STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — One of Drew Hildebrandt's goals is to visit and hike all 63 national parks by the time that he is 30 years old. "I love hiking, exploring and traveling," Hildebrandt said. "I feel really free and liberated out there."
Hildebrandt recognizes that over time he will get wrapped up in other things. Setting the target age of 30 years old, helps to keep him going.
His experiences while hiking at national parks around the United States have been memorable. One of the best was when he proposed to his girlfriend, now fiance, while on a hike. Hiking and the outdoors are ingrained in Hildebrandt's life. It's no surprise, then, that he would describe himself as being adventurous.
"I would like to say adventurous," Hildebrandt said. "It's the whole process, not just what I like to do, but even how I ended up at Penn State." Before transferring to Penn State, Hildebrandt took a short hiatus from wrestling in the fall of 2021. After five years of wrestling for Central Michigan, Hildebrandt was burnt out. Part of the reason was because of his focus on goals and achievements.
"I put so much weight on goals and achievements, versus actually enjoying the sport in my later years," Hildebrandt said. Once he reached goals that he set for himself, they didn't fulfill him like he thought they would.
So, he took a step back from wrestling. During this time he played a lot of chess and it was the one thing that felt similar to a wrestling match. "It is because you learn the moves, but you also have to be able to react to what your opponent's doing, which can be totally volatile," Hildebrandt said.
Over time, he missed the sport and decided to return.
While Hildebrandt still has goals he would like to work towards and achieve, at the end of the day, they are not the only thing that matters. Now he wrestles for the enjoyment of the sport. Hildebrandt's screen saver on his phone is a list. A list with five things that influence how he wants to live and, in turn, wrestle.
"The first one is to be the best husband you can be, start a career that you're proud of, build meaningful relationships, constantly adventure and constantly learn," Hildebrandt said. The overarching theme is living with a purpose. Wrestling as well as life is one big adventure for Drew Hildebrandt.
Between Central Michigan and Penn State, Hildebrandt has been able to experience a lot.
"I'm meeting and learning from new people," Hildebrandt said. "Everyone's got such unique experiences, backgrounds and perspectives. It's been fun."
