Biography
Hendrickson is from Newton, Kansas. [1] [2] He competed in wrestling while attending Newton High School, where he was a four-time All-American in the freestyle and Greco-Roman styles and won a Kansas state championship twice. [3] He was ranked the number three recruit in his weight class nationally and after graduating, enrolled at the United States Air Force Academy. [4] He had received offers to join numerous collegiate wrestling teams and initially threw a letter from Air Force away, before being convinced by his father to enroll there. [5]
As a freshman at Air Force in 2020–21, Hendrickson compiled a record of 16–5 and qualified for the NCAA Championships. [3] He then was the national pins leader as a sophomore and won the Big 12 Conference championship, compiling a record of 26–2 while returning to the NCAA Championships. [3] He won another Big 12 title in the 2022–23 season and finished third at the NCAA Championships, having compiled a record of 31–2 during the season. [6] He was an All-American, the first from Air Force in 20 years. [3] As a senior in 2023–24, he repeated as the third-place finisher at the NCAA Championships. [7] In his career with the Air Force Falcons, Hendrickson went 103–11 while being a two-time All-American. [8]
With an extra year of eligibility due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Hendrickson was selected for the World Class Athlete Program at Air Force, allowing him to delay his military service to continue his career. [5] He transferred to the Oklahoma State Cowboys for his final season of collegiate wrestling since military academies do not allow graduate students to compete. [5] He compiled an undefeated record of 27–0 during the 2024–25 season, qualifying for the NCAA Championships. [9] There, he advanced to the finals and defeated Gable Steveson, an Olympic gold medalist who had won 70-consecutive matches, with a takedown in the final seconds. [10] The commentators for the match described Hendrickson's win as the "biggest upset in NCAA history". [10] He celebrated his win with President Donald Trump, who was in attendance. [10]
Hendrickson holds the rank of second lieutenant in the United States Air Force. [11]
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