NC State’s Trent Hidlay feels ‘refreshed’ in move to 197 

This was going to be a new experience for NC State wrestling’s Trent Hidlay. Instead of cutting weight to get down to 184 pounds before each match like he has the past five seasons, Hidlay moved up to 197 for his final collegiate campaign. 

In theory, the move up was so Hidlay could have more energy to use in matches since he would not have to cut down as much before matches. Well, it seems like that worked out so far this season. 

“It’s been a really enjoyable season, probably more enjoyable than my previous seasons,” Hidlay said earlier this week. “Just because I really haven’t had to grind as much, in terms of making weight and doing extra workouts. I’ve been able to kind of train a little bit smaller, and I think that’s helped my body recover a lot easier.”

Hidlay added that the lack of cutting weight has kept him excited for matches this season rather than “dreading” to prepare for them by trying to get down to 184. That has allowed Hidlay to feel better on the mat, and it has led to success. 

“Anytime that you can mentally feel refreshed and feel really good, I’ve noticed my performance is way better when I’m like that,” Hidlay said. “In the past, I always got myself hyped up to compete, but if your body is not feeling that great, it’s really hard to perform at a high level. Just being able to focus on mentally and physically feeling refreshed, my conditioning has been really good and I haven’t had any injuries.”

The Lewistown, Pa., native is the No. 2 wrestler in his weight class this season, and he has yet to drop a single bout all season heading into Friday night’s battle with No. 9/11 Cornell. The Big Red boasts No. 7 Jacob Cardenas at 197, which will be a key test for Hidlay with just three duals left before the ACC tournament in March. 

Hidlay’s move to the new weight class has paid dividends, not only in his ability to feel good on the mat, but also in seeing new faces on the other side. He had seen the same ACC wrestlers the last few years, and though he dominated as a three-time conference champion at 184, he has liked seeing new opponents this season. 

“It would get hard because the more you wrestle someone, sometimes the harder it is to do the same stuff to them,” Hidlay said. “Being able to wrestle new people has made it a new fun challenge. Not having wrestled someone I think favors me a little bit because I’ve got a hard style to go against if you haven’t felt it before, so that’s just made it easier for me to get to my stuff and have some success this year.”

Hidlay is currently 19-0 and his bout with Cardenas will be the highest-ranked opponent he will see the rest of the regular season until he hits the postseason. The graduate student said this bout will be a good way for him to prepare for the ACC tournament — and later the NCAA tournament and his quest for a national championship. 

Hidlay thought Cardenas “could very well be a quarterfinal or semifinal match for me at the national tournament,” and he wants to work on some of the finer details in the sport that he is trying to improve ahead of title season.

While this week’s bout will be a tough test for Hidlay, moving up to 197 pounds has worked out well to this point. He continued to mention how much he has enjoyed his last season at NC State, and with two bouts inside Reynolds Coliseum left, Hidlay wants to embrace every last second he’s on the mat in front of the Wolfpack fans. 

And not having to cut down as much weight remains a key ingredient to that.

“Just being in that mental frame of being excited and enjoying it really allows you to compete better, to be more free and not be stressed out about anything,” Hidlay said. “I think this being my last year, I’m trying to soak it all up as much as I can. I’m really not competing with a whole lot of stress or fear, and just trying to enjoy every match that I get.”