Wyatt Hendrickson won his NCAA title in down-to-the-wire fashion. 

He won the Hodge Trophy in the same manner. 

The Oklahoma State heavyweight won college wrestling’s most prestigious individual award Monday in the second-closest race in Hodge history. Hendrickson captured 30 first-place votes to finish ahead of Penn State five-time NCAA champ Carter Starocci, who received 26 first-place votes. 

Hendrickson surged into Hodge contention with his remarkable run through a loaded heavyweight bracket in Philadelphia, where he downed returning NCAA champion Greg Kerkvliet in the semifinals and rallied with a takedown in the final minute to knock off two-time Hodge winner and Olympic champion Gable Steveson in the finals. 

Hendrickson is the third Cowboy to win the award, joining Steve Mocco (2005) and Alex Dieringer (2016). 

Hendrickson received five first-place votes for winning the fan balloting. 

From W.I.N. Magazine: 

NEWTON, Iowa – When Wyatt Hendrickson emerged from the Wells Fargo Center tunnel and into the spotlight, the American flag draped around his shoulders, he knew the 285-pound NCAA title would soon belong to him.

In fact, the Oklahoma State fifth-year senior, who spent his previous four seasons at the Air Force Academy, knew it well before that historic Saturday night in Philadelphia.

It did not matter who he would have to go through to stand atop the podium. A two-time national champ, two-time previous Dan Hodge Trophy recipient and Olympic gold medalist stood between him and the realization of a lifelong dream, as did the reigning 285-pound NCAA champion. Having been tech falled by both foes in previous collegiate seasons, it still did not matter.

From the moment he committed to rookie head coach David Taylor’s Cowboys, the persistent incoming text messages from his new coach became his mantra. “Wyatt Hendrickson 2025 national champion.”

He read it, comprehended it, believed in it, and willed it into existence.

Hendrickson’s high-crotch takedown, executed with 23 seconds to go in the final on Minnesota’s Gable Steveson for a 5-4 lead and the eventual win, will go down as arguably the most dramatic points in NCAA collegiate wrestling history. On the year, he finished 27-0 with 13 pins, eight tech falls and a bonus-point percentage of 81.5. He took out Penn State’s defending national champion, Greg Kerkvliet, 8-2, in the NCAA semis and the legendary Steveson for the title.

And now, the Kansas native Hendrickson and his season will even further be etched in college wrestling’s history books, as he has been named the recipient of the 2025 WIN Magazine/Culture House Dan Hodge Trophy presented by ASICS Wrestling.

Hendrickson will be presented the Hodge Trophy at the Oklahoma State University wrestling banquet. Like in past seasons, Hendrickson will then publicly be presented the Hodge at a football game this fall. For more information on the Dan Hodge Trophy, visit www.WIN-magazine.com.

The 145th national champion for Oklahoma State and third wrestler to win the Hodge, Hendrickson narrowly won one of the most competitive Hodge votes in history, as the Cowboy acquired 30 out of 59 first-place votes, with Penn State’s Carter Starocci (184) earning 26 and fellow Nittany Lion Mitchell Mesenbrink (165) acquiring three. The Hodge Trophy Voting Committee is comprised of a retired college coach from each region of the country, a representative from each of the national wrestling organizations, select national media members and past Hodge winners.

The heavyweight champion also won the official Hodge Fan Vote, receiving 16,001 votes out of the total 32,961 verified fan votes that were cast online March 25-28. Starocci finished second in the fan vote with 13,108, while Mesenbrink finished third with 3,852.

“There has been a lot of hard work that has been compiled over the last five years,” Hendrickson said. “A lot of people have poured a lot of effort into me. Domination is something I’ve embraced as a wrestler, and that is what this award is all about. It is an absolute blessing.”

“I’m just so proud of Wyatt for everything he’s accomplished this season,” Oklahoma State head coach David Taylor stated. “This is all a testament to his work ethic and the belief he had in himself. His development throughout the year was really special to watch.”

Founded in 1995 by Mike Chapman, the creator of WIN Magazine, and sponsored by ASICS, the Dan Hodge Trophy is awarded to the most dominant wrestler each year by WIN and Chapman’s company Culture House. The late Dan Hodge was an undefeated three-time NCAA champion at 177 pounds for the University of Oklahoma, and the only wrestler to ever appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated (April 1, 1957).

“Of all the 60-plus NCAA tournaments I have been privileged to be around for (including 47 in person), Wyatt’s performance is one of the most dramatic I have ever witnessed,” Chapman said. “It was spellbinding to watch the match unfold in front of a huge crowd which included the president of the United States. It took an incredible effort to defeat an Olympic champion (and two-time Dan Hodge Trophy winner). This tournament will be talked about for decades and be remembered as one of the most meaningful in the sport’s illustrious history, largely due to Wyatt Hendrickson!”

Before detailing how much his experience at Oklahoma State impacted him, Hendrickson backtracked and gave kudos to some of his earlier coaches in the sport for laying the foundation of who he ultimately became on and off the mat.

“The most dominant way you can beat somebody is by pinning them,” Hendrickson stated. “Matt Treaster was my first coach at age five in Newton, Kan., and he taught me the cross-face series.

“I was always a pinner. I always tried to pin everybody and carried that with me. I realized in college that the best way to mentally compete with a guy is by being relentless. They will want to quit and find a way out. Somebody who refuses to give up is hard to beat.”

“I have to give Air Force a lot of credit here, too,” Hendrickson continued. “They built the foundation and helped me out every step of the way.”

Taylor, now officially the second recipient of the Dan Hodge Trophy (a two-timer, claiming the honor in 2012 and 2014) to successfully coach a student-athlete to also receive the award, added, “This season was a great first step in building to where we want to be, and Wyatt played a big role in making that happen. He is an incredible representative of our program, and I’m excited to see the things he continues to do moving forward.”