2021 NCAA runner-up Trent Hidlay (Photo/Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com; Graphic/Anna-Lee Marie)
Welcome to a new recurring feature from InterMat as we lead into the 2021-22 collegiate season. We are about 50 days away from the start of the new season, so what better way to ring in the new year than to use that time to count down the top-50 current collegiate wrestlers. Each day a new wrestler will be released.
These rankings have been compiled by members of the InterMat staff and used a combination of collegiate achievements, with 2021 accomplishments carrying more weight than past years, along with win-loss records and notable wins. While we are counting down the top-50 wrestlers based primarily on collegiate accomplishments, it is impossible to totally ignore achievements in the international settings, so they did factor in slightly, too.
Before getting to the next wrestler on the list, look at the wrestlers previously profiled:
#50 - Greg Kerkvliet (Penn State)
#49 - Ben Darmstadt (Cornell)
#48 - Dakota Geer (Oklahoma State)
#47 - Kaleb Young (Iowa)
#46 - Rocky Elam (Missouri)
#45 - Chad Red Jr. (Nebraska)
#44 - Brandon Courtney (Arizona State)
#43 - Brock Mauller (Missouri)
#42 - Cohlton Schultz (Arizona State)
#41 - John Poznanski (Rutgers)
#40 - Brayton Lee (Minnesota)
#39 - Travis Wittlake (Oklahoma State)
#38 - Parker Keckeisen (Northern Iowa)
#37 - Tariq Wilson (NC State)
#36 - Jacob Warner (Iowa)
#35 - Jacori Teemer (Arizona State)
#34 - Tony Cassioppi (Iowa)
#33 - Vito Arujau (Cornell)
#32 - Patrick Glory (Princeton)
#31 - Max Dean (Penn State)
#30 - Keegan O'Toole (Missouri)
#29 - Mike Labriola (Nebraska)
#28 - Nino Bonaccorsi (Pittsburgh)
#27 - Austin DeSanto (Iowa)
#26 - Jake Wentzel (Pittsburgh)
#25 - Evan Wick (Cal Poly)
#24 - Alex Marinelli (Iowa)
#23 - Ryan Deakin (Northwestern)
#22 - Sebastian Rivera (Rutgers)
#21 - Sammy Sasso (Ohio State)
Next up is…
#20 Trent Hidlay (NC State)
Weight: 184 lbs
Year: Junior
Career Record: 33-6
Hometown: Lewistown, Pennsylvania
College Accomplishments: 2021 NCAA 2nd, 2021 ACC Champion, 2020 NWCA First-Team All-American
2021-22 Preseason Ranking: #3 at 184 lbs
The early success at NC State from older brother, Hayden, only raised the bar for Trent Hidlay when he arrived in Raleigh in 2018. Even so, Trent was an impressive recruit in his own right after winning a pair of Pennsylvania state titles and earning a top-20 overall ranking amongst seniors.
The younger Hidlay got off to an excellent start as he redshirted the 2018-19 campaign. Trent won the first three tournaments he entered (Hokie Open, Bearcat Open, and the Wolfpack Open).
Next up was the Southern Scuffle, which saw Hidlay place fourth amongst a deep field. His only losses at the event came to returning All-Americans Joe Smith (Oklahoma State) and David McFadden (Virginia Tech). At the Scuffle, Hidlay picked up wins over a pair of national qualifiers, Matt Finesilver (Duke) and Spencer Carey (Navy).
The first four tournaments Hidlay entered came at 174 lbs. He bumped up to 184 for the final two and made it through without a loss. For the year, Hidlay went 24-2 and claimed bonus points in 48% of his contests.
At the conclusion of the collegiate season, Hidlay entered and won UWW Junior National at 86 kgs in freestyle. About a month later, in NC State's Reynolds Coliseum, he secured a berth on the Junior World Team. Hidlay went out to Estonia for Junior World's and returned with a bronze medal.
It didn't take long for Hidlay to establish himself as one of the key contenders at 184 lbs during his redshirt freshman season. At the end of November, Hidlay picked up a dual win over returning 197 lb All-American Ben Darmstadt (Cornell), 7-5. That same day, Hidlay also defeated talented freshman Louie DePrez (Binghamton) 2-1 in tiebreakers.
Just over a week later, at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational, Hidlay beat returning qualifiers Tate Samuelson (Wyoming) and Taylor Lujan (Northern Iowa) to earn a berth in the finals. His good fortune would run out in the championship bout as returning two-time national champion, Zahid Valencia (Arizona State), majored him 12-4.
The Wolfpack squad also hit the Southern Scuffle on the first of January and Hidlay made the finals of that tournament, as well. There he found DePrez, who evened the score with a 3-2 victory.
For the most part, the second half of NC State's schedule consisted of duals against ACC competition. Hidlay's 184 lb bracket was one of the most top-heavy in the conference. Pittsburgh's Nino Bonaccorsi was a fixture in the top-15, while Hunter Bolen (Virginia Tech) had advanced into the top-five. Hidlay was successful against Bonaccorsi, but fell to Bolen in dual action. Those results would remain the same in the ACC Tournament, as Hidlay met Bonaccorsi in the semis and Bolen in the final.
A 23-4 record and runner-up finishes at the ACC Tournament, along with the CKLV Invitational and the Scuffle, helped lead to a fifth seed at the 2020 NCAA Championships. But that ended up being for naught, as the tournament was canceled during the early stages of Covid.
Hidlay was set to compete in a 184 lb weight class that included #1 Lujan, #4 DePrez, #8 Andrew Morgan (Campbell) and #9 Anthony Montalvo (Oklahoma State), as top seed on his half of the bracket. That bracketing looked like a golden opportunity for the Wolfpack freshman who owned wins over #1 and #4.
The shortened 2021 campaign kicked off with Hidlay getting three conference wins in January. February began with another battle versus Bolen. Like their previous two meetings, the Hokie was the winner, but only via a slim margin (2-1).
After only five duals, Hidlay was set for the ACC Championships, hosted by NC State. After a closer-than-expected 5-4 win over Devin Kane, Hidlay was ready for round number four against Bolen, with an ACC title hanging in the balance. Finally, Hidlay reversed his fortune and grabbed a takedown in sudden victory to claim a 3-1 win. The limited home crowd rose to their feet as Hidlay celebrated with an air guitar performance.
The win in the ACC finals guaranteed Hidlay the second seed at his first national tournament. Hidlay responded with back-to-back tech falls in each of his first two bouts. The road got much more challenging in the quarters and semis, as Hidlay had to grit out close wins over Brit Wilson (Northern Illinois) and John Poznanski (Rutgers), to earn a place in the finals.
Hidlay's NCAA finals opponent was the undefeated number one seed, Aaron Brooks (Penn State). The stout defense from Hidlay was able to limit the normally, high-scoring Brooks, but ultimately, the Nittany Lion sophomore was able to escape with a 3-2 win. Holiday would have to settle for second place.
Just over a month ago, Hidlay entered the 2021 World Team Trials in freestyle. After a narrow, 5-4 loss to Olympic Trials finalist Kollin Moore, Hidlay battled back with wins over former national champions Myles Martin and Drew Foster to take third place in the 92 kg bracket.
Strengths: The Hidlay brothers are known for their physicality and their underhook series and for a good reason. Trent is able to control the mat and his opponent with the underhooks. He will either throw them by or drop down for a low attack. Hidlay is extremely difficult to score on. Over the course of his career, he's only given up more than three points in a loss, once. On the mat, Hidlay rides with a lot of forward pressure, but will look for tilts if the situation arises.
2021-22 Outlook: 184 lbs will be a deep weight class with many of the key players that Hidlay has clashed with in the recent past, back and better than ever. Also, throw in 2020 Olympic bronze medalist Myles Amine (Michigan). Even with Amine and Brooks, Hidlay has the goods to finish as the national champion, come March.
2021 NCAA runner-up Trent Hidlay (Photo/Sam Janicki; SJanickiPhoto.com)
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