Max McEnelly gives Gophers wrestling a rising star to pair with Gable Steveson

Max McEnelly had just finished a 15-5 major decision over old high school rival Ryder Rogotzke, securing a 20-17 team victory last Friday for the Gophers wrestling team over No. 4 Ohio State.

McEnelly, whose 184-pound match finished the dual in Columbus, Ohio, felt the need to apply an exclamation point to the occasion, even more than his dominant victory had.

So, he lifted both arms in the air and made the gesture of a capital “O” toward the crowd — rubbing Buckeyes fans noses in the result.

“I probably shouldn’t have done that, but it was just an in-the-moment type of thing,” McEnelly said Monday. “I don’t think our coaches were too happy — they just wanted to get the win and get out of there. But I kind of just felt it, and, you know, it was a big dual.”

McEnelly is feeling it, for sure. The redshirt freshman from Waconia added a win by technical fall against Purdue on Sunday, running his record to 17-0 with 11 technical falls and four major decisions.

He’s garnered bonus points in 88.2% of his matches, which is tied for sixth-best nationally and is one of the big reasons why the Gophers, who’ve moved up to No. 6 in the Intermatwrestle.com dual-meet rankings, carry a 10-1 record into Friday’s 8 p.m. matchup against No. 3 Iowa (11-1) at Maturi Pavilion.

As for his taunting of the Buckeyes, McEnelly received a reprieve.

“He’s just trying to put a stamp on there,” Gophers coach Brandon Eggum said.

With the emergence of McEnelly and the return of Gable Steveson, the two-time NCAA heavyweight champion and 2020 Olympic gold medalist, the Gophers are enjoying a wrestling resurgence this season.

After finishing 22nd in the NCAA tournament last year and 15th in 2023, Minnesota is poised to return to the top 10 or better. The Gophers are No. 5 in Intermat’s tournament rankings, and they have five wrestlers in the top 10 in their weight class — Steveson (No. 1 at heavyweight), McEnelly (No. 4 at 184), Isaiah Salazar (No. 8 at 197), Tommy Askey (No. 8 at 157) and Vance VomBaur (No. 8 at 141).

McEnelly — who won four state championships at Waconia, including a 3-2 triumph over Stillwater’s Rogotzke in a 2023 state title match — represents the present and the future for the Gophers. He Is a contender in a weight class that features Penn State’s four-time national champion Carter Starocci, and he Is slated to face Iowa’s eighth-ranked Gabe Arnold, a redshirt freshman with a 12-1 record.

“I know they’re great competitors, but I know I’m also a great competitor, and I know I’m ready to go, and I know I’m ready to win,” said McEnelly, whose weight class also includes Northern Iowa’s Parker Keckeisen, the reigning NCAA champ at 184, and Oklahoma State’s Dustin Plott, last year’s national runner-up at 184.

McEnelly’s quickness is one of his best assets, and that’s not surprising considering he was heavily recruited as a running back by FCS powers North Dakota State and South Dakota State. Wrestling — and the Gophers — won out when it was time to pick a sport.

“Ultimately, my heart just was at Minnesota, and I always knew that I wanted to come here,” McEnelly said. “When they gave me the chance to wrestle here, it was a no-brainer. I think I made the right decision. I know I made the right decision, actually.”

Since arriving in Dinkytown, McEnelly hasn’t lost a match — going 15-0 during his redshirt season of 2023-24. Eggum saw a talented wrestler who quickly improved at his craft.

“He attacks a lot,” Eggum said. “He’s always been at getting the legs and finishing, and his finishes are quick.”

In addition, Eggum said, McEnelly lives for the big moments.

“He loves it when he’s out there underneath the lights; he’s comfortable there,” Eggum said. “And he just is very composed. So, when you put those things together with his athletic ability and mentality, he’s got a full package. Just a great wrestler.”

If that sounds an awful lot like the Gophers’ heavyweight, it’s by design. Though McEnelly doesn’t often wrestle Steveson during practice, he does go to school off him.

“You don’t even have to wrestle with him to learn from him,” McEnelly said. “You can learn so much from him by just watching him every single day in practice, and just watching about how he goes about his business. … It’s been a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, being able to compete and be on a team with one of the best wrestlers in the world."