Wyatt Hendrickson Named Finalist for Hodge Trophy

Wyatt Hendrickson was sort of a late entry in the Hodge Trophy discussion, but it’s tough to find a resume better than his.

Hendrickson was named a Hodge Trophy (the wrestling Heisman) finalist on Tuesday — days removed from his monumental upset win against Olympic champion Gable Steveson. The two other finalists are Penn State’s Carter Starocci and Mitchell Mesenbrink.

Despite dominating all season, Hendrickson wasn’t in much of the award’s chatter because most assumed he’d drop that last bout to Steveson, and the Golden Gopher would be perhaps on his way to a third Hodge.

The award’s criteria are dominance, bonus-point percentage, qualify of competition and sportsmanship. According to that criteria, it’d be hard to consider anyone but Hendrickson the favorite.

All three finalists are unbeaten national champions. WIN Magazine has a breakdown of their impressive resumes. Here’s a quick look at Hendrickson’s dominance.

Record against 2025 NCAA qualifiers:

Hendrickson: 17-0
Starocci: 14-0
Mesenbrink: 13-0

Bonus points against 2025 NCAA qualifiers:

Hendrickson: 7 pins, 4 tech falls, 0 majors
Starocci: 0 pins, 6 tech falls, 4 majors
Mesenbrink: 0 pins, 6 tech falls, 3 majors

Wins against 2025 All-Americans:

Hendrickson: 8
Starocci: 8
Mesenbrink: 5

Bonus points against 2025 All-Americans: 

Hendrickson: 2 pins, 1 tech falls, 0 majors
Starocci: 0 pins, 2 tech falls, 3 majors
Mesenbrink: 0 pins, 1 tech fall, 1 major

Wins against former NCAA champs:

Hendrickson: 2 (Gable Steveson and Greg Kerkvliet)
Starocci: 1* (Parker Keckeisen) *Starocci also beat Keckeisen at the All-Star Classic, but that doesn’t count on official records
Mesenbrink: 0

The numbers to some extent speak for themselves. And that’s not even to include that Hendrickson’s win against Steveson is the most impressive win on anyone’s record this season.

Starocci will be Hendrickson’s toughest competition for the hardware. Starocci became the first five-time national champ in the sport’s history this past weekend, but he has never won the Hodge.

“I mean, if you look at the track record, I’ve been the most dominant wrestler in the NCAA for, I think this is the fourth year in a row,” Hendrickson said Tuesday. “I learned a lot this year. I’ve developed a lot as a wrestler this year. I like to say when you go to learn from a magician, you tend to learn magic. Having that extra spin on everything is just pretty sweet.

“Carter Starocci has won five national titles. That’s never been done before. That’s very impressive. So, I’m just happy to be in the running for it.”

OSU coach David Taylor took home the award in 2012 and 2014. Alex Dieringer was the last Cowboy to win the Hodge, doing so in 2016. Steve Mocco is the only other Cowboy to earn the honor, doing so in 2005. The award debuted in 1995.

If you’re so inclined, there’s a fan vote aspect to the award. You can vote here.