Hodge Trophy Fan Vote, March 23-27

Photo: Bo Nickal (second from right), the former three-time NCAA champ from Penn State, was presented the 2019 Dan Hodge Trophy by WIN publisher Bryan Van Kley (right), as well as Neil Duncan (second from left) of ASICS and Penn State associate athletic director Rick Kaluza.

While the wrestling community remains disappointed that the NCAA was forced to cancel the Championships on all three divisional levels, fans will still get a chance to be part of the voting process in determining the 2020 WIN Magazine/Culture House Dan Hodge Trophy winner.

Between March 23-27, fans will be invited to go to WIN-Magazine to vote for, among several finalists yet to be determined, this year’s award that has been presented annually to the nation’s most dominant collegiate wrestler.

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 Dan Hodge Trophy, presented by ASICS, is named after Dan Hodge, the former three-time Oklahoma University national champion (1955-57) who never allowed a takedown in his career and pinned 36 of 48 victims.

WIN Magazine will announce finalists (including the wrestlers’ statistics) on Friday, March 18.

Criteria for the award will 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