For the fourth straight year, fans are being asked to help select the winner from the four finalists.
Vote for Dan Hodge Trophy Winner!
The winner will be announced at Monday, March 28, at 12 p.m. CST. The winner of the fan vote will earn two first-place votes among the total ballots from a group of formal voters, which includes each former Hodge Trophy winner, national media, representatives of national wrestling organizations and retired former college coaches from different regions.
The deadline for your vote is this Friday, March 25, at noon CST.
Criteria for the award include: 1. A wrestler's record; 2. number of pins; 3. dominance on the mat; 4. quality of competition; 5. past credentials; 6. sportsmanship/citizenship; and 7. heart. The first four criteria are the primary criteria. Number of pins is an extremely important criteria. Part of the reason the award was created was to elevate the importance of the pin, and to motivate top collegians to go for the fall. The Hodge Trophy is a single-season award. However, if you have two candidates who are virtually equal, consideration can be given to past credentials, which is criteria No. 5. The last two criteria should be used to help guide voters to select a winner who also is a good representative of the sport.
The following is a statistical breakdown, in alphabetical order, of the four finalists.
Alex Dieringer, 165 pounds, Oklahoma State, Senior, Port Washington, Wisc.
The Cowboy recently wrapped up his college career by becoming the 16th all-time Oklahoma State wrestler to win three NCAA championships with a 6-2 victory over Wisconsin's Isaac Jordan. Dieringer ended his career on an 82-match winning streak. That included a 33-0 mark this year with 12 pins as well as titles at the Southern Scuffle and Big 12 Championships. Dieringer only gave up two offensive points the entire season; that coming in the quarterfinals of the NCAAs to Iowa State's Tanner Weatherman in an 11-5 win.
Breakdown of Season Stats
Record Pins TF MD Dec. Bonus-Pt Win %
33-0 12 7 8 6 82%
Nahshon Garrett, 133 pounds, Cornell U., Senior, Chico, Calif.
The four-time All-American Garrett captured his first national championship with a perfect 37-0 record, matching a school record for most wins without a loss in a season. He also ended his career with 149 wins, second on the school's list and became Cornell's 13th national champion. His 20 wins in NCAA tournament competition tied a record previously held by four-time national champion Kyle Dake.
Breakdown of Season Stats
Record Pins TF MD Forf. Dec. Bonus-Pt Win %
37-0 11 7 7 1 11 70%
Zain Retherford, 149 pounds, Penn State, Sophomore, Benton, Pa.
One year after redshirting, the two-time All-American captured his first NCAA championship with a 10-1 major decision against Iowa's Brandon Sorensen, the same opponent the Nittany Lion beat in the Big Ten Championships. Retherford also won the Southern Scuffle in January and at one point won 14 consecutive matches by scoring bonus points. Only two opponents scored offensive points on Retherford this season. Michigan's Alec Pantaleo scored a takedown in a late January dual and Edinboro's Pat Lugo got a takedown on the Nittany Lion in the second round of the NCAAs. Retherford went on to pin both opponents.
Breakdown of Season Stats
Record Pins TF MD Dec. Bonus-Pt Win %
34-0 15 7 7 5 85%
Kyle Snyder, Heavyweight, Ohio State, Sophomore, Woodbine, Md.
The Buckeye capped off an incredible year-long period that first saw Snyder become the youngest American to ever win a World freestyle championship last September. He then spent much of this winter wrestling overseas before returning to the Ohio State line-up in January. In wrestling just 11 college bouts this season, Snyder scored bonus points in eight of them and recently defeated NC State's two-time defending national champion Nick Gwiazdowski for his first NCAA championship.
Breakdown of Season Stats
Record Pins TF MD Dec. Bonus-Pt Win %
11-0 1 5 2 3 73%
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