Drew Hildebrandt makes his Penn State Wrestling debut

All-American Drew Hildebrandt makes his highly anticipated wrestling debut for Penn State wrestling

As we reported back in November, Cael Sanderson and the Penn State Wrestling squad had landed prize transfer Drew Hildebrandt to solidify the team’s 125 spot, and he’s now taken the mats for the first time for the Nittany Lions.

Hildebrandt capped off an impressive senior campaign last season in finishing fourth in the NCAA Championships for Central Michigan and holds a combined record of 105-41 in his college career.

It was certainly some exciting news.

But even more exciting than the news of the transfer, would be to actually see Hildebrandt toe the line against an opponent donning a Nittany Lion singlet. Because he would potentially be the most talented wrestler the Penn State faithful have seen at 125 since 2017.

And it finally came to fruition as Drew Hildebrandt took to the mat this evening and he hit the ground running for Penn State in earning an impressive fall over Maryland’s Zach Spence 1:38 into the match.

Not a bad start for his Penn State career!

Hildebrandt’s presence at the top of the lineup is a much-needed shot in the arm for this year’s Nittany Lion squad as the previous grapplers at 125 had gone a combined 2-6 up until today’s dual meet.

With the recent news out of Iowa that Spencer Lee will miss the remainder of the 2021-2022 season due to injury, it wouldn’t be out of the question for Hildebrandt to contend for a Big Ten and NCAA title under the tutelage of Cael Sanderson and his coaching staff.

I for one look forward to seeing what Hildebrandt’s impact means both on the mat and to the Penn State Wrestling team.