This just in:
University of Minnesota wrestling heavyweight Gable Steveson has been named the 2021-22 Big Ten Jesse Owens Male Athlete of the Year.
He memorably grabbed the spotlight at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics where he claimed the gold, defeating three-time reigning World Champion Geno Petriashvili with .03 seconds on the clock.
Steveson, who has flirted with WWE as well as MMA leagues, graduated this past May with a bachelor's degree in Communications and Business.
What he says about Kill Cliff:
“I’m proud to be associated [with Kill Cliff],” Steveson told Sports Illustrated about his Kill Cliff NIL. “We’re official partners with the Navy SEAL Foundation, and I’m locked in with them...You can’t beat the Navy SEALs. They’re the baddest people on the planet, and I’m so proud to be aligned with them to make something great.”
Why he won:
Steveson becomes just the fifth Golden Gopher to be named as the Big Ten's top male athlete in the 41-year history of the award. He is also the 13th wrestler to ever win the award, as Minnesota joins Iowa for the most Big Ten Male Athlete of the Year award recipients among conference wrestling programs with three.
The Apple Valley, Minn., native closed out his career with one of the more decorated careers in the history of the sport, and is perhaps the greatest wrestler to even don the Maroon & Gold. Steveson closed out his career with an 85-2 record (.977), including a 52-match win streak to close out his career, and holds the highest winning percentage in the history of the program.
He was the sixth multiple-time NCAA champion and the eighth three-time Big Ten champion in the history of the program. He is the only Gopher to win multiple Dan Hodge Trophies.
