Gross, Retherford, Valencia, Nickal are Dan Hodge Trophy finalists, as fan vote begins
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by Mike Finn, WIN Magazine
Fan voting for the 2018 WIN Magazine/Culture House Dan Hodge Trophy has begun. The Hodge Trophy is the top award in college wrestling and has been presented annually since 1994 to the nation’s most dominant collegiate wrestler.
The award is named after Dan Hodge, the former three-time (1955-57) NCAA champion from the University of Oklahoma, who did not allow a takedown in his career and pinned 36 of 46 victims.
Criteria for the award include:
A wrestler’s record;
Number of pins;
Dominance on the mat;
Quality of competition;
Past credentials;
Sportsmanship/citizenship; and
Heart
The first four criteria are the primary criteria. Number of pins is an extremely important criteria. Part of the reason the award was created was to elevate the importance of the pin, and to motivate top collegians to go for the fall. The Hodge Trophy is a single-season award. However, if you have two candidates who are virtually equal, consideration can be given to past credentials, which is criteria No. 5. The last two criteria should be used to help guide voters to select a winner who also is a good representative of the sport.
Click Here to Vote for Dan Hodge Trophy
The winner will be announced on Tuesday, March 27th. 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 deadline for your vote is this Friday, March 23, at 5:00 pm CST.
The 2018 Finalists
The following is a statistical breakdown, in alphabetical order, of the four finalists.
Seth Gross
133 pounds, So. Dakota State, Junior, Apple Valley, Minn.
Record: 29-1*
Pins: 12
TF: 7
MD: 5
Bonus Point %: 80%
Career Record: 84-17
* — loss occurred at 141 to Wyoming’s No. 1-ranked Bryce Meredith
Bo Nickal
184 pounds, Penn State, Junior, Allen, Texas
Record: 31-0
Pins: 16
TF: 1
MD: 6
Bonus Point %: 74.2%
Career Record: 90-3
Zain Retherford
149 pounds, Penn State, Senior, Benton, Pa.
Record: 31-0
Pins: 17
TF: 5
MD: 4
Bonus Point %: 83.9%
Career Record: 126-3
Zahid Valencia
174, Arizona State, Sophomore, Bellflower, Calif.
Record: 32-0
Pins: 9
TF: 7
MD: 9
Bonus Point %: 78.1%
Career Record: 70-1
Click Here to Vote for Dan Hodge Trophy
The award is named after Dan Hodge, the former three-time (1955-57) NCAA champion from the University of Oklahoma, who did not allow a takedown in his career and pinned 36 of 46 victims.
Criteria for the award include:
A wrestler’s record;
Number of pins;
Dominance on the mat;
Quality of competition;
Past credentials;
Sportsmanship/citizenship; and
Heart
The first four criteria are the primary criteria. Number of pins is an extremely important criteria. Part of the reason the award was created was to elevate the importance of the pin, and to motivate top collegians to go for the fall. The Hodge Trophy is a single-season award. However, if you have two candidates who are virtually equal, consideration can be given to past credentials, which is criteria No. 5. The last two criteria should be used to help guide voters to select a winner who also is a good representative of the sport.
Click Here to Vote for Dan Hodge Trophy
The winner will be announced on Tuesday, March 27th. 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 deadline for your vote is this Friday, March 23, at 5:00 pm CST.
The 2018 Finalists
The following is a statistical breakdown, in alphabetical order, of the four finalists.
Seth Gross
133 pounds, So. Dakota State, Junior, Apple Valley, Minn.
Record: 29-1*
Pins: 12
TF: 7
MD: 5
Bonus Point %: 80%
Career Record: 84-17
* — loss occurred at 141 to Wyoming’s No. 1-ranked Bryce Meredith
Bo Nickal
184 pounds, Penn State, Junior, Allen, Texas
Record: 31-0
Pins: 16
TF: 1
MD: 6
Bonus Point %: 74.2%
Career Record: 90-3
Zain Retherford
149 pounds, Penn State, Senior, Benton, Pa.
Record: 31-0
Pins: 17
TF: 5
MD: 4
Bonus Point %: 83.9%
Career Record: 126-3
Zahid Valencia
174, Arizona State, Sophomore, Bellflower, Calif.
Record: 32-0
Pins: 9
TF: 7
MD: 9
Bonus Point %: 78.1%
Career Record: 70-1
Click Here to Vote for Dan Hodge Trophy
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