Penn girl falls short in bid for Indiana high school wrestling finals

MERRILLVILLE -- Penn junior Sarah Hildebrandt was unsuccessful in her quest to become the first female ever to qualify for the IHSAA state wrestling finals. Hildebrandt was defeated in overtime, 6-4, by Munster's Santo Marciano during the opening round of Saturday's individual wrestling semistate at Merrillville. The match was not without controversy, as Hildebrandt appeared to score a winning takedown as the buzzer sounded to end regulation. However, mat officials ruled the takedown occurred after time expired and did not award her any points. Marciano then scored a takedown 48 seconds into overtime to pull out the match. "I know I shouldn't feel like I let anybody down, but I kind of feel that way," Hildebrandt said. "There were so many people here cheering for me. I really wanted to get to state." Hildebrandt is the first girl wrestler to qualify for an Indiana semistate meet. The full house at Merrillville's gym was squarely in her favor. "I didn't shoot like I should have. I guess I was afraid of giving up a takedown," Hildebrandt said. "I guess the crowd was yelling for me, but I was so focused that I didn't hear anything. I'm just wish I didn't have to wait a year for another chance."