The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1043000
104 ■ THE WOLFPACKER BY RYAN TICE N C State finally accomplished one of its major goals under head coach Pat Popolizio last year by tying for fourth at the NCAA Championships, bring- ing home just the second team trophy in ACC history while tying the league's best- ever finish at the national championships. The seventh-year mentor likes to say that when a grappler gets near the top, it takes a lot of work to make the small improve- ments needed to continue climbing, and his team is no different. If anything, though, last year's performance made him more confident than ever that the sport's biggest prize — the first-place trophy — can be brought back to Raleigh. "I think more than anything it reassures that we're on track to continue to build and are doing a lot of things right," he said. "I think it also instills confidence. … To become a good program historically, that's something that needed to happen. "If you can come that close, why not reach the ultimate goal? That's where we're at. Why put in all this time, energy and work, and not want to be the best?" Redshirt sophomores Hayden Hidlay and Tariq Wilson helped fuel the trophy run by finishing among the NCAA's top three at 157 and 133 pounds, respectively. The duo now serves as the foundation for the program, following the losses of, among others, 2018 national champion Michael Macchiavello and three-time All-American Kevin Jack, just the fifth Wolfpacker to place among the top eight three times. Popolizio noted both Hidlay and Wilson — despite their youth — elevate the team's confidence, similar to the boost two-time NCAA champion Nick Gwiazdowski pro- vided during his time leading the Pack. Hidlay suffered his first collegiate loss when he fell to defending champion Jason Nolf of Penn State in the national finals. Other than that, it was a flawless debut from a guy who was not included in the top 20 of any preseason national poll. "The leadership that Hayden brings is extremely valuable," Popolizio explained. "That's a guy that trains as hard as anybody I've ever been around. He does everything right. "He's on the path to win multiple na- tional titles." Meanwhile, Wilson wasn't even in the starting lineup at the beginning of last year, but the Ohio native became the NCAA Tournament's breakout star by going from fourth at the ACC Championships to third nationally two weeks later in Cleveland. "He's got to continue to grow and learn and keep developing and bringing that to the program because we need it," Popolizio said. "We're a very, very young team — and talented, but we need that leadership." Hidlay and Wilson are hardly the lone grapplers with high expectations. Several of their classmates — who made up the na- tion's No. 1 recruiting class in 2016 — are ready for their turn in the spotlight. While Wilson was the talk of the wres- tling world at the NCAA Championships, 184-pounder Nick Reenan occupied that role this offseason. He reached the NCAA Championships at 174 pounds with a 20-13 mark as a true freshman, but redshirted last year. This spring, he competed in senior-level tournaments with mostly professionals in freestyle wrestling, which differs in rules and scoring from the folkstyle version used ONE STEP CLOSER After Claiming Its First-Ever NCAA Team Trophy, The Wolfpack Is Inching Towards The Ultimate Goal Redshirt sophomore 157-pounder Hayden Hidlay placed second in the country and went 26-1 last year. PHOTO COURTESY NC STATE MEDIA RELATIONS WRESTLING PREVIEW