Penn State Sports Magazine
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4 6 M A Y 2 0 2 6 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M P enn State junior 165-pounder Mitchell Mesenbrink was the runaway choice for the 2026 Dan Hodge Trophy, which is presented an- nually by WIN Magazine to the nation's most dominant wrestler. With the results of fan balloting in- cluded in the tally, Mesenbrink received 66 first-place votes out of a possible 71. Oklahoma State freshman Jax Forrest had four, while PSU sophomore 197-pounder Josh Barr had one. For Mesenbrink, a Hartland, Wis., native who came to Penn State in 2024 after starting his college career at Cal-Baptist, the award was "a very surreal come-to- fruition moment." "I've always had bonus points, even throughout high school, but maybe I got overlooked because I never got [outstand- ing wrestler] awards," he told WIN. "I went all throughout high school without getting one. I would rather have a Dan Hodge Trophy than the Arrowhead Wres- tling Invite OW, though, so at the end of the day, it was a good trade. "With judgment awards, it's decided by someone else. I wrestle the way I do so I can take the interpretation out of the ref's hands. I want to leave no doubt." There was little doubt that Mesen- brink was the nation's top performer at any weight class during the 2025-26 season. He averaged 5.06 team points per bout and won his second 165-pound title in as many seasons, beating Iowa's Mikey Caliendo by technical fall, 20-4, in the NCAA Tournament final. Mesenbrink's victory over Caliendo capped a 27-0 season for the Penn State standout. He had 8 falls, 11 technical falls and 6 major decisions for a 96.3 percent bonus rate. Six Penn State wrestlers have now won eight Hodge trophies, starting with heavyweight Kerry McCoy in 1997. The five most recent winners — David Taylor (2012, '14), Zain Retherford (2017, '18), Bo Nickal (2019), Aaron Brooks (2024) and Mesenbrink — all have competed for Penn State during the Cael Sand- erson era. With a season of eligibility remaining, Mesenbrink will look to join Taylor and Retherford next year as two- time Hodge Trophy recipients. "We are really excited for Mitchell," Sanderson told WIN. "He scored a lot of points this year. He has continued to get a lot better. Our guys come to the national tournament, and there is high pressure and expectations on them. When you're expected to win and con- tinue to dominate and separate yourself, it carries some weight." Sanderson is himself a Hodge Tro- phy winner. While competing for Iowa State, he claimed the award outright in 2000 and 2002 and shared it with Nick Ackerman of Simpson College in 2001. Both Sanderson and Mesenbrink have downplayed the significance of awards that rely on judgment calls rather than on-mat results. Mesenbrink told WIN Magazine that one of his mentors, Ben Askren, was not particularly reverent about the two Hodge trophies he won while at Mis- souri in the early 2000s. As proprietor of the Askren Wrestling Academy, the former Mizzou standout would allow the kids who passed through his train- ing facility to handle one of the trophies, hoping that it would have an inspira- tional effect on them. "All the arms are snapped off it be- cause all the kids that come to AWA play with it," Mesenbrink said. "I think that's a good representation of what trophies do. They just sit, wear, and collect dust." ■ Mitchell Mesenbrink Named Winner Of Hodge Trophy 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 PSU'S HODGE TROPHY WINNERS Year Name Wt. Record 2026 Mitchell Mesenbrink 165 27-0 2024 Aaron Brooks 197 22-0 2019 Bo Nickal 197 30-0 2018 Zain Retherford 149 31-0 2017 Zain Retherford 149 28-0 2014 David Taylor 165 34-0 2012 David Taylor 165 32-0 1997 Kerry McCoy 285 41-0 Mesenbrink became the sixth Penn State wrestler to claim collegiate wres- tling's highest individual honor and the second in the past three years after 197-pounder Aaron Brooks won it in 2024. PHOTO BY MARK SELDERS/PENN STATE ATHLETICS