
Minnesota adds two-time All-American Cannon
MINNEAPOLIS -- Minnesota head coach Brandon Eggum has announced the addition of two-time All-American Chris Cannon to the Gophers' roster for the 2025-26 season.
Cannon, who is expected to compete at 133 pounds for Minnesota, spent five of the past six seasons at Northwestern, adding a stop at Michigan during the 2023-24 campaign. In total, he has produced a 76-33 career record, including a 24-11 mark in duals and a 19-9 record within the Big Ten.
"Adding Chris Cannon to our lineup is a strong addition for our program," Eggum said. "He's a proven competitor, a two-time All-American, and brings the kind of experience and toughness that will look to solidify our 133-pound weight class. Having someone with his resume in the room will benefit all of our lightweights."
A native of Oceanport, N.J., Cannon competed at 141 pounds for the first time in his career this past season at Northwestern, finishing with a 5-9 record. This was a return to Evanston after he spent 2023-24 at Michigan, though he missed the majority of the season due to injury in his first and only match of the year.
As a redshirt junior in 2022-23, Cannon reached the NCAA Championships for the third time in his career as he produced a 20-10 record overall and 7-2 mark in the Big Ten. He also equaled his career-best finish at the Big Ten Championships as he placed fourth with a 4-2 record, highlighted by an upset of second-seeded Jesse Mendez of Ohio State in the consolation semifinals.
Cannon earned the second All-America honors of his career in 2022. Tallying a 20-7 overall record and 8-2 record in duals, he got there by securing a fifth-place finish at the Big Ten Championships while earning the No. 10 national seed for NCAAs. Cannon went 4-2 at the championships to claim a seventh-place national finish for the second year in a row. He was also a finalist at the Cliff Keen Invite in Las Vegas during the regular season.
In his first season wrestling as a starter in the Wildcats' lineup in 2021, Cannon posted a 12-4 record at 133 pounds, earning bonus points in nine of his victories, placing fourth in the Big Ten Championship and ultimately securing All-American honors with a seventh-place finish at the 2021 NCAA Championships.
Cannon competed unattached as a first-year wrestler at Northwestern in the 2019-20 season. En route to a 19-2 record, Cannon won the FR/SO Division at the Michigan State Open, Cyclone Open and Lindenwood Open. He also claimed seventh place at the Midlands Championships.
Prior to his time with the Wildcats, Cannon wrestled at Blair Academy in Blairstown, N.J. A four-year letterwinner, he totaled a 75-17 record in his four years, including going 23-3 over his last two years and 27-5 as a sophomore.
Cannon also wrestled for the United States at the 2021 U23 World Championships, earning a fifth-place finish at 61 kg. Cannon earned his bachelor's degree from Northwestern in learning and organizational change in 2023. He is a four-time Academic All-Big Ten recipient, as well as an NWCA Scholar All-America honoree.