Penn State Sports Magazine
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4 8 N O V E M B E R 2 0 2 4 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M T he initial contenders for the 2024-25 WIN Maga- zine/Culture House Dan Hodge Trophy are all former NCAA champions, according to a list of 10 candidates com- piled by WIN. Penn State returning All- Americans Levi Haines, Carter Starocci and Greg Kerkvliet all made the cut. Haines won the 157-pound bracket at nationals a year ago but is moving up two weight classes to 174 pounds for his junior season. He replaces Starocci, a four-time NCAA champ at 174 who will now try to make history by becoming the first-ever five-time na- tional title winner when he bumps up to 184 pounds as a sixth-year senior. Kerkvliet, a fifth-year senior, is back in his heavyweight spot after winning the 285-pound title a year ago. The Penn State grapplers are joined on the watch list by Ari- zona State's Richard Figueroa (125 pounds), Ohio State's Jesse Mendez (141), Northern Colorado's An- drew Alirez (141), Virginia Tech's Ca- leb Henson (149), Missouri's Keegan O'Toole (174), Northern Iowa's Parker Keckeisen (184) and Cal State-Bakers- field's AJ Ferrari (197). Pe n n S ta te 197- p o u n d n a t i o n a l champion Aaron Brooks won the Hodge Trophy a year ago. It marked the first time a Penn State wrestler won the "Heisman Trophy of wrestling" since Bo Nickal did so in 2019. Top 2026 Recruit Plans November Visit Bo Bassett, the nation's No. 3 pound- for-pound wrestler and No. 1 prospect at 144 pounds in the class of 2026, has set a timeline for his recruitment and has also scheduled a number of official visits, including one to Penn State. The decorated high school grappler posted a 12-6 win over North Carolina State commit Daniel Zepeda (No. 13 in the MatScouts pound-for-pound rankings) at Who's Number One in Johnstown, Pa., and beat Zepeda again, 10-7 in overtime, at the Super 32 in Greens- boro, N.C., to capture his third title at the presigious preseason tournament. "I will be pushing my recruiting into the spring," Bassett wrote in his "Inner Circle" newsletter. "I am in no rush to make a really big decision until I get to see all the schools I may be in- terested in! My view is, I only get to do the recruiting process once, so I am going to enjoy it and have fun with it. "I definitely enjoy spending time with my family, meet- ing new coaches and wres- tlers and getting to see places I only dreamed about as a young wrestler. I never thought I would like the pictures in the singlets and warmups. We had a lot of fun with that part." Sixteen programs remain in the mix to land Bassett, who competes for Bishop McCort High. He has taken an offi- cial visit to Michigan and has locked in dates with six other schools. Bassett is planning an official visit to Penn State for the weekend of Nov. 1-3, and his other scheduled trips will be to Iowa, Ohio State, Virginia Tech, Oklahoma State and Rutgers. The timing means that Bas- sett will have the chance to watch the Penn State football team play Ohio State on Nov. 2 at Bea- ver Stadium. He'll spend most of his time with head coach Cael Sanderson and his staff at the Lorenzo Wrestling Complex that weekend, but the football game will give him an opportunity to see the passion of the PSU fan com- munity. Bassett said he is still working to set up official visits with other schools, in- cluding Iowa State and Pitt-Johnstown. In other recruiting news, Bassett's Bishop McCort teammate, Jax Forrest, has trimmed his list of suitors to 10. Penn State made the cut for the 2026 prospect, along with Lehigh, NC State, North Carolina, Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State Trio Listed As Hodge Trophy Contenders G R E G P I C K E L | G R E G . P I C K E L @ O N 3 . C O M Levi Haines earned the 157-pound NCAA title a year ago, but is moving up two weight classes to wrestle at 174 pounds for his junior season. PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL