Sarah Hildebrandt to compete at World Wrestling Championships
Another year, another spot on Team USA for Sarah Hildebrandt.
The Penn High School graduate, a 2020 Olympic bronze medalist, will compete at the World Wrestling Championships in Belgrade, Serbia, this September after winning the 50 Kg (110-pound) weight class Saturday at the Final X Wrestling Championships in Newark, NJ.
Hildebrandt, age 29, blitzed high school sensation Audrey Jimenez in two straight bouts, with an 8-0 shutout in the opening round, then an 11-0 technical fall in session two.
Noie: Olympic wrestler Sarah Hildebrandt takes the long road from Granger to Tokyo
Also winning was two-time World silver medalist Kayla Miracle in the 62 Kg class (136 pounds). Miracle is a graduate of Culver Academies and was the first girl in Indiana history to qualify for the IHSAA state wrestling finals, in 2012.
Miracle showed her experience advantage against U20 World medalist and two-time NAIA champion Adaugo Nwachukwu. Miracle won the first match 6-1, then got her offense rolling in a 10-3 victory in the second match.
This year’s Final X tournament determines the United States team for the World meet, scheduled Sept. 16-24. This is the second straight year that United World Wrestling has chosen Belgrade for its championships.
Nine of the 10 US women’s freestyle berths were selected at Final X. The final berth will be determined at a later site and date, as 2022 World silver medalist Helen Maroulis received an extension on her finals series against Xochitl Mota-Pettis due to injury. Maroulis, an Olympic champion and three-time World champion, was eligible for the extension as a 2022 World medalist.
Hildebrandt, a Granger native, represents the New York Athletic Club. In May, she claimed her seventh Pan-American Championship gold medal in Buenos Aires, Argentina, winning all of her matches by first-period technical falls.
After doing so, she was named USA Wrestling Athlete of the Week on May 9.
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Sarah Hildebrandt secures spot on Team USA wrestling, to compete at worlds
