The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1540860
TRACKING THE PACK NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2025 ■ 11 he and his support system had made over the years. "No matter how close I got or how many failures I dealt with, I always tried to pick myself up and keep mov- ing forward," he told Flo. "When you stand up [after the final match at the World Championships], time freezes and there's a lot of reflection. There was so much sacrifice and hard work. And not just on my end, but by my coaches and my family. For it to come together like that, it was so emotional. You turn around and fall down and you're think- ing, This is so cool. "I've always wanted this feeling. I've been working so hard for this my entire life. To finally get a taste of it was just so sweet." Hidlay has now earned a medal at the World Championships at three differ- ent age levels, each time improving his result from the previous age group. He captured bronze at the 2019 Junior World Championships and followed that with silver at the 2022 U23 tournament before earning gold this year. Championship Path Hidlay won all four of his matches to reach the Sept. 15 final. He scored three tech falls and outscored those foes 42-6. Hidlay opened his run with back-to- back tech falls, 11-1 over Redjep Hajdari of Macedonia and then 10-0 over Samuel Scherrer of Switzerland. His quarterfinal clash was a rematch from a July bout in Budapest against Georgia's Miriani Maisuradze, the reign- ing world silver medalist. Hidlay won that earlier meeting, 7-2, and he pre- vailed in the rematch. After giving up a shot clock violation point, Hidlay closed with the final 6 points to take the win, 6-1. He scored the lone takedown of the bout 40 seconds after the break and also added 3 step-out points. Hidlay got his third tech fall of the tournament in the semifinals, scoring a 15-4 win over No. 4 seed Osman Nur- magomedov of Azerbaijan, a two-time medalist at the World Championships. After allowing the first takedown off a reattack, Hidlay scored 5 consecutive points to take a 5-1 lead. A Nurmagome- dov takedown made it 5-4 right after the break, but Hidlay finished strong with 4 takedowns in a row, including one of the 4-point variety when he took his oppo- nent from takedown to back. Hidlay's fi- nal takedown came with just one second left to secure the tech. What's Next? Hidlay's gold-medal-winning story is finished, but it's just an early chapter in his freestyle career. For the next two years, he is expected to continue competing at 92 kg, vying to represent the United States at both the 2026 and '27 World Championships. As a returning world medalist, Hidlay will be able to skip steps in the qualification process, but he will be challenged by a number of young collegiate athletes at his weight, including Josh Barr of Penn State, Justin Rademacher of Oregon State and Aeoden Sinclair of Missouri, just to name a few. In the long run, the focus will be on the 2028 Olympics, which will take place in Los Angeles. With 92 kg not being an Olympic weight, Hidlay will have to come down to 86 kg to compete for a spot on the U.S. team. His biggest com- petition will be former Arizona State national champion Zahid Valencia, who blitzed through the field at this year's World Championships, capturing gold and outscoring his foes 49-0 at 86 kg. For now, though, Hidlay is happy to be back in Raleigh and is enjoying the afterglow of his history-making victory. "It feels like the whole last month has been a blur," he told Flo. "You try to soak it up as much as you can. There are some moments where you feel like life is to- tally normal, and there are some days where you're thinking, Damn, I really did that. ■ Hidlay's gold medal at the Senior World Championships was the first ever by an NC State wrestler and only the second by an ACC wrestling alumnus. PHOTO BY TONY ROTUNDO