Max McEnelly said it always was a dream of his to compete for the University of Minnesota and now he’s living it and loving life.

One doesn’t have to watch or speak to the redshirt sophomore very long to realize he likes to go on the attack. Whether it’s from his 184-pound spot in the Gophers’ lineup, or his business and marketing education major, or his burgeoning golf game, McEnelly is all-in.

From the small town of Waconia — just 43 miles from metropolitan Minneapolis — McEnelly, a four-time Minnesota state champ, said what attracted him most to the program was a personable coaching staff and a great group of guys.

“I think staying in my home state and competing for the maroon and gold was something that I was destined to do,” he said. “And you know, I think the people of Minnesota appreciate that stuff, especially watching me through high school.”

They watched him excel in football as well, but a Division I wrestling offer won out over FCS football offers. Besides, overseas trips to Rome (U17 World Championships) and Bulgaria (U20s) for bronze and gold freestyle medals as well as a 3½-hour drive for competition in Fargo had their own appeal.

While McEnelly says folkstyle and freestyle are equal in his mind, those tournaments were a springboard to collegiate success.

“It definitely makes you grow, I think more mentally than anything,” McEnelly said about his abundant freestyle competitions. “You're put in those big matches, so the more you're in those big matches, the more you know how to keep your mind calm and stay focused on what needs to be done.

“I'm where I'm at now just because I've been put in those big situations and those pressure matches, and you just go out there and do what you do.”

What he’s done for the Gophers after a first-season redshirt is place second in the Big Ten and third in the NCAA as a freshman. He lost to Penn State’s five-time NCAA champ Carter Starocci in the Big Ten finals and to NCAA champ Parker Keckeisen of Northern Iowa in the NCAA semifinals, both in sudden victory. 

This year, he has built a 17-1 record and a #4 ranking at 184 prior to this weekend’s Big Ten Championships at Penn State.

With a 181-1 high school record and a 42-3 college mark thus far, McEnelly learns from his infrequent losses.

“You learn how to stay present in those big matches and to always believe in yourself, even when you know the whole country is doubting you,” McEnelly said. “At the end of the day, the only thing that matters is whether you believe you're going to win. 

“And if you go out there, put your foot on the line and you wrestle your ass off and you try to win, it doesn't matter what everyone else in the country says. All that matters is you go out there and you show the people that you know you're one of the top guys.”

He’ll have ample opportunity on Saturday and Sunday. He has beaten #6 Silas Allred of Nebraska and #8 Dylan Fishback of Ohio State but he’s yet to meet #1 Rocco Welsh of Penn State and #2 Angelo Ferrari of Iowa.

“None of it matters, other than just going out there and competing your hardest,” said McEnelly, who earned the second spot in the pre-seeds behind Penn State’s Welsh. “I think that a lot of people like to put pressure on big matches, but to me, it's just another match out there.

“And It's the most exciting part of the year. This is essentially what everybody's training for the entire year. These are the moments that you know wrestlers live for. And if you're not living for these moments, then what are you wrestling for?” he said.

Minnesota coach Brandon Eggum knows what he’ll get when McEnelly takes the mat.

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

And, Eggum, according to McEnelly, has the #15 Gophers set for their weekend trip east.

“I think our coaches have done a great job preparing all 10 guys going out there. So I think that our team is going to go out there and they're going to wrestle their hardest,” McEnelly said. 

“Not every match is going to be perfect, but guys are gonna go out there and they're going to be ready to go no matter who they're wrestling. And that's something our coaches preach to us — it doesn't matter who you're wrestling. Go get offensive off the first whistle and try to score as many points as you can.”

Of course, it’s not all wrestling for McEnelly. He’s a NWCA Scholar All-America and an Academic All-Big Ten honoree in his business and marketing education major.

“Academics are extremely important. It's just something that I've always done from a young age, just making sure that my grades are taken care of before I go and step on the mat,” he said. 

“The amount of stresses that you have in your life that you can eliminate, like stresses about school, family, work, whatever it is for people; if you can eliminate those stresses, it's just going to overall help your wrestling.”

He's been taking marketing and business-related classes and will graduate after the 2027 season with grad school a likelihood during his fifth season as a redshirt senior. 

“It’s a major you can use in all aspects of life, you can use it for all different types of jobs, whether it’s a marketing job, sales job … it's broad, so it doesn't limit you to job options,” he said.

McEnelly takes a swing at another sport as well, just to get his mind off everything else.

“One thing that I really like doing right now is going to hit the golf simulator,” he said. “I really like playing golf in the summer. It's tough right now, with the Minnesota winter, but I go to the golf simulators and hit golf balls with my friends to get your mind off things.

“I'm trying to get better, for sure.”

Just like that other sport of his.