'I’d rather cut weight than do this again': Trent Hillger gained 50 pounds and made history with Wisconsin wrestling

MADISON – In the 112-year history of Wisconsin wrestling only a handful of athletes have done what Trent Hillger accomplished.

The graduate student became the program’s sixth four-time All-American last month, a feat that puts him in the company of such UW legends as Lee Kemp and Donny Pritzlaff, both of whom won multiple national championships. Hillger is the club’s first heavyweight as well as its first wrestler from the upper weights.

The unique accomplishment becomes even rarer considering the lengths Hillger took to reach it. The native of Holly, Michigan, packed on the pounds, ingesting 10,000-12,000 calories per day to go from 215 at the end of his senior season to 265 at the start of this season, an additional year of eligibility he received because of the NCAA's COVID exemption.

He wrestled at 245 pounds during his first three years but ankle surgery after the 2020-21 season prevented him from training and caused him to drop to his natural weight of about 215 pounds. He competed at that weight in 2021-22, just missing All-American with a ninth place finish at the NCAAs, before gaining back the weight he lost and more over the past year.

To become an All-American, a wrestler must finish eighth or better at the NCAA championships. Hillger took eighth as a redshirt freshman, sixth as a redshirt junior and eighth this past season when he went 18-11. He also claimed All-American distinction in 2020 when the pandemic wiped out the NCAA championships, The National Wrestling Coaches Association stepped in that year and awarded All-American honors, a distinction UW counts toward Hillger's total.

In an interview last week, Hillger explained why he felt adding weight was necessary, how he gained and how it helped him.

Q: What did you eat to reach 10,000-12,000 calories per day?

Hillger: We make 1,500-calorie shakes and anyone can order them. I’ll have about three of those a day. Most of my calories are through liquid. That is the easiest way to get my calories because I’ve never been a guy that can eat a whole lot, so it was a big transition for me to have to consume that many calories.

So after three 1,500 shakes per day, we’re up to 4,500 and then the school provides a lunch every single day during the week. I would have one of those and I’d box up for later and I’d get about 5,000 calories between the two separate lunches, 2000-2,500 per meal for that, and then I’d cook spaghetti at night.

Q: Was it tough to eat that much and that often?

A: It was brutal. I used to cut weight back in the day and, I might get some hate for this, but I’d rather cut weight than do this again. It was awful.

I was maybe getting 3,000-3,500 calories a day before I decided to do this. I was constantly full and I hate being full. That is one of my least favorite feelings for my body. I was constantly full and I had to eat when I was full. It was brutal. I just felt bloated all the time.

Q: How different were your workouts compared to the rest of the team?

A: During the season it’s sort of a cross-fit type workout the guys do where you’re trying to stay lean and lose weight through these lifts, kind of stay mobile and I was basically lifting like a Division I football player where I’m doing heavy squats all the time, heavy deadlifts, heavy bench and doing all these mass gaining exercises throughout the entire year. … I was trying to get as big and strong as possible, trying to gain strength throughout the season instead of trying to maintain.

Q: Where did you notice the difference with the additional weight?

A: A lot of people had a hard time scoring on me. I’ve always been proud of my defense and my defensive ability in wrestling, but you could tell even more.

People had a hard time getting to me because I was so much stronger everywhere. My entire body I gained strength. You could feel the other guys had a hard time wrestling because I was larger and that was really the nice thing, feeling, that my game plan was working. I’m going to wear guys out and be really good on top and that is where all my weight really transitioned to. That is where I really felt it.

I was able to ride guys a little more and I was able to wear guys out a little more because I was keeping that strength, keeping that size.

Q: Did the challenges you faced competing last season play a role in your decision to come back this year?

A: I went through the ankle surgery and it was a long rehab. I hurt my ankle my redshirt freshman year and I didn’t get it fixed until going into my redshirt senior year, so I was wrestling on a broken and torn ankle for three years. It was just a lot of mental stress and a lot of wear and tear on the body. I could feel my body falling apart. It was a rough year all in all and I didn’t end up All-American and I was like OK, "I’m ready to be done."

That was my immediate reaction of getting knocked out of the tournament. I was like, "I need to move on with my life." I didn’t want to keep going with the fight. Then I took some time of from the sport, got away and I started really missing the sport, missing the grind with my friends and teammates.

Q: There have been only five other four-time All-Americans in the history of Wisconsin's program. What does it mean to you to have accomplished that?

A: This All-American was the most rewarding because I really wasn’t planning to come back this year; this was my COVID year.

I had a few discussions with my parents and coaches and they were like if you decide to come back we’re going to go all out and we’re going to make sure we do everything right. This is the year everything is going to be perfect.

When I finally made All-American all the emotion from that mental headache you put in for the last 365 days just came out at one time. Each All-American felt tougher to do, which is kind of crazy. I don’t know if it was the expectation or what it was, but every All-American I had felt more difficult to accomplish.

Q: Will you continue to wrestle?

A: The plan was to continue. I had a few plans, but I tore my ACL at NCAA’s and so now I’m going to be out roughly nine months to a year. I have a few plans this summer to do a few different things and obviously that gets pushed back or moved or changed because of this ACL injury.

I do plan on continuing to wrestle, but this recovery process is going to make a  big difference on when that is.

Q: You're completing your master's in sports leadership. What career do you plan to pursue?

A: I want to coach, first  My goal for a while is to coach at a college level for wrestling and after my coaching career I want to be an athletic director. That is where that master’s degree would come into play a little more.

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin wrestler Trent Hillger earns fourth All-American honor