Change has been the constant as Sarah Hildebrandt sets a higher standard heading into Final X

One of the intriguing matchups in Final X at Lehigh is at 53 kg in women’s wrestling, where 2018 U.S. Open champion Sarah Hildebrandt will square off with 2016 Olympian Haley Augello.


At the 2017 Women’s World Team Trials, Hildebrandt was up a weight class, in the 55 kg best-of-three finals against Becka Leathers in Las Vegas. In the very first match, during an active exchange, Hildebrandt smashed her elbow and was taken off the mat in a sling, losing the series by injury default. Her chance to make a second World Team went away in an instant.


“After my elbow injury last year, it shocked me into this idea of holding myself to a higher standard for an elite athlete. Along with these new weigh-in procedures, it pushed me into this idea that I had to get my weight under control. That fell into holding myself to a much higher standard. I have made some lifestyle changes, but it hasn’t felt like something I have to do. It has turned into something like this is what it is for me to become what I want to become. That makes it a lot easier,” she said.


Hildebrandt made extensive adjustments in her game. She changed how she lives, how she trains, and how she focuses on her wrestling.


“I changed my diet up a lot. I wanted to take weight cutting out of the whole scheme of things. I didn’t want it to be a part of my career at all anymore. I have done that. It helps me focus on my wrestling. Practice isn’t about how much I can sweat or how many kilos am I going to get off. It is about, what am I going to learn today and how am I going to get better and what is it going to take to get me to the top,” she said.


There was a long recovery time, and in that process, a new Hildebrandt has emerged. Her results have been the best of her career. The injury helped fuel all of the changes.


“It was a really difficult time for me. I didn’t expect it to happen. It was realizing I wouldn’t get to wrestle off and my season was done. It hits you really hard. That woke me up. It allowed me to prepare. This whole last year, I started preparing for tomorrow. That is different than ever before. I am ready for this. I want this. The wakeup call was nice. It is a little blessing in disguise, I guess,” said Hildebrandt.


At the U.S. Open this April, Hildebrandt claimed her first Senior national title, defeating Augello in the championship finals, earning her Final X ticket. Augello did her part by winning the Freestyle World Team Trials Challenge Tournament, setting up a rematch between past King University stars.


“Winning the Open was cool. For a lot of people, it could be a moment like ‘I’ve arrived.’ For me, it felt like, everyone is coming for me now and it’s time to pick it up. That was cool, because, to be succeeding, and feel the need to pick it up even more has elevated my training so much,” she said.


Her previous World Championships was in Budapest, Hungary in 2016, when UWW held a World event in the non-Olympic weights. Hildebrandt won a tournament to capture her spot on the team, and finished 10th at the Worlds. Having that experience will help her as she competes in Final X, and also if she makes another World Team. There were some specific lessons.


“There’s knowing that I beat amazing girls to make the World Team before and I am capable of that. And knowing you have to do that again. There’s the fact that Worlds are back in Budapest. That has been my mantra, ‘Back to Buda, Back to Buda.’ That is my goal to go back to Budapest, and instead of taking 10th, I’m taking first,” said Hildebrandt.


Instead of sitting on her laurels as the national champion, Hildebrandt used that success to drive her to an even more intense training focus.


“I was getting to the point in my training the last month that by Fridays, I was just crawling off the mat. I couldn’t move. I was so tired. At first, I was like ‘I am not ready. What is happening?’ Then it hit me that I am pushing myself harder than I ever have to get ready for this. I do feel like I need pick it up. I do feel like I have a target on my back. Now I am feeling good. I got a nice taper. I don’t have to crawl off the mat,” she said.


During Friday’s Final X press conference, Augello was asked about Hildebrandt’s style, which she called defensive. In Sarah’s mind, that may have been the old Hildebrandt, but the new one is opening things up a lot more.


“That is something I have actively trying to change. This whole year, I have been scoring a ton of points. Defensive wrestlers are just going to keep the match close. I have been opening it up. You can call me a defensive wrestler, because I have a good front headlock, but I did win 6-0. If I can put the points on the board, it doesn’t matter how I get them, if I am walking away with a W,” she said.


When asked if the Final X matches would be similar to the battle against Augello at the U.S. Open, Hildebrandt said that fans should expect something different.


“I would think you are insane if you didn’t change your game plan a little, if it resulted in a loss for her. I imagine she is going to come with something else to the table. With that, she is still going to be herself. With that, I am going to be myself. Having all this extra time since the U.S. Open, we have had a month to prepare for this one person. I have done what I can and I can rest easy at night, because I put in the work. I am bringing the best Sarah Hildebrandt to the mat tomorrow and I am going to find a way to win,” she said.


Part of the evolution of Sarah Hildebrandt as an elite athlete is having the confidence to win the big matches, with the ability to step it up when it is the most important time of the year.


“Being a gamer is an important part of the sport. You have to be able to perform on those big stages. I kind of like that adrenaline rush. It’s fun. It is what brings me back. A lot of times, I will get done with a tournament and I am so sore and I am like ‘I would do this again tomorrow.’ Because this is my livelihood and something I really care about, it is easy to take it serious. It is serious to me. Life is fun and training is fun, but at the end of the day, I need to get the job done,” she said.


As a featured match in the third of three Final X competitions, Hildebrandt is ready to give the fans a great show.


“Preparing for this, I have been so excited. With this being the final Final X, I think we all feel like caged animals ready to fight right now. The fear of injury, or even results, have become obsolete. I am ready to compete,” she said.