Many Penn State wrestling fans will be using the word “snubbed” over the next few days and possibly longer.
Two of the three finalists for this year’s Hodge Trophy— wrestling’s Heisman— were Penn State stars.
The one who wasn’t ended up being the winner.
It was announced on FloWrestling’s FRL that Oklahoma State’s Wyatt Hendrickson is this year’s winner, beating out Penn State’s Carter Starocci and Mitchell Mesenbrink.
Let’s go Cowboy! 3rd wrestler in Oklahoma State wrestling history to win the prestigious Dan Hodge Trophy (wrestling Heisman) 🤠 https://t.co/ajR8GBlpbo
— David Taylor (@magicman_osu) March 31, 2025
It makes sense that Hendrickson won. After all, he did have a fantastic season (27-0, 81.5 bonus point percentage) and capped it off with maybe the biggest upset in college wrestling history, beating Minnesota’s Gable Steveson for the national title.
WYATT HENDRICKSON BEATS GABLE STEVESON TO WIN THE NATIONAL TITLE
BIGGEST UPSET IN COLLEGE WRESTLING HISTORY!
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) March 23, 2025
But Starocci and Mesenbrink each had cases as well.
THE CASE FOR STAROCCI
Photo by Penn State Wrestling: Carter Starocci
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.The common thought was that the race was between Starocci and Hendrickson, and Starocci certainly had a case. For one, winning five national titles at the DI level is kind of impressive, and Starocci’s last season didn’t disappoint. He ended the year 26-0 with eight wins over All-Americans— the same as Hendrickson— and an 84.62 bonus point percentage. His last win was his most impressive of the year— beating defending champ Parker Keckeisen of Northern Iowa.
Carter Starocci makes history as the first ever 5x NCAA Division I Wrestling Champion. Penn State has also broken the record that they set last year for the highest team score. #Wrestling #NCAAWrestling pic.twitter.com/ih5h5kPmiK
— Danielle Hobeika (@DanielleHobeika) March 22, 2025
Keckeisen was up for the Hodge last year but lost out to Starocci’s former teammate, Aaron Brooks. Starocci moved up to 184 and kept Keckeisen from repeating.
THE CASE FOR MESENBRINK
Mitchell Mesenbrink celebrates his victory over Iowa’s Mikey Caliendo.
Mesenbrink also had a solid case, finishing the year 27-0 with a spectacular bonus-point rate of almost 89%. But Mesenbrink only faced five All-Americans at 165 is a step down in competition compared to what Starocci and Hendrickson had to go against. The good news for Mesenbrink is that he has two years of eligibility left, so he’ll have more chances.
Hendrickson got 30 first-place votes compared to 26 for Starocci. It was the second-closest vote in Hodge history.
