Max McEnelly: U20 World Champ — and the man to beat at 184 pounds?

Originally posted on Minnesota Golden Gophers on SI
By Tony Liebert | Last updated Aug 20, 2025 1:30 PM ET

Picture via: University of Minnesota

Max McEnelly has established his case the new face of Gophers wrestling and the man to beat at 184-pounds next season.

The soon-to-be redshirt sophomore took home the gold medal at the U20 World Championships on Wednesday after defeating Bozigit Islamgereev in the finals in Samokov, Bulgaria.

Max McEnelly is a WORLD CHAMPION!

The Minnesota Gopher ran through the 86kg field on his way to the top of the podium. After a 3rd place finish this year at NCAAs, Minnesota should feel great about him being the guy to beat at 184. pic.twitter.com/F7LD4RrMJI
— The Barn Session - Wrestling Podcast (@TheBarnSession) August 20, 2025

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McEnelly dominated the finals match, winning 8-0 against Islamgereev. He had a thrilling semi-finals match against Abolfazl Rahmani Firouzjaei on Tuesday, which ended 5-5, but McEnelly advanced on criteria with the most two-point sequences. He won his previous two matches 10-0, for a combined score of 33-5 for the event.

Hailing from Waconia, Minn., McEnelly established himself as a force at the NCAA level last season with a second-place finish at the Big Ten Championships and a third-place finish at the NCAA Championships at 184 pounds. He was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year, along with his first All-America honors.

With Gable Steveson off to the MMA world, McEnelly now looks like the future face of Gophers wrestling. Legendary Penn State wrestler Carter Starocci, and last year's second-place NCAA finisher, Parker Keckeisen, are out of eligibility, so McEnelly is now the man to beat at 184 pounds.

Minnesota has not yet released its wrestling schedule for the 2025-26 season, but McEnelly looks like he could be one of the best athletes on campus for the next academic year.