Trent Hidlay and Isaac Trumble will hope that the success they had in Vegas won’t stay in Vegas.
The redshirt junior and sophomore each won a championship in their respective weight class as the NC State wrestling team finished in second place at the Cliff Keen Invitational in Las Vegas. Nebraska took home the top prize in the event for the third straight year with a score of 137.5 to NC State’s 127.5.
Hidlay and Trumble each went a perfect 5-0 at the event, which saw 33 teams participate and consisted of tournaments of 32 wrestlers for each weight class.
In the 184-pound class, Hidlay came out of the gates strong, winning his first bout by pin and his second by tech fall. He then proceeded to win three straight matches against ranked opponents, beating wrestlers from Michigan, Ohio State and finally Parker Keckeisen from Northern Iowa in the championship, the nation’s No. 2 wrestler in the class.
Trumble similarly dominated his competition in the early going, winning his second bout by pin and closing it out with three straight wins over ranked opponents. He defeated Ohio State’s Gavin Hoffman, the nation’s No. 12 wrestler in the class, for the championship.
Seven of the Pack’s 10 wrestlers placed eighth or higher in the event. Sophomore Ryan Jack took third place in the 141-pound bracket by going 5-1, including four wins over ranked opponents. He beat Virginia Tech’s No. 12 Tom Crook in the third-place bout.
Sophomore Ed Scott also took home third in the 157-pound bracket. He secured two ranked wins in the event, including a dominant win over Michigan’s No. 3 Will Lewan in the third-place bout.
Freshman Jackson Arrington won fifth place in the 149-pound bracket by going 5-2, including two ranked wins. Redshirt sophomore Owen Trephan and redshirt junior Alex Faison also placed in the event, with Trephan taking seventh in the 285-pound bracket and Faison taking eighth in 174.
Rounding out the competitors for the Wolfpack were redshirt junior Jarrett Trombley, redshirt sophomore Kai Orine and sophomore Don Cates. Trombley went 3-2 in 125, Orine went 2-2 in 133 and Cates went 3-2 in 165.
It was another solid showing for NC State, as Hidlay and Trumble continue to show why they are two of the best in the country in their respective classes. Ultimately, the Pack couldn’t do enough to finish ahead of Nebraska, but taking second out of 33 teams is nothing to sneeze at.
NC State has one more tournament before it’s nothing but duals the rest of the regular season. The team will travel to New Orleans for the Collegiate Wrestling Duals Monday, Dec. 19 and Tuesday, Dec. 20.
