Central Michigan University Athletics
Friday, March 19
St. Louis, Mo.
11 a.m.
Central Michigan University
at
NCAA Championships
Photo by: Sam Janicki
Hildebrandt Nails Down All-America Honors
3/19/2021 11:59:00 PM | Wrestling
ST. LOUIS – Drew Hildebrandt is an All-American. Again.
Hildebrandt, a Central Michigan senior, nailed down that prestigious honor on Friday at the NCAA Wrestling Championships when he came from behind late in his 125-pound quarterfinal match and then won in overtime, guaranteeing himself a spot on the podium.
He then fell in the semifinals to one of the nation's most-dominant and accomplished wrestlers and will return to the mat on Saturday with a chance to finish as high as third, but no worse than sixth.
Hildebrandt is the last Chippewa standing at the NCAA Championships at the Enterprise Center after teammates Dresden Simon (141), Johnny Lovett (157) and Matt Stencel (285) were eliminated on Friday.
Hildebrandt, the fourth seed, will wrestle Sam Latona of Virginia Tech, the No. 2 seed, on Saturday morning in the consolation bracket. If he beats Latona, he will wrestle for third place on Saturday afternoon; if he loses, he'll wrestle for fifth. The top eight in each weight class earn All-America honors.
It is the second-consecutive year that Hildebrandt has achieved the coveted Holy Grail of college wrestling. Last year, he was named a First Team All-American by the National Wrestling Coaches Association after the tournament was canceled because of COVID.
And he achieved the honor in a most-dramatic fashion, winning his quarterfinal with Northern Iowa's Brody Teske, the fifth seed, by tying the match 2-2 with a takedown with 13 seconds left in regulation and then winning with another takedown in sudden victory.
"His quarterfinal match was amazing," CMU coach Tom Borrelli said. "That was a pretty crazy turn of events. He was in that situation in our first dual meet of the year and did the same thing. He was losing with 10 seconds left, got a takedown, went to sudden victory, and got another takedown.
"He's been there before so he didn't panic. You're proud of him for just having the grit to make those things happen. A lot of people wouldn't have hung in there that long, and he hung in there and figured out how to win. Proud of that, just his mindset when it comes to that."
Hildebrandt fell, 11-0, in the semifinals to top-ranked Spencer Lee of Iowa, the two-time defending national champion. Lee, who is 4-0 in the tournament with a technical fall and three major-decision victories, seized a 6-0 first-period lead.
Simon, who was seeded ninth, was pinned by top-ranked Jayden Eirman of Iowa in a quarterfinal match and then fell, 8-6, to 14th-seeded Dylan Duncan in the wrestlebacks. It was a frantic final minute as Simon escaped with 47 seconds remaining to tie it, 6-6, and then was taken down with 18 seconds left after a scramble.
Had Simon beaten Duncan, he would have guaranteed himself a top-eight finish, a spot on the podium, and All-America honors for the second-consecutive year. One of Simon's two victories in the tournament came over Chad Red of Nebraska, a returning All-American.
"I think Dresden's real close to breaking through and accomplishing the things that he wants to accomplish," Borrelli said. "He's right in there. He can certainly compete with those (All-American) guys. If he just keeps climbing and continues to move forward, he's going to be hard to beat."
Stencel, a senior, was seeded third and was looking to earn All-America honors for the third-consecutive season but fell, 7-4, to 29th-seeded Austin Harris of Oklahoma State in the consolation bracket.
"He wasn't himself this weekend," Borrelli said. "He had a rough weekend and sometimes that happens."
Lovett, a freshman, went 2-2 in the tournament and provided an early highlight when he upset Missouri's Jarrett Jacques in the first round. Lovett was seeded 26th; Jacques, seventh. On Friday, Lovett won his first consolation-bracket match, 3-1, over Parker Kropman of Drexel and then bowed to Oklahoma State's Wyatt Sheets, 6-4.
"I think (qualifying) exposed him to things he needed to be exposed to," Borrelli said of Lovett. "Anytime you get to this tournament at a young age and are exposed to those things I think you learn a lot and you realize what you need to do to be where you want to be. You've got to get there first to understand all that."
Hildebrandt, a Central Michigan senior, nailed down that prestigious honor on Friday at the NCAA Wrestling Championships when he came from behind late in his 125-pound quarterfinal match and then won in overtime, guaranteeing himself a spot on the podium.
He then fell in the semifinals to one of the nation's most-dominant and accomplished wrestlers and will return to the mat on Saturday with a chance to finish as high as third, but no worse than sixth.
Hildebrandt is the last Chippewa standing at the NCAA Championships at the Enterprise Center after teammates Dresden Simon (141), Johnny Lovett (157) and Matt Stencel (285) were eliminated on Friday.
Hildebrandt, the fourth seed, will wrestle Sam Latona of Virginia Tech, the No. 2 seed, on Saturday morning in the consolation bracket. If he beats Latona, he will wrestle for third place on Saturday afternoon; if he loses, he'll wrestle for fifth. The top eight in each weight class earn All-America honors.
It is the second-consecutive year that Hildebrandt has achieved the coveted Holy Grail of college wrestling. Last year, he was named a First Team All-American by the National Wrestling Coaches Association after the tournament was canceled because of COVID.
And he achieved the honor in a most-dramatic fashion, winning his quarterfinal with Northern Iowa's Brody Teske, the fifth seed, by tying the match 2-2 with a takedown with 13 seconds left in regulation and then winning with another takedown in sudden victory.
"His quarterfinal match was amazing," CMU coach Tom Borrelli said. "That was a pretty crazy turn of events. He was in that situation in our first dual meet of the year and did the same thing. He was losing with 10 seconds left, got a takedown, went to sudden victory, and got another takedown.
"He's been there before so he didn't panic. You're proud of him for just having the grit to make those things happen. A lot of people wouldn't have hung in there that long, and he hung in there and figured out how to win. Proud of that, just his mindset when it comes to that."
Hildebrandt fell, 11-0, in the semifinals to top-ranked Spencer Lee of Iowa, the two-time defending national champion. Lee, who is 4-0 in the tournament with a technical fall and three major-decision victories, seized a 6-0 first-period lead.
Simon, who was seeded ninth, was pinned by top-ranked Jayden Eirman of Iowa in a quarterfinal match and then fell, 8-6, to 14th-seeded Dylan Duncan in the wrestlebacks. It was a frantic final minute as Simon escaped with 47 seconds remaining to tie it, 6-6, and then was taken down with 18 seconds left after a scramble.
Had Simon beaten Duncan, he would have guaranteed himself a top-eight finish, a spot on the podium, and All-America honors for the second-consecutive year. One of Simon's two victories in the tournament came over Chad Red of Nebraska, a returning All-American.
"I think Dresden's real close to breaking through and accomplishing the things that he wants to accomplish," Borrelli said. "He's right in there. He can certainly compete with those (All-American) guys. If he just keeps climbing and continues to move forward, he's going to be hard to beat."
Stencel, a senior, was seeded third and was looking to earn All-America honors for the third-consecutive season but fell, 7-4, to 29th-seeded Austin Harris of Oklahoma State in the consolation bracket.
"He wasn't himself this weekend," Borrelli said. "He had a rough weekend and sometimes that happens."
Lovett, a freshman, went 2-2 in the tournament and provided an early highlight when he upset Missouri's Jarrett Jacques in the first round. Lovett was seeded 26th; Jacques, seventh. On Friday, Lovett won his first consolation-bracket match, 3-1, over Parker Kropman of Drexel and then bowed to Oklahoma State's Wyatt Sheets, 6-4.
"I think (qualifying) exposed him to things he needed to be exposed to," Borrelli said of Lovett. "Anytime you get to this tournament at a young age and are exposed to those things I think you learn a lot and you realize what you need to do to be where you want to be. You've got to get there first to understand all that."
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