The Dan Hodge Trophy is reserved for the best of the best. Widely regarded as the Heisman Trophy of wrestling, it has been awarded to legendary names like Cael Sanderson, Jordan Burroughs, and Bo Nickal. 

Now, Mitchell Mesenbrink joins that list, earning his place among college wrestling’s most elite. He was named the winner on Monday afternoon with 66 first-place votes.

Mesenbrink beat out teammates Luke Lilledahl, Levi Haines, and Josh Barr, along with Jax Forrest and Sergio Vega of Oklahoma State and Isaac Trumble of North Carolina State, to win the prestigious Hodge Trophy.

During his junior year, Mesenbrink posted his second undefeated season, finishing 27-0 and bringing his career record to an impressive 80-1. He recorded eight falls and 11 technical falls, earning bonus points in all but one match. At the NCAA Championships, Mesenbrink captured his second national title with a 20-4 technical fall over Mikey Caliendo of Iowa, marking his ninth victory against the Hawkeye.  

The Hodge Trophy is awarded to college wrestling’s most dominant student-athlete, taking into account criteria such as record, bonus point percentage, and sportsmanship. In addition to the Hodge Trophy Voting Committee, there is a Hodge Fan Vote, with the winner earning five additional first-place votes. Mesenbrink won that portion decisively, receiving over 20,000 votes, which is roughly 16,000 more than second-place Jax Forrest of Oklahoma State.

Mesenbrink is the sixth Nittany Lion to win the award, following Kerry McCoy, David Taylor, Zain Rutherford, Bo Nickal, and the most recent, Aaron Brooks in 2024.