Hendrickson is from
Newton, Kansas. He competed in
wrestling while attending
Newton High School, where he was a four-time
All-American in the
freestyle and
Greco-Roman styles and won a
Kansas state championship twice. He was ranked the number three recruit in his weight class nationally and after graduating, enrolled at the
United States Air Force Academy. He had received offers to join numerous
collegiate wrestling teams and initially threw a letter from Air Force away, before being convinced by his father to enroll there. As a
freshman at Air Force in 2020–21, Hendrickson compiled a record of 16–5 and qualified for the NCAA Championships. He was an All-American, the first from Air Force in 20 years. In his career with the
Air Force Falcons, Hendrickson went 103–11 while being a two-time All-American. With an extra year of eligibility due to the
COVID-19 pandemic, Hendrickson was selected for the World Class Athlete Program at Air Force, allowing him to delay his military service to continue his career. There, he advanced to the finals and defeated
Gable Steveson, an Olympic gold medalist who had won 70-consecutive matches, with a takedown in the final seconds. The commentators for the match described Hendrickson's win as the "biggest
upset in NCAA history". He won the 2026 US Open at 125 kg, qualifying him for
Final X in June. Hendrickson holds the rank of
second lieutenant in the
United States Air Force. == Freestyle record ==