Hunt opened his season with a tournament victory at the Pepsi Patriot Open hosted by University of the Cumberlands. He went 5-0 at the event with two wins by fall and another by major decision at 125 pounds. In the quarterfinals, he defeated NAIA third-ranked Matteo Vargo of Cumberlands 11-5 before topping NAIA 25th-ranked Jordan Rodriguez of Cleary 17-4 in the championship bout.