2 Penn State wrestlers are finalists for the Hodge Trophy, equivalent of football’s Heisman

Two Penn State wrestlers were named among the three finalists Tuesday for the wrestling world’s equivalent of the Heisman Trophy, formally known as the 2025 WIN

2 Penn State wrestlers are finalists for the Hodge Trophy, equivalent of football’s Heisman

The prestigious award, which has been given annually since 1995 to the best collegiate wrestler, unveiled this year’s finalists in a news release — including Penn State teammates Carter Starocci (184 pounds) and Mitchell Mesenbrink (165), in addition to Oklahoma State’s Wyatt Hendrickson (285).

Starocci is a three-time Hodge finalist, while both Mesenbrink and Hendrickson are first-timers. All three are coming off undefeated seasons that culminated in national titles at their respective weight classes.

The Hodge Trophy winner will be announced 1 p.m. Monday.

All three can stake a claim to the trophy. Starocci made history at the NCAA Wrestling Championships on Saturday by becoming the first student-athlete to win his fifth title, after moving up a weight class in the offseason and knocking off an opponent riding a 59-match win streak. Mesenbrink destroyed nearly every opponent in his path, finishing the year with an 88.9% bonus rate in his bouts — the highest among the three finalists.

And the non-Penn State finalist, Hendrickson, boasted one of the biggest upsets in finals history by stunning two-time Hodge Trophy winner and Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson of Minnesota.

The winner of the Hodge Trophy is determined by a voting committee comprised of former Hodge Trophy winners, a retired coach from each region, a representative from each national wrestling organization and national media members. Fans also have an opportunity to weigh in with an online poll, and the fan favorite will receive five first-place votes.

Fans can vote at win-magazine.com through 6 p.m. Friday. Voters should pick the favorite based on four main criteria: record, dominance/bonus-point percentage, quality of competition and sportsmanship.

The Nittany Lions have collected seven Hodge Trophies since its creation, and coach Cael Sanderson won three when he was a wrestler at Iowa State (2000-2002). Penn State wrestlers to earn the trophy include Kerry McCoy (1997), David Taylor (2012), Zain Retherford (2017, 2018), Bo Nickal (2019) and Aaron Brooks (2024).

Hendrickson and Starocci both competed in their final collegiate wrestling matches Saturday, as both are now out of eligibility. Mesenbrink just finished his redshirt sophomore campaign.