NC State Wolfpack wrestling not satisfied with third straight ACC championship

While answering the first question in his press conference after NC State wrestling claimed its third straight ACC title, ninth-year head coach Pat Popolizio couldn't help but bring up the NCAA Championships.

When star 157-pound fifth-year senior Hayden Hidlay spoke of how big an honor his fourth individual conference championship was, he quickly admitted "there are some bigger pictures in mind."

Redshirt sophomore 184-pounder Trent Hidlay let on that his gold-medal victory over No. 1-ranked Hunter Bolen was a "big moment," but immediately added that he needed to continue getting better because it's possible the ACC rivals will meet again in three weeks in St. Louis, site of this year's NCAA meet.

There's no doubt that, especially after losing to Virginia Tech in the dual earlier this year, NC State was happy with its ACC Championship performance Sunday at Reynolds Coliseum.

But it was also abundantly clear they were far from satisfied with the conference trophy, and couldn't wait to look ahead to the next competition.

"I'm very happy with the way we performed today," Hayden Hidlay said. "We felt like we needed to prove something today. When we went to Virginia Tech and wrestled them in the dual meet, the intangibles weren't there. We didn't have that chip on our shoulder that you need to beat a team like that.

"Today, we wanted to leave no doubt. We wanted to act like we were playing against a handicap, and I think we did that. … That's what we brought today, and I'm just so proud of the guys for that."

When Popolizio talked of his squad's ACC three-peat, it didn't take long until he mentioned "the ultimate goal — winning a national title."

He's not just talking about an individual climbing atop the podium to claim an individual crown — he's already coached multiple grapplers to that position.

His dream isn't for the Wolfpack to win another trophy given out for a top-four placement at the NCAA Championships, which they did in 2018 to become just the second team in ACC history to do so.

He wants to win the whole damn thing. And he's not alone.

"The sky is the limit. … A lot of people are going to count us out if I was to say that we're going to win it all, but why not us?"

Hayden Hidlay on the upcoming NCAA Championships

"The sky is the limit," Hayden Hidlay said of his expectations for the team on the sport's grandest stage. "I don't want to put any kind of cap on what our team can do. A lot of people are going to count us out if I was to say that we're going to win it all, but why not us?

"If we go out and put a couple guys in the finals like I know we're able to, I don't see why we can't win it all. … I would be really disappointed in myself if I didn't say that we can win it all. That's what we came here to do. Until that last whistle blows, that's the goal and that's what we want to do. I don't feel embarrassed about saying that."

He shouldn't. He and his teammates just dominated the conference tournament by winning half of the possible weight classes in a league that featured five of the top 20 teams in America.

He's leading a charge of talented grapplers that had their chance to show what they could do in the sport's toughest tournament last year ripped away. After an undefeated regular season and conference title, NC State saw its campaign end, abruptly, with a thud instead of a national tournament.

Unlike most teams, without a single starter in their final year of eligibility last winter, everybody came back for 2021. A talented freshman class was added — one that was good enough that three rookies have seen time in the powerhouse Wolfpack's starting lineup.

The entire roster, and those new reinforcements, had 12 more months to season and stew over what was taken from them. Many have made the most of it — that was evident at Sunday's ACC Championships, when four Wolfpackers reversed a loss in last year's conference final.

Trent Hidlay is just one example. During two losses to Bolen last year, and another in this year's dual, he had not been able to crack the code against one of the nation's top defensive stalwarts and tally a takedown. However, he not only secured a gold medal Sunday, but he did it by finally taking down Bolen ... when the lights were brightest and stage was biggest.

They're only going to get brighter and bigger from here.

"I think tonight was a big moment for me to get over that hump," Trent Hidlay said. "I might see the same guy at NCAAs, so I'm going to stay ready. I've got to get a little bit better and focus in a few areas, but I'm feeling really good and confident going into the NCAA Tournament — the goal is to win, and the team wants to win."

Popolizio noted this year is different than any other, COVID challenges and all. Nobody has wrestled a full schedule. The break between ACCs and NCAAs is longer than ever. Who knows how the seedings will work out.

But after getting it done at home in front of roughly 200 people inside of Reynolds Coliseum, his Wolfpack is ready to take their show on the road and see what happens.

"The next jump for us, as we get towards the NCAA Tournament, is to hit our peak," the coach said. "… We've got to make that last, final push, and we've still got it in us. That's what makes this team dangerous — I think we have a lot of guys that can score points at the NCAA Tournament."