Photos courtesy of USA Wrestling National Men's Freestyle Head Coach Bill Zadick presents 2026 Final X champion Trent Hidlay with a championship plaque after winning at 2026 Final X, in Chantilly, Va.

BY GREG WILLIAMS

Sentinel reporter

gwilliams@lewistownsentinel.com

LEWISTOWN — Trent Hidlay didn’t need a highlight moment to know what he’d just accomplished. After two tight, exhausting matches with Michael Macchiavello, the scoreboard barely told the story.

Every position was a fight, every point a grind. And in the end, earning a spot on Team USA meant getting through someone who hasn’t just been a rival — but someone who’s been part of his journey along the way.

“It just feels good,” the 27-year-old Hidlay said. “Like I can finally take a deep breath.”

There was relief in that — but also the understanding of how hard it was to get there, and who he had to go through to do it. Hidlay secured his place at 92 kilograms for the 2026 World Championships after a hard-fought series against Macchiavello, relocated from Newark, N.J., to Chantilly, Va.

The change in venue didn’t alter much about the outcome — the two wrestlers delivered exactly what their rivalry has come to guarantee: close, physical, disciplined matches decided in the smallest of moments.

“It’s like going to war every time you wrestle Mike,” said Hidlay, who swept the best-of-three series with 2-1 and 8-3 decisions on June 13. For the third time in the past year, their matchup came down to razor-thin margins. Positions were stubborn, scoring opportunities limited and neither wrestler gave an inch without a prolonged fight. It wasn’t a series where points came easily — or often.

Against Macchiavello’s suffocating hand fight and elite defensive awareness, Hidlay knew offense would be limited. Even getting to his attacks required patience and precision.

“It’s just so hard to score on him,” Hidlay said. “You can’t really judge yourself on what the scoring looks like in those matches.”

Instead, the focus shifted to control — holding strong positions, staying disciplined, and responding in the moments that mattered most. Hidlay believed he did just that.

“I thought I wrestled pretty well — just being focused, really competitive and disciplined,” he said. “And responding when I needed to.”

That ability to respond proved decisive. In the second match, when momentum briefly shifted and Hidlay found himself needing to create offense, he leaned on a mindset ingrained through training.

“When I get scored on, it’s almost like a switch flips,” he said. “It’s like, let’s go right now.”

Rather than waiting for a late opening, Hidlay attacked with over a minute left, creating angles and forcing reactions. It was a subtle adjustment — getting Macchiavello moving just enough — that allowed him to break through in a match where even a single score carried enormous weight.

“Against him, scoring three points feels like 30,” Hidlay said.

That perspective underscored the nature of their rivalry. Flashy scoring sequences were replaced with incremental wins — hand position, pressure, control. And in that kind of match, experience and composure matter just as much as technique.

Hidlay showed both. But even as he processed the win, the emotional complexity of the result wasn’t lost on him. Macchiavello wasn’t just another opponent standing in the way — he was someone who had supported him through the lead-up to this very moment.

Earlier this year, scheduling conflicts created uncertainty around the series. Hidlay had already planned his wedding for June 20, based on the original Final X date. When the schedule shifted, it created a difficult situation. Macchiavello, after winning the U.S. Open, offered flexibility to ensure the matches could still happen.

“He didn’t have to do that,” Hidlay said. “That meant a lot.” It’s part of what made the outcome feel, in his words, “a little bittersweet. “You care so much about a guy like that, and he’s done so much for me,” Hidlay added. “Seeing one of your best friends come up short–it’s hard.”

Still, once the whistle blew, both wrestlers understood the assignment. Friendship was set aside, replaced by the demands of competition. And Hidlay, as he has done repeatedly over the past year, found a way to navigate the narrowest path to victory. That consistency is no accident.

“You train for those moments,” Hidlay said. “If you’re not training right, you’re not going to execute when it’s really hard.”

Now, with the spot secured, Hidlay’s immediate focus shifts — at least briefly –away from wrestling. After weeks of uncertainty and mental strain, he’s looking forward to getting married and taking a moment to reset.

Beyond that, the bigger goal remains. The 2026 World Championships are months away — Sept. 25 through Oct. 1 at the Tianhe Gymnasium in Guangzhou, China — but Hidlay understands what comes with wearing the USA singlet. The field will be deeper, the opponents sharper and the margin for error even smaller.

“Everybody in the world is going to be coming for me,” he said.

To prepare, Hidlay expects to stay active, potentially competing in select events later this summer. It’s part of a philosophy he’s come to rely on — growth through competition.

“I think I get a little bit better every time I compete,” he added.

For now, though, the result stands. Another series won. Another team made. Another step forward. And even without a signature moment or highlight, Hidlay knew exactly what it meant.