Two Penn State Wrestlers, One Club Member Advance in Hunt for Spots on U.S. World Team
It was a humid evening in Coralville, Iowa, where the air inside Xtream Arena thrummed with intensity. The 2025 USA Wrestling World Team Trials were underway, and all eyes were on the blue and white singlets of Penn State. Known for churning out NCAA champions like clockwork, the Nittany Lions had once again unleashed their best. This time, two varsity wrestlers—junior sensation Malik Rivera (74 kg) and gritty heavyweight senior Trent Sadowski (125 kg)—were joined by Nittany Lion Wrestling Club (NLWC) standout and Olympic hopeful Sean “Hawk” Halverson (57 kg) in a push for spots on Team USA.
Rivera was electric from his first whistle. Fast-twitch and unpredictable, he dismantled Big Ten rival Luke Ferraro with a slick ankle pick and a four-point gut wrench. His semifinal bout against 2023 World Team member Chase Hammond was a different beast—a chess match of tie-ups and feints. In the final 20 seconds, with the score tied at 3-3, Rivera launched into a beautifully timed duck under, finishing with a body lock that sent Hammond flat to his back.
He advanced to Final X—one step from Paris.
“I’ve wrestled this match in my head a thousand times,” Rivera said afterward, sweat pouring off his brow, voice firm with focus. “But now it’s time to win it for real.”
Meanwhile, Sadowski’s route was more about grit than flash. Known for grinding out victories, he clawed his way through the bracket with narrow wins and clinch battles. In the semis, facing 2024 Olympian Malik Sanders, he countered a double-leg attempt into a powerful chest wrap, earning the go-ahead exposure. The crowd erupted—Sadowski had stunned a heavy favorite.
“This is my moment,” he said, pounding his chest. “No one outworks me. No one.”
And then there was Halverson.
At 57 kg, the smallest of the trio but perhaps the most dangerous, Halverson blended international flair with collegiate toughness. A freestyle prodigy who took bronze at the U23 Worlds last year, he wrestled under the NLWC banner but still trained daily with Rivera and Sadowski in State College. His semifinal match was clinical—six takedowns, two turns, a dominant 14-4 technical fall.
“I’ve got world medals,” Halverson said, grinning. “Now I want the gold—and the senior team spot that comes with it.”
All three now head to Final X in Newark, New Jersey, where they’ll face the nation’s best in a best-of-three series for World Team honors. Win, and they’ll wear red, white, and blue in Paris this September. Lose, and they’ll return to Happy Valley with nothing but bruises and hard lessons.
But for now, State College celebrates. In a town where football rules but wrestling reigns, three warriors have carried the legacy forward.
Coach Cael Sanderson, ever calm, summed it up: “This is what we train for. It’s not just about winning NCAA titles. It’s about being the best in the world.”
And that hunt continues—for Rivera, Sadowski, and Halverson.
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