The Cowboys finished with 122.5 points, on the strength of six All-Americans, which was 38.5 points higher than runner-up Minnesota (84 points). Oklahoma was third with 80.5 points, Iowa was fourth with 70 points, and Cornell was fifth with 62 points.
"There's isn't any question that today was a good day, and it was the way to finish the tournament for a year that left a lot of questions as to who was going to win, and who was going to be the best in the end," said Oklahoma State coach John Smith. "I think the most gratifying thing is the fact that we dominated. And that's what you hoped. That's what you expected early in the year. It didn't materialize during the season, but in the end, it was what we were capable of doing, and we did it."
Hendricks, who entered the event seeded No. 2 at 165, came from behind to defeat top-seeded and previously unbeaten Ryan Churella of Michigan in the finals, 9-8, to claim his second straight NCAA title.
Hendricks took command of the match early with two first period takedowns, but Churella battled back. In the second period, Churella countered a Hendricks single leg attempt and locked up cradle and nearly had the Cowboy pinned as time ran out on the second period. In the third period, with Churella clinging to a tight 8-7 lead, Hendricks scored a takedown with just three seconds remaining for the dramatic 9-8 victory.
For Hendricks, the fact that he won this title literally in his own backyard made it even sweeter.
"It was amazing," said Hendricks. "I wanted to (win it) so bad. My parents live only 15 miles away from here. I had so many people up there. I had so many people out there who wanted me to lose. I knew that I had to do it here. If I don't win another one, I wanted to win it here."
Rosholt, the No. 4 seed at 197, won his third NCAA title with a 10-3 decision over sixth-seeded Phil Davis of Penn State, 10-3.
Nate Gallick of Iowa State, who finished his senior campaign a perfect 38-0, finally got the 141-pound NCAA title that eluded him in the past when he defeated his Big 12 nemesis, Teyon Ware of Oklahoma, 3-2. It was a role-reversal from a year ago when Ware defeated Gallick to claim the title.
"Every match we have is close," said Gallick, who has now won seven of their eight career meetings. "I've been lucky enough that most of them went my way. Little mistakes can change the match. I definitely respect him. He's a great athlete and a great competitor. I'm glad that my college is career is over and that I probably won't have to wrestle him again. We've seen each other plenty."
At 125, Indiana's Joe Dubuque won his second straight NCAA title by defeating true freshman Troy Nickerson of Cornell, 8-3. He became the first Indiana wrestler to win back-to-back NCAA titles, and the first two-time champion since Charlie McDaniel won a pair of titles in 1935 and 1938.
"I think I was forgotten once I won the national championship last year," said Dubuque. "It actually motivates me a little bit more. These guys looking at the rankings, they're like, 'He has to be No. 1 because he's the returning national champ.' People were saying how I don't wrestle a tough schedule and how I take off some tournament. But, you know what, when it comes down to it, in March, I come out undefeated every time."
At 174, it was a battle of unbeaten wrestlers as Missouri's Ben Askren faced Northwestern's Jake Herbert. Askren, who finished runner-up the past two years, scored early and often as he cruised to a convincing 14-2 victory over Herbert. He became Missouri's first-ever NCAA champion in wrestling and also earned the Outstanding Wrestler award for his effort.
"It was a battle," said Askren. "He didn't stop wrestling. He never quit. But in the same respect, I was never worried. I had him in every position."
Missouri coach Brian Smith believes that Askren's passion and dedication to the sport has rubbed off on his teammates.
"It's hard to get mad at a kid who is a straight A student, does everything right, and has a passion for this thing that he loves, which is wrestling," said Smith. "He lives it. That goes to the room. Our team in the summer works out with Ben … and follows Ben. He's the leader of the team. A kid that's like that, you don't want to pull the reins too much because what he's doing is something special, and it's something that he loves."
Minnesota finished with two NCAA champions -- Dustin Schlatter (149) and Cole Konrad (Hwt).
Schlatter, Minnesota's true freshman phenom, won 149-pound title with a shutout victory over second-seeded Ty Eustice of Iowa, 4-0. With the win, Schlatter finished with the best freshman season in school history. It also marked his second win this season over Eustice.
"It was definitely a goal for me," said Schlatter. "Kind of in the back my mind I had the goal of being a national champ. I don't know if many people would have believed me. I definitely thought I could do it."
Last season, Oklahoma State's Steve Mocco defeated Konrad to win the NCAA title, but this season Konrad reversed the result with a 5-2 victory in overtime. It was Konrad's fourth straight victory over Mocco this season.
The three-day attendance was 95,501, which is the second highest total at the NCAA Division I Championships, only to St. Louis in 2000.
Finals Results:
125: No. 3 Joe Dubuque (Indiana) dec. No. 5 Troy Nickerson (Cornell), 8-3
133: No. 6 Matt Valenti (Penn) dec. No. 5 Chris Fleeger (Purdue), 3-2
141: No. 1 Nate Gallick (Iowa State) dec. No. 2 Teyon Ware (Oklahoma), 3-2
149: No. 1 Dustin Schlatter (Minnesota) dec. No. 2 Ty Eustice (Iowa), 4-0
157: No. 5 Ben Cherrington (Boise State) dec. No. 10 Brian Stith (Arizona State), 7-3
165: No. 2 Johny Hendricks (Oklahoma State) dec. No. 1 Ryan Churella (Michigan), 9-8
174: No. 1 Ben Askren (Missouri) maj. dec. No. 2 Jake Herbert (Northwestern), 14-2
184: No. 5 Shane Webster (Oregon) dec. No. 2 Roger Kish (Minnesota), 3-2
197: No. 4 Jake Rosholt (Oklahoma State) dec. No. 6 Phil Davis (Penn State), 10-3
Hwt: No. 1 Cole Konrad (Minnesota) dec. No. 2 Steve Mocco (Oklahoma State), 5-2 TB2
Final Team Standings:
1. Oklahoma State -- 122.5
2. Minnesota -- 84
3. Oklahoma -- 80.5
4. Iowa -- 70
5. Cornell -- 62
6. Arizona State -- 61.5
7. Michigan -- 57.5
8. Edinboro -- 56
T9. Lehigh -- 53.5
T9. Penn State -- 53.5
11. Hofstra -- 52.5
12. Penn -- 51
T13. Iowa State -- 48.5
T13. Northwestern -- 48.5
15. Missouri -- 45
Outstanding Wrestler: Ben Askren (Missouri)
Manuel Gorrarian: Mark Perry (Iowa)
Coach of the Year: Jack Spates (Oklahoma)
Final Results
Session 4 Recap
Session 3 Recap
Session 2 Recap
Session 1 Recap
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