his brother Jake.
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Interestingly, Gabe’s mother Bea was also a Beaver gymnast. Thus, the 133-pounder carries both wrestling strength and an added inclination to technique to help him on the mats. Gabe exploded on the mats for the Beavers right from his freshman wrestling season, picking up four consecutive wins including a technical fall.
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Now in his sophomore year, the young Beaver has become even stronger and has won the Athlete of the Week Award. The young wrestling sensation would like to preserve and build on his momentum going forward and win more matches. Will Gabe Whisenhunt be able to continue his winning run and finally get a rank this year?