The results for the 2026 Dan Hodge Trophy are in, and to no surprise, Penn State wrestling star Mitchell Mesenbrink is the winner.
Mesenbrink, who was up for the award last season after going 27-0 and winning his first national championship at 165 pounds, crossed winning the Hodge off the list after an even better campaign in 2025-26.
Mesenbrink finished this year with the same 27-0 record, with 26 of those wins being of the bonus point variety. He capped off the campaign with a dominant national championship win over Iowa’s Mikey Caliendo (20-4 tech fall) in the national championship match in Cleveland.
It was thought that Mesenbrink’s biggest challenger was on of his teammates. Josh Barr was a hammer for Penn State at the 197 pounds, finishing 24-0 with 23 of those wins being via bonus point. Barr, who won his first national title with a 6-3 decision over Oklahoma State’s Cody Merrill, ended up with one first-place vote.
Oklahoma State’s freshman sensation Jax Forrest got four first place votes, and Mesenbrink got the other 66.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.Mesenbrink is the sixth Penn State wrestler to win the Hodge, joining Aaron Brooks (2024), Bo Nickal (2019), Zain Retherford (2017, ‘18), David Taylor (2012, 2014) and Kerry McCoy, who was the first wrestler anywhere to win the honor, doing so in 1997.
Retherford and Nickal won it twice, and Mesenbrink will have the chance to join them next season, where he’ll come in as the favorite to repeat.
The question is, at what weight will Mesenbrink wrestle? He’s done all there is to do at 165, and with fellow national champ and Hodge Finley Levi Haines graduating, there will be an opening at 174.
Wherever Mesenbrink competes, he will be a force.
