No. 9 NC State wrestling took care of business in a doubleheader with matches against both Central Michigan and Illinois. The usual stars did their things to secure wins in both duals, boosting the team’s resume even higher with a pair of quality victories.
The Pack (5-0) had no trouble taking down Central Michigan (0-1), securing the night’s first dual victory with a 26-12 win. Fueled by impressive performances from sophomore Isaac Trumble and redshirt junior Trent Hidlay, the Chippewas never stood a chance.
Trumble took home a massive 11-2 victory on the back of 4:12 minutes of riding time in the 197-pound weight class. As no stranger to being responsible for the Wolfpack’s success, Trumble made Central Michigan’s Cameron Wood’s life a living nightmare. Hidlay did much of the same in the 184-pound class, brushing off his challenger — Ben Cushman — with a quick pin and six points towards the Pack’s score.
The Chippewas had the Pack on its heels throughout the early stages of the dual, claiming victories in the 133-pound, 157-pound and 174-pound weight classes to bring the score to 13-12 before Hidlay stepped on the mat.
A medical forfeit for freshman Jacob Cox gave the Chippewas their first six points of the night and some confidence heading into the thick of the matchup. Before they could capitalize on any of that momentum, however, sophomore Ryan Jack’s 12-3 major decision thanks to two takedowns, a stall point and a ride out shut Central Michigan down. Redshirt sophomore Owen Trephan finished NC State’s performance in the night’s first dual with a 4-2 win in the 285-pound class.
Illinois (1-1) suffered a similar fate to Central Michigan, falling 27-12 to end the night. Also giving the Pack a run for its money in the early going, the Fighting Illini claimed victories in the 133-pound, 165-pound and 174-pound weight classes.
After Edmond Ruth’s victory over redshirt freshman Brock Delsignore, Hidlay returned to the mat in impressive fashion. Securing a 23-7 win over Illinois’ Dylan Connell by way of technical fall, the redshirt junior earned the Pack a crucial five points to help the squad pull away one final time from its challenger. Once Hidlay opened up the bout with four takedowns in the first to take an 8-3 lead, Connell’s fate was already sealed.
Trumble and Trephan were responsible for capitalizing on Hidlay’s performance, and both wrestlers didn’t disappoint in their respective weight classes. Trumble took an 11-4 victory to cement another win for NC State, and Trephan’s 10-2 major decision was just icing on the cake to bring the Pack to 27 points.
The Wolfpack returns to the mat at the Cliff Keen Invitational on Friday, Dec. 2 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Hoping to keep its undefeated streak alive against tough competition in an unfamiliar environment, NC State has its work cut out for it in the team’s hunt for a fifth-straight conference title and shot at a national championship.
