NC State wrestling finished fourth in the Las Vegas-based Cliff Keen Invitational with 115 points — a solid showing with many of the country’s best squads competing. The Pack’s results varied across the board, but overall it was a strong showing for NC State. The competition was highlighted by two individual champions — redshirt senior Trent Hidlay and redshirt junior Kai Orine.
Hidlay earned his first place finish by defeating Maryland’s Jaxon Smith in a 5-2 decision. Up to that point, Hidlay dominated his opponents with margins of victory of 16, 7, 16 and eight on his way to the 197-pound title.
Orine had an impressive run of his own to win the 133-pound championship, defeating Iowa State’s Evan Frost 12-4 in a battle of the top-seeded wrestlers. While Orine came out on top, Iowa State finished ahead of the red-and-white to take the team title.
In addition to the two champions, NC State enjoyed a second-place finish in the 141-pound competition, thanks to a strong weekend from junior Ryan Jack. In the championship bout, Jack fell 2-5 against Ohio State’s Jesse Mendez. Jack led 1-0 heading into the third period, but a late takedown proved costly, putting Mendez up for good.
Junior Ed Scott found himself in the consolation bracket but won to claim a strong third place finish. In the consolation finals, Scott faced familiar foe and ACC rival, Virginia Tech’s Bryce Andonian, but dominated the bout with an 18-7 victory, leaving no doubt about the final result.
Scott wasn’t the only NC State wrestler to defeat a Hokie; redshirt freshman Dylan Fishback crushed Sam Fisher 16-4 in a major decision to claim seventh place. Fishback’s tournament was highlighted by an upset victory over Oregon State’s Trey Munoz, who’s considered one of the best in the nation. The tournament helped show the potential for one of the Pack’s up-and-comers that will be needed over the next few years in the 184-pound class.
The final Wolfpacker to win some hardware in the invitational was sophomore Jackson Arrington, who finished in eighth place. Arrington’s run came to an early end with a medical forfeit, but he still enjoyed a solid outing, representing NC State in the 149-pound class.
While he didn’t earn a trophy, redshirt freshman Troy Hohman provided one of the Pack’s more exciting matches. In an upset over Air Force’s Tucker Owens in a 10-6 decision, Hohman opened the round of 32 strong in the 125-pound class.
Redshirt junior Owen Trephan dominated early against Purdue’s Tristan Ruhlman in the round of 32 — a rematch from Nov. 11 at Wranglemania where Trephan won 19-4. In the rematch, Trephan pinned Ruhlman. The Summerville native has been a force as a heavyweight and is continuing to be so this season.
The Pack will have one more regular season tournament, the Collegiate Duals, on Dec. 18-19. The Pack will then make its home debut at Reynolds Coliseum on Jan. 5 against Oklahoma State in a highly-anticipated matchup.
