NC State wrestling closed its season with an 11th-place finish at the NCAA championships with a score of 49.5. The finish was nearly identical to the Pack’s results last season, where it placed 10th nationally.
The Wolfpack (16-2) earned three spots on the podium, which are reserved for the best wrestlers in the country at each weight class and come with All-American status. Redshirt senior Trent Hidlay, junior Ryan Jack and redshirt junior Kai Orine each achieved All-American status.
Hidlay entered the season poised as a national title contender and nearly pulled off the feat. The Wolfpack star ripped through the regular season with ease, earned another ACC title and reached the championship bout against back-to-back-to-back national champion Aaron Brooks from Penn State. In his last collegiate match, Hidlay suffered a 6-1 defeat, while Brooks earned his fourth national championship. Despite missing out on a first-place finish, Hidlay will go down as one of the best wrestlers in NC State history.
In the 141-pound championships, Jack earned a seventh-place finish for his first-ever All-American honors. After his best season at NC State, Jack worked his way into the seventh-place match. In a highly competitive bout, Jack put on a show, moving past Minnesota’s Vance Bombour to finish the year on a high note.
Orine also landed in the seventh-place match in the 133-pound class. However, Orine’s season ended differently with a loss to Rutgers’ Dylan Shawver. The Scarlet Knight earned a 10-5 decision over Orine. Even with the eighth-place finish, Orine’s season was incredibly memorable and he’s poised for another big season.
Aside from its All-Americans, the Pack had seven other competitors. Junior Ed Scott reached the national quarterfinals in the 157-pound bracket. Scott faced a familiar foe — Virginia Tech’s Bryce Andonian. The two had faced off seven times before, with Scott taking three of those matches. However, Andonian got the best of Scott in a 13-7 decision.
Sophomore Jackson Arrington, who entered the tournament as the No. 3 seed, also suffered a defeat in the quarterfinals in the 149-pound class. Arrington, who’s been a breakout star for the red-and-white, suffered a 12-9 loss in the quarterfinals. Dropping into the consolation bracket, Arrington took Penn State’s Tyler Kasak to the wire; however, Kasak pulled out a 5-4 decision.
Fifth-year Alex Faison finished his career in the red-and-white in the 174-pound bracket. Faison went into the consolation bracket and faced Central Michigan’s Alex Cramer in a tight bout. Tied after three periods, Faison and Cramer went to a sudden death round, where Cramer squeaked out a win.
Redshirt junior Owen Trephan capped his season with a run to the national quarterfinals before falling into the consolation bracket. Once there, in a battle between local stars, Trephan faced Campbell’s Taye Ghadiali. Despite his best efforts, Trephan fell short in a 7-3 decision.
In the 184-pound bracket, redshirt freshman Dylan Fishback went deep into the consolation bracket, with impressive wins over Wisconsin’s Shane Liegel and Iowa State’s Will Feldkamp. However, Fishback’s season closed with a 5-0 decision loss against Penn State’s Bernie Truax.
Redshirt junior Jakob Camacho, impressed during his tourney run. Facing Iowa State’s Kysen Terukina, Camacho won by fall in impressive fashion. From there, Camacho faced Lehigh’s Luke Stanich and suffered a close defeat, closing his season.
With several wrestlers set to return next season, the Wolfpack should once again be ACC favorites and a national force. However, the red-and-white will be without its superstar in the 197-pound class in Hidlay. Wolfpack wrestling will return to the mat in the fall of 2024.
