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HILDEBRANDT USA WRESTLING A.O.W.
Sarah Hildebrandt (Colorado Springs, Colo./New York AC/USOPTC) has been selected as USA Wrestling Athlete of the Week on Jan. 21, 2020.
2018 World silver medalist at 53 kg Hildebrandt debuted at a brand new weight, 50 kg, and won her bracket last weekend at the Matteo Pellicone International, a UWW Ranking Series event held in Rome, Italy.
To open her tournament, Hildebrandt took only 1:33 to pin Ana Maria Torres Rubio of Spain. In the second round, she met up with fellow Team USA athlete Victoria Anthony, who has two fifth-place finishes at the World Championships. Hildebrandt came out on top in a 7-5 decision.
In the semifinals, Hildebrandt surpassed three-time Commonwealth champion Devi Nirmala from India with an 8-2 decision.
Awaiting Hildebrandt in the finals was 2017 and 2019 World silver medalist Alina Vuc from Romania.
Hildebrandt scored first, drawing a passivity point from Vuc to lead 1-0 at the break. In the second period, Hildebrandt went on the shot clock, but Vuc was able to pick up a takedown on the edge.
With about 13 seconds left, a scramble ensued with Hildebrandt trailing 2-1. The American got behind Vuc and had her in a quad pod as the clock ticked down. With two seconds left, Hildebrandt flattened Vuc on the mat to take an eventual 4-2 win.
