The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1389905
JULY/AUGUST 2021 ■ 47 Two months later, it seemed COVID would rob Hidlay of another opportunity to prove himself against some of the best in the world. FloWrestling's Regional Training Center (RTC) Cup in December brought together Olympians, world medalists, former NCAA champs and rising stars. Nobody's star rose more that weekend than Hidlay. After initially thinking he was out due to COVID protocols, he and his father drove approximately 1,000 miles in 24 hours to go from their home in Pennsylvania to Raleigh, where Hidlay recorded a second negative test to be cleared, and on to Cincinnati to compete (his dad dropped Trent off and im‑ mediately drove the final seven hours home). Despite minimal practice, Hidlay went 5‑0 and outscored his opponents — each a former NCAA All‑American — by 19 combined points. His hit list included the 2019 NCAA champ (again), another former NCAA finalist and a grappler who took fifth at the last World Championships to qualify for the next Olympics. The experience not only provided Hidlay plenty of opportunities for his favorite cel‑ ebration — raising the roof — but also made him relish every opportunity to compete. It also gave him one important final ingredient. "I think I learned a little bit about myself at that tournament," he said. "I got that con‑ fidence that I can wrestle with the best guys in the country and get the job done at the NCAA level." Just days after the RTC Cup, though, Hidlay experienced a few days of typical COVID symptoms. He was exhausted, but kept testing negative. Tests for strep throat and mono also came back negative. Then, one day, his body just started vio‑ lently shaking while resting on the couch. Luckily, his oldest brother Heath was work‑ ing from the home they share in Raleigh. He carried Trent to the car and drove him to the emergency room. "They determined my appendix was pretty much totally rotted out, it almost ruptured, and I had a little bit of pneumonia in my lungs too," he remembered. "It was a scary moment, sitting there and hearing that." When he posted news of the emergency surgery to Twitter Dec. 20, it unsurprisingly took a turn to the light‑hearted and included a promise: "Raising the roof ain't gonna die, don't worry." He was quickly out of the hospital, but doctors told him he couldn't wrestle for four weeks. After plenty of rehab, he was back in the lineup a week earlier than expected. Despite the time away, he won his first three matches, including one over a top‑10 foe, before Virginia Tech's Hunter Bolen beat him 2‑1, his third straight close win over Hidlay. At the ACC Championships, held three weeks later at Reynolds Coliseum, Hidlay needed a close win of his own to set up another chance at Bolen. His ACC rival had risen to No. 1 in the national rankings, but Hidlay's new mental approach gave him the confidence he could flip the result. "I was 0‑3 against him in college and he actually beat me in high school one time, which I still think about," Hidlay admitted. "Each match, I felt like I kept getting closer. … I knew if I kept doing the same things, it's probably going to be the same result — me losing a tight one. "The answer was just coming out stronger and letting it loose. My mentality was to leave it all on the line. I didn't care if I lost anymore — he'd already beaten me so many times." Hidlay scored his first takedown against Bolen in four matches to beat him in overtime. To celebrate his revenge, he not only raised the roof but also added an air guitar solo. He was the star of the night, his team claimed its third straight ACC title and his first NCAA Championships opportunity was just two and a half weeks away. Hidlay started nationals on fire, winning his first two matches by technical fall (win‑ ning by 15 points). Close victories followed in the quarterfinals and semis, but once again he made the winning moves when needed in order to raise the roof. In the championship bout, he fell in a com‑ petitive 3‑2 match that had its share of contro‑ versy. The deciding point was a stalling call against Hidlay, who got in deep on a shot late in the match but could not finish before his opponent went out of bounds after appearing to grab the edge of the mat, a violation that if called would've granted Hidlay a point. Yet, he has no regrets — even though he'll never forget the image of being on the mat he always dreamed of … and watching the other guy celebrate at the end. "Sometimes, that's how the sport is — it's a game of inches," he explained. "At the end of the day, you have to be perfect in big moments like that against the best guys in the country. "My brother and I, and our team, are built on bouncing back from failures. We always come back and fight. We'll always come back from heart‑breaking losses." He now knows it's not the end result, but the journey that matters most. The ardu‑ ous path that Hidlay navigated the last 12 months will only get him closer to accom‑ plishing his goals in the future. "It probably will never be easy to think about, but I still have three years to accom‑ plish my goal," he concluded of the NCAA finals. "It keeps my hungry. I love compet‑ ing. I love having that underdog mentality of there's someone out there better than me. … I'm going to have to work for it. "And that's why I love the sport. That's why I chose NC State. I love where we're at right now; we're doing the best we can to get the best people at our school to make a run at the [team] national title. I know that starts with me being a good leader and chas‑ ing after a national title." ■ Hidlay won his first ACC title by beating an opponent he had lost to three previous times in college. He then reached the NCAA finals in his first opportunity at the national tournament, which was canceled last year by the COVID-19 pandemic. PHOTO BY ANDY MEAD/COURTESY ACC MEDIA