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  • Photo: Photo/Sam Janicki

    Christopher Miller •

    Photo: Photo/Sam Janicki

    Five weekend takeaways in college wrestling

    Conference season is officially upon us. This weekend was the first of back-to-back weekends of postseason competition as far as college wrestling is concerned. Thus far, we have seen the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA), Mid-American Conference (MAC), Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), the Pac-12 Conference (Pac-12), and the Southern Conference (SoCon) take to the mats to crown its respective conference champions. These tournaments created some exciting headlines for sure.

    Here are five things that caught my eye from this past weekend (Feb. 27-29) in college wrestling.

    The team title winning streaks continue at conference tournaments

    This weekend, we saw five different conference wrestling tournaments take place. Each league saw a familiar face atop the team race standings when all was said and done at each respective tournament. In the EIWL, the Lehigh Mountain Hawks took home their fourth consecutive EIWA team title. Similarly, all 10 Lehigh entrants qualified for the NCAAs. In the MAC, the Missouri Tigers had a record-setting performance to claim the crown, their ninth in a row. Mizzou, like Lehigh, also qualified all 10 starters for the NCAAs. In the ACC, NC State also ran away with the 2021 team tournament championship, their third in a row. In the process, the Wolfpack advanced eight of 10 starters to the NCAA Championships. In the Pac-12, the Sun Devils of Arizona State were atop the tournament team race for the fourth team title in the last five seasons. Arizona State will send six to St. Louis later this month. Lastly, the Campbell Camels won their third straight SoCon team title, qualifying five for NCAAs.


    While other teams fought hard, it doesn't appear that there will be a changing of the guard in any of these conferences any time soon. Clearly, all five programs have built something special and stable. These streaks are dominance personified.

    NC State's Trent Hidlay celebrates after beating Virginia Tech's Hunter Bolen (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com)

    Happiness in the Hidlay household

    NC State wrestlers Hayden Hidlay (157) and younger brother Trent Hidlay (184) couldn't have asked for a better Sunday. Hayden became just the 10th wrestler in ACC history to be a four-time conference champion. Of those 10, he became the fifth NC State grappler to accomplish this rare feat. He will likely be a favorite to be a five-time champion should he return in 2022. Thus far he is undefeated in conference matches throughout his career.

    As for Trent, he was able to avenge three straight losses to Virginia Tech's top-seeded Hunter Bolen. Prior to Trent's 3-1 overtime win in the ACC finals on Feb. 28, Trent was 0-3 against Bolen. All three defeats were incredibly close as well. Bolen defeated Trent twice by a 2-1 margin and once by a 3-0 margin. Trent had yet to register a single takedown in three matches.

    In match No. 4, Trent was able to turn the tides. The two 184-pounders took a 1-1 tie into extras. Trent hit a takedown in overtime to bring the match to a close. The NC State product finally beat the Virginia Tech Hokie for the first time in four tries. A rematch at NCAAs should be fun.


    Not only did the Hidlay brothers both walk away as ACC champs (Hayden's fourth, Trent's first), but their wins helped led the Wolfpack to a 2021 ACC Tournament team title, but it was in front of their hometown fans too.

    Could the ACC really have five of six 165-pounders make it to St. Louis?

    Yes, the NCAA could do this. Yes, the NCAA absolutely should do this. In this crazy COVID-19 season, things have been different. With that, the methods used to evaluate and qualify wrestlers for the pinnacle event of the college wrestling have been adjusted. In some ways, these methods have worked, in others these methods and calculations have failed.

    Well, after the way the 165-pound class unfolded in Raleigh on Sunday, evaluators will have a very tough decision ahead. As it stands right now, Jake Wentzel (Pitt), Jake Keating (Virginia), and Thomas Bullard (NC State) have all punched their tickets to nationals by placing first, second, and third respectively at the conference tournament.

    With that, InterMat's No. 4 Mekhi Lewis Virginia Tech) and No. 13 Kennedy Monday (North Carolina) will both need an at-large bid to make the tournament. Lewis is likely a lock to make it to NCAAs given his extemporary past credentials.

    As for Monday, that decision isn't as obvious. Still, the ACC is immensely talented at this weight within the ACC. Both were ranked in the top 13 prior to the conference tournament. Additionally, the battles amongst these conference foes have gone back-and-forth this season.


    I know it may seem like a tall order to awarded two at-large bids to a conference that only has six wrestlers -- especially if the NCAA has already admitted three of those six -- but it must be done. This will likely be an unpopular decision in the eyes of many, but it is the right decision in my opinion.

    Stanford's Real Woods bet on himself … and lost

    Earlier this week, the college wrestling world was elated to see something they hadn't seen on TV, a box score, or a live stream all season -- Real Woods wrestling a match for the Stanford Cardinal. This season, Woods has been off the mat, focusing entirely on academics in order to graduate early, a result forced by Stanford's decision to cut the Stanford wrestling program following the 2021 season.

    According to Woods' Instagram, he had the urge to get back on the mat. Getting on the mat was something that not only Woods himself needed, but also something his teammates and coaches needed too, according to the redshirt sophomore. Having not competed all season prior to the tournament, Woods would only be eligible for NCAAs if he won the 141-pound Pac-12 title or wrestled four matches. Woods came close, but ended just short, losing by fall in the conference finals against No. 15 Grant Willits of Oregon State.

    While I expect Woods to win that same finals match more times than not were it wrestled again, I respect what Woods did by throwing himself into the fire so to speak. It's not easy to just come in and just try to win on one of the biggest stages. This is more difficult when you have gone nearly a year without a sanctioned varsity match. Even so, I applaud the effort and confidence of the NCAA qualifier and 2020 NWCA First Team All-American.

    Sam Latona vs. Jakob Camacho 2.0 did not disappoint

    As everyone probably remembers, one of the most captivating moments of the 2021 college wrestling season thus far was the match between then-No. 8 Sam Latona and then-No.4 Jakob Camacho on Feb. 5. The 125-pound bout was won at the last possible second and ultimately decided the dual itself and regular season ACC dual meet title. The individual match reminded fans, myself included, how exhilarating dual meets can be. It also gave us an unforgettable broadcasting sequence.


    In the finals of the ACCs, the second iteration of this now budding rivalry unfolded. It was a low-scoring contest, but wasn't short on quality wrestling, flurries of action, and great scrambling. Latona bested Camacho once again and improves to 3-0 (including a redshirt win) versus Camacho in their young college careers. But, with the win, a rivalry between the two underclassmen lightweights has just been born.

    Both are talented wrestlers who may very well be on the podium next month in St. Louis. Regardless of who places higher, or if they place, I'm just excited to enjoy this rivalry for many more years to come.
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