Trent Hidlay would put NC State, Wolfpack RTC staff 'against anyone in the country'

Trent Hidlay is ready to put NC State and the Wolfpack RTC up against anyone in the country. The five-time All-American and current Team USA rep at 92 KG backed up his words by winning the senior level spot for the first time in his career last month.

NC State also had a freshman NCAA champion in March, continuing the excellence displayed under head coach Pat Popolizio. Moving forward, the program could contend for a trophy at the 2026 NCAA Championships while Hidlay reps the United States and the program at the World Championships in September.

Simply put, Hidlay and others have the program in the same breath as Penn State, Iowa and Oklahoma State. All four schools had an NCAA champion in March as well as a Senior World Team member this cycle train at their alma mater.

“Yeah, there’s a ton of momentum. It’s a super exciting time to be involved with NC State wrestling and the Wolfpack RTC,” Hidlay told On3. “I would put our coaching staff up against just about anybody in the country. You know, you got Jamill Kelly, who’s an Olympic silver medalist, who’s running the RTC, Zack Esposito, who was a national champ, been a part of national championship teams. Pat Popolizio, obviously has been the head honcho for a while, and just has a ton of experience. There’s a lot of great momentum with our program, and bringing in the right guys and good recruits, and getting in there and training.”

While NC State has resources and the ability to compete with the best, it’s still not the flashiest wrestling room in America. Hidlay likes it that way.

“You come to NC State, it’s like, you know, there’s nothing really that special there,” Hidlay said. “We don’t have the best room in the country. May not have all, like, the most resources in the country, but like, we train hard and we want to win, and that’s the culture that I love being a part of. And for me to kind of help mentor these guys as well has been awesome, and kind of, you know, help them achieve their collegiate goals, while at the same time I’m trying to achieve my post-collegiate goals, and I think it’s just a good mix right now. 

“And there’s a ton of momentum, there’s a ton of excitement, and you just gotta cash in on this momentum and keep improving. But, yeah it’s a great accomplishment, right? When you look at the company that you’re in with those other schools, I think it was, you know, there’s other Blue Bloods, Oklahoma State, Penn State, Iowa and NC State. It’s like, you know, that’s good company to be a part of.” 

Hidlay referred to NC State’s Vince Robinson, who won the 125 pound title in March as a freshman. He’ll be in contention to repeat in 2026. Hidlay will now look for gold at the World Championships in Croatia in September.