Biography
Hendrickson is from Newton, Kansas. [2] [3] 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. [4] He was ranked the number three recruit in his weight class nationally and after graduating, enrolled at the United States Air Force Academy. [5] 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. [6]
As a freshman at Air Force in 2020–21, Hendrickson compiled a record of 16–5 and qualified for the NCAA Championships. [4] 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. [4] 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. [7] He was an All-American, the first from Air Force in 20 years. [4] As a senior in 2023–24, he repeated as the third-place finisher at the NCAA Championships. [8] In his career with the Air Force Falcons, Hendrickson went 103–11 while being a two-time All-American. [9]
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. [6] He transferred to the Oklahoma State Cowboys for his final season of collegiate wrestling since military academies do not allow graduate students to compete. [6] He compiled an undefeated record of 27–0 during the 2024–25 season, qualifying for the NCAA Championships. [10] 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. [11] The commentators for the match described Hendrickson's win as the "biggest upset in NCAA history". [11] He celebrated his win with President Donald Trump, who was in attendance. [11] With the win, he became the 145th national champion from Oklahoma State and third wrestler from the university to win the Hodge, narrowly winning one of the most competitive Dan Hodge Trophy votes in history. [12]
Hendrickson holds the rank of second lieutenant in the United States Air Force. [13]
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