Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/1445781
F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 2 4 3 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M at Rec Hall against Indiana on Jan. 9. He pinned the Terrapins' Zach Spence in just 1 minute, 38 seconds, and trimmed the Hoosiers' Jacob Moran, 6-2. "I got goosebumps when I came out and I was like, 'Wow, this is sweet,'" Hil- debrandt said after the Indiana match. "I made sure I stayed calm. At Maryland, I might have gotten a little too hype, but I really try to stay focused and just wrestle my match." Hildebrandt said on the mid-Janu- ary "Baschmania" podcast that the last time he wrestled at Maryland there were maybe a couple hundred people in the Terps' gym. "This time there were a couple thou- sand; Penn State really travels well," he said. "And Rec Hall, it was really cool. I watched a couple of duals while I was training to envision myself there, but it was fun to actually do it." Sanderson was more than pleased to see him do it. "He's really a great kid, he works hard," Sanderson said. "If I picture him in my mind, he's got a huge smile on his face and he's obviously a tough competitor. So, I was excited to add him to the roster." Hildebrandt's career at Central Michi- gan started somewhat slowly. The even- tual two-time Mid-American Conference champion and three-time NCAA quali- fier was 38-28 his first two seasons but jumped a level or two to go 45-5 over the next two years with the Chippewas. All of his matches at the 2021 NCAA Tourna- ment were close, except for an 11-0 loss to Iowa superstar Spencer Lee, and he said he's concentrating more now on the men- tal aspect of the sport. "I feel like sometimes I have good at- tacks, but I just don't let it always fly. And obviously my top game is pretty good, so I've been working a lot on how I approach matches, and some more offense for my- self personally," he said on the podcast. Hildebrandt has a number of work- out partners available to him, including assistant head coach Cody Sanderson, NCAA champion Roman Bravo-Young and Olympic medalist and world cham- pion Thomas Gilman. "I got in shape really quick. I think my first practice, I went with Roman and Gilman and all these guys, and I was so tired at the end of the week," he explained. "They're all so knowledgeable in the sport, just like little tricks here and there with positioning and everything, and it helps with technique. And it also helps with my tank a little bit, too." He made it clear that his decision to complete his eligibility at Penn State is not all about him. "I hope to bring a good attitude, and whatever they can learn from me … I'm kind of the old guy on the block," the 24-year-old said after the Indiana match. "I don't know if a lot of the kids know that, but I'm a little older. I just like con- necting with a lot of the guys, whether that be personally or through wrestling, and it's just been an awesome experience." There's more to Hildebrandt than just wrestling. Quickly heading toward his mid-20s, he is nine credits shy of a mas- ter's degree in finance, which will give him career options in corporate finance, private equity and investment banking, he said. He is getting married in May; his fiancée is pursuing a degree in veterinary science at Auburn. And he is very close to his sister Sarah, a star wrestler herself who has won medals on the Olympic and world levels and is living and training in Colorado. He said he "picked her brain" when he was deciding whether to com- pete again. "When I said I was finished, she was fully supportive," Hildebrandt said on the podcast. "She's like, 'I get it, you have to follow your heart.' And when I was back, she said, 'Yeah, let's do it … what a great opportunity.' We're just super supportive of each other and want the best for each other." Other than the day in May when Hil- debrandt gets married, his focus is on his current goal — helping Penn State — and not on making money from NIL options or on whether he'll pursue free- style wrestling. "I don't have as much freestyle experi- ence as I'd like," he said. "We'll see how it goes. I've also been in school forever, so I'd love to apply some of this knowledge that I've accumulated. "I'm just enjoying the experience and enjoying everything that Penn State has to offer through academics and athlet- ics. Everyone is just so positive that it's just been really, really exciting and easy. Honestly, I didn't think it would be that easy, right?" ■ Bills Coach Sean McDermott Inspired By PSU's Cael Sanderson Count Buffalo Bills coach Sean McDermott as a Penn State wrestling fan. A big one, at that. McDermott, a former wrestler himself, was amazed by what he witnessed during a 2019 visit to State College. He had long respected Cael Sanderson before that trip, but what he saw gave him ideas to use inside the Bills' organization. He's coached the AFC East team since 2017. "I have a ton of respect for Cael," McDermott told reporters in January. "I mean, you look at not only his personal wrestling career ... but what he's been able to accomplish in the next chapter of his life. ... Just such a class guy off the mat, on the mat, how he handles things within that program. You know, just the culture he's built. You look at the amount of national championships they've won, and I think that's what speaks for itself, but also more broadly, how they've done it — not just what they've done, but how they've done it." It's well known that Penn State wrestlers will often play dodgeball as another means of fostering the competitive spirit and hunger that Sanderson craves. That work-hard-but-have-fun attitude was one of the many things that have stuck with McDermott over the years. During his visit, he watched a game unfold just before the Lions left for the national tournament. "This is the top program in America, and they're playing dodgeball the day or two before they leave for nationals," McDermott said. "And I think it's just really how an elite coach prepares his team for all parts of getting his players, his wrestlers in this case, to perform at their best in mind, body and spirit, right? Not just the body, but also the physiological part of the approach and what goes into it." — Greg Pickel