Hendrickson Set for UWW Junior World Championships
8/13/2021 1:47:00 PM | Wrestling
USAF Academy, Colo.- On May 2 of earlier this year, Air Force Academy then-freshman Wyatt Hendrickson defeated returning United World Wrestling Junior Nationals champion Joshua Heindelsman in a best-of-three matchup at the UWW World Team Trials to clinch the 125 kg roster position on the Team USA Junior World Championships team.
Fast-forward three months, and the time has now finally come for Hendrickson's global spotlight in Ufa, Bashkortastan, Russia.
On August 17, Hendrickson, entering his sophomore season at the Academy, will become only the second active USAFA wrestler to qualify and compete for the USA Junior Nationals team. Alex Mossing, a 2019 USAFA graduate, became the first active Air Force wrestler to compete at such a level following his U23 Trials win at 72 kg in 2018.
"We're very excited about Wyatt Hendrickson representing Team USA and the United States Air Force Academy on the world stage," said Air Force wrestling head coach Sam Barber. "What Wyatt's doing, I think, represents the trajectory of the program. You can come here and pursue excellence in academics and leadership in athletics. There's no higher platform in wrestling than the world championships, so to be able to do that while balancing the academics and the leadership requirements of the Academy is a testament to him.
"We're excited about Wyatt and what that says about where our program is at."
Hendrickson's first match is scheduled for Tuesday, August 17 at 11:00 am local time in Ufa, the equivalent of 12:00 am MT Monday evening in the United States. Hendrickson will weigh-in Tuesday morning at 8:45 am for the freestyle tournament.
The UWW Junior World Championships will add yet another sparkling addition to the cadets's bloated resume. A Kansas native, Hendrickson was a three-time state finalist and two-time state champion at Newton High School, as well as a four-time USAW Junior National freestyle and Greco-Roman All-American. His lone year at the USAFA Prep School saw him become a 2020 National Collegiate Open Champion.
The UWW Junior World Championships will be streamed live via FloWrestling, with additional details here.
Fast-forward three months, and the time has now finally come for Hendrickson's global spotlight in Ufa, Bashkortastan, Russia.
On August 17, Hendrickson, entering his sophomore season at the Academy, will become only the second active USAFA wrestler to qualify and compete for the USA Junior Nationals team. Alex Mossing, a 2019 USAFA graduate, became the first active Air Force wrestler to compete at such a level following his U23 Trials win at 72 kg in 2018.
"We're very excited about Wyatt Hendrickson representing Team USA and the United States Air Force Academy on the world stage," said Air Force wrestling head coach Sam Barber. "What Wyatt's doing, I think, represents the trajectory of the program. You can come here and pursue excellence in academics and leadership in athletics. There's no higher platform in wrestling than the world championships, so to be able to do that while balancing the academics and the leadership requirements of the Academy is a testament to him.
"We're excited about Wyatt and what that says about where our program is at."
Hendrickson's first match is scheduled for Tuesday, August 17 at 11:00 am local time in Ufa, the equivalent of 12:00 am MT Monday evening in the United States. Hendrickson will weigh-in Tuesday morning at 8:45 am for the freestyle tournament.
The UWW Junior World Championships will add yet another sparkling addition to the cadets's bloated resume. A Kansas native, Hendrickson was a three-time state finalist and two-time state champion at Newton High School, as well as a four-time USAW Junior National freestyle and Greco-Roman All-American. His lone year at the USAFA Prep School saw him become a 2020 National Collegiate Open Champion.
The UWW Junior World Championships will be streamed live via FloWrestling, with additional details here.
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