WIN Magazine announced the finalists for the 2026 Hodge Trophy, as well as opened the fan vote. For those unfamiliar with this award, it's the wrestling equivalent of the Heisman Trophy.
The finalists are:
- Luke Lilledahl (PSU)
- Jax Forrest (Oklahoma St.)
- Sergio Vega (Oklahoma St.)
- Mitchell Mesenbrink (PSU)
- Levi Haines (PSU)
- Josh Barr (PSU)
- Isaac Trumble (North Carolina St.)
The fan vote is now open. You can vote once for each e-mail address. The fan voting ends on Friday, March 27, at 6 pm EDT. The winner of the fan vote receives five 1st-place votes in the voting. (The total votes changes each year, as the non-fan vote is a combination of past Hodge winners (which expands each year, unless a past winner passes away), a group of retired college wrestling coaches from different regions of the country, national media members, and a representative from each national wrestling organization. Typically, about 65 votes are cast, including the 5 votes received from the winner of the fan vote, so the fan vote does have an impact.)
To vote, go to:
www.win-magazine.com
All of the finalists went undefeated on the season. Mitchell Mesenbrink had the highest bonus percentage (percentage of wrestling matches won by a major, technical fall, or fall, as opposed to a decision) of any of the finalists.
From the preliminary voting that has been released, it appears to be a contest between PSU's Mitchell Mesenbrink and Oklahoma State's Jax Forrest.
Whether you're a fan of wrestling or not, your vote could help a PSUer.
The finalists are:
- Luke Lilledahl (PSU)
- Jax Forrest (Oklahoma St.)
- Sergio Vega (Oklahoma St.)
- Mitchell Mesenbrink (PSU)
- Levi Haines (PSU)
- Josh Barr (PSU)
- Isaac Trumble (North Carolina St.)
The fan vote is now open. You can vote once for each e-mail address. The fan voting ends on Friday, March 27, at 6 pm EDT. The winner of the fan vote receives five 1st-place votes in the voting. (The total votes changes each year, as the non-fan vote is a combination of past Hodge winners (which expands each year, unless a past winner passes away), a group of retired college wrestling coaches from different regions of the country, national media members, and a representative from each national wrestling organization. Typically, about 65 votes are cast, including the 5 votes received from the winner of the fan vote, so the fan vote does have an impact.)
To vote, go to:
2026 Dan Hodge Trophy Fan Vote Is Open - WIN Magazine
Fan voting has begun in the 2026 ASICS Race for the Dan Hodge Trophy. When the dust settled on the 2026 NCAA DI Wrestling Championships March 21 in Cleveland, seven of the 10 NCAA champions finished the season undefeated and are the finalists for the 2026 WIN Magazine/Culture House Dan Hodge...
www.win-magazine.com
All of the finalists went undefeated on the season. Mitchell Mesenbrink had the highest bonus percentage (percentage of wrestling matches won by a major, technical fall, or fall, as opposed to a decision) of any of the finalists.
From the preliminary voting that has been released, it appears to be a contest between PSU's Mitchell Mesenbrink and Oklahoma State's Jax Forrest.
Whether you're a fan of wrestling or not, your vote could help a PSUer.
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