“I hope I never see that Hetrick as long as I live.”
That statement was made by Bill Racich, a standout wrestler from West Chester University that had the misfortune of facing Paul Hetrick and losing twice in the finals of the Middle Atlantic Conference University Division Championships. Those sentiments were likely echoed across the MAC during the early 1970s, when Hetrick was dominating the wrestling scene at 118 and 126 pounds.
Hetrick arrived at Gettysburg in the fall of 1970 following a successful prep career at Central High School. The East Freedom, PA, native immediately earned a spot on the varsity squad at the lineup’s lightest weight, 118 pounds. He won 14 of 21 bouts in his rookie season, and closed with a runner-up finish at the MAC University Division Championships.
As a sophomore and junior, Hetrick dominated the 118-pound weight class and won back-to-back MAC championships, defeating Racich in one-point decisions each time. He won 35 of 42 matches in those two seasons, and posted a 20-2 record during his junior year in 1973. He advanced to NCAA University Division Tournament each season and posted wins in his opening bouts. With national honors in sight as a junior, a severe ankle injury hampered his efforts and despite scoring a 2-1 victory over the Atlantic Coast Conference champion from Duke University, it forced him from the tournament.
Hetrick jumped up a weight class in his final season, Gettysburg’s last as a member of the University Division, and he finished just shy of a third conference title with another runner-up finish. Despite competing against some of the best Division I competition from around the nation, he managed an impressive career record of 64 wins, 18 losses, and three draws, ranking second in school history in victories at that time.
While his athletic exploits were impressive, his academic numbers were also among the top tier at Gettysburg. He was a two-time winner of the Margaret E. Fisher Memorial Scholarship Award, given to the male student who excels in one or more sports and who achieves the highest academic average among varsity letterwinners. He also received the William Florsheim Award for outstanding athletic activity in the senior class and was tabbed with Honors in Biology.
After graduating from Gettysburg cum laude with a degree in biology, he went on to earn his dental degree from the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine in 1978. He has been practicing general dentistry in Hollidaysburg, Pa., where he has lived with his wife Deborah, for the last 31 years.
