Topics

More

Zain Retherford Awarded Hodge Trophy

Redshirt junior Zain Rutherford’s technical fall win over Missouri’s Lavion Mayes in the 149 lb. National Final secured his second-straight title, completed an undefeated season, and ran his winning streak to 63 matches. It also firmly demonstrated his candidacy for the Hodge Trophy — college wrestling’s equivalent to the Heisman Trophy.

On Tuesday morning, WIN Magazine announced that Retheford is the 2017 Hodge Trophy winner, beating out Missouri’s J’Den Cox, Ohio State’s Kyle Snyder, and teammate Jason Nolf. Retherford dominated the fan vote, racking up over 49% of votes and beating Cox, the second place finisher, by nearly 3,000 votes.

After his win over Mayes, Retherford was also named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Wrestler and the NCAA Most Dominant Wrestler.

During his exceptional junior season, Retherford was 28-0 with 17 pins and seven technical falls. During the NCAA Championships, he rolled to a national title with ease via four technical falls and a pin.

The Hodge Trophy is named after Dan Hodge, one of the sport’s first superstars and an undefeated three-time national champion at Oklahoma who was never taken down during his career and pinned 36 of his 46 opponents. Every year, it is awarded specifically based on various weighted criteria such as record, number of pins, and sportsmanship.

Retheford is the third Nittany Lion to receive the award with the last being David Taylor in 2012 and 2014. Penn State head coach Cael Sanderson is the only three-time recipient, winning in 2000, 2001, and 2003 during his undefeated career at Iowa State.

With Retherford returning for his senior year, he has the opportunity to be the first two-time winner since Taylor and the first wrestler to go back to back since 2007.

Your ad blocker is on.

Please choose an option below.

Sign up for our e-mail newsletter:
OR
Support quality journalism:
Purchase a Subscription!

About the Author

Anthony Colucci

Anthony Colucci was once Onward State’s managing editor and preferred walk-on honors student who majored in psychology and public relations. Despite being from the make-believe land of Central Jersey, he was never a Rutgers fan. If you ever want to know how good Saquon Barkley's ball security is, ask Anthony what happened when he tried to force a fumble at the Mifflin Streak. If you want to hear the story or are bored and want to share prequel memes, follow @_anthonycolucci on Twitter or email him at anthony.colucci@outlook.com. All other requests and complaints should be directed to Onward State media contact emeritus Steve Connelly.

‘A New Wave Of Sports & Media’: Katie Feeney Continues To Pave Way For Women In Sports

“Little did I know I was at the forefront in the world of social media and sports.”

More Than Man’s Best Friend: Founder of Happy Valley Doodles Finding Joy In Giving Back

“I think when you do something that comes from your heart, it’s easy to be successful.”

‘It’s Arguably The Most Attractive Running Backs Job In The Country’: Penn State’s Duo Gives Prospective New Coach Plenty To Work With

Despite losing running back coach Ja’Juan Seider, James Franklin is confident in Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen and the top coaches they can attract.

113kFollowers
164kFollowers
63.7kFollowers
4,570Subscribers
Sign up for our Newsletter

Other posts by Anthony

An Open Letter To My Sedated Self: Anthony Colucci’s Senior Column

“No challenge you encounter in college will come close to the obstacles you overcame to get there. However, that drive to do things your own way and disregard for what’s seen as ‘normal’ or ‘expected’ will carry on.”

4 Lessons I Learned From Cael Sanderson After Covering Him For 4 Years

Play Penn State-Themed Family Feud