Oklahoma State's Wyatt Hendrickson wins the Hodge Trophy as top men's college wrestler
Associated Press
NEWTON, Iowa (AP) — Oklahoma State's Wyatt Hendrickson, who beat Minnesota's Gable Steveson to win the 285-pound national title, has been voted the Hodge Trophy winner as the nation's top men's college wrestler.
WIN Magazine, which compiles the results, made the announcement on Monday.
Hendrickson's dramatic late takedown of Steveson gave him the 5-4 win and closed out a 27-0 season. It was the only time Steveson had been taken down all season, and it ended his win streak at 70 matches. Steveson is an Olympic gold medalist, a two-time Hodge Trophy winner and a two-time national champion.
'There has been a lot of hard work that has been compiled over the last five years,' Hendrickson, a transfer from Air Force, said in a statement. 'A lot of people have poured a lot of effort into me. Domination is something I've embraced as a wrestler, and that is what this award is all about. It is an absolute blessing.'
Hendrickson had defeated the defending 285 champion, Penn State's Greg Kerkvliet, in the semifinals. His run through the NCAA Tournament helped Oklahoma State and first-year coach David Taylor finish third in the team standings. Taylor, a two-time Hodge Trophy winner himself, became the first former winner to coach a wrestler to the award.
The voters are a retired coach from each region, former winners, national media members and a fan poll that is worth five first-place votes.
Hendrickson narrowly won one of the most competitive Hodge votes in history. He received 30 of the 59 first-place votes with Penn State's Carter Starocci earning 26 and fellow Nittany Lion Mitchell Mesenbrink acquiring three. Starocci is the only five-time national champion in Division I history. Mesenbrink was the national champion at 165.
Hendrickson also won the official Hodge Fan Vote, with 16,001 of the 32,961 verified fan votes that were cast online March 25-28. Starocci finished second in the fan vote with 13,108, while Mesenbrink finished third with 3,852.
Hendrickson, a second lieutenant in the Air Force, says he has his sights set on the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
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