© Eric Hartline/Imagn
Penn State star Carter Starocci became the first and presumably only five-time NCAA Wrestling champion last month when he went up a weight to defeat reigning champion Parker Keckeisen. Despite the feat, Starocci somehow missed out on the Hodge Trophy, the college wrestling equivalent of the Heisman, finishing second to Oklahoma State’s Wyatt Hendrickson due to a controversial fan vote.
Hendrickson, who had a remarkable season in his own right, going undefeated and capping it with a collosal upset over Tokyo Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson, earned 30 out of 59 first-place votes, Starocci earning 26 and fellow Nittany Lion Mitchell Mesenbrink garnering three.
But that’s where things get interesting. The Hodge Trophy is voted on by media members as well as all former Hodge winners. They voted, narrowly, to give Starocci the trophy by a 26-25 margin. However, WIN Magazine, which presents the award, also includes a fan voting portion.
Hendrickson received 16,001 votes out of the total 32,961, while Starocci finished second in the fan vote with 13,108. That meant that Hendrickson received five additional votes, which amounted to 8.5 percent of the total votes.
College wrestling fans were highly torn over the result and even Dallas Cowboys superstar and Penn State alum Micah Parsons weighed in.
Can’t lie man congrats but I’m call bullshi# snubbing a undefeated 5 time national champion is so absurd! Do better ncaa wrestling! https://t.co/9L6zUFXJpx
— Micah Parsons (@MicahhParsons11) March 31, 2025
Bo Nickal Joins Parade Of Fans Criticizing Hodge Trophy Voting After Starocci Snub
UFC star Bo Nickal, who is also a Penn State graduate and won the award in 2019, felt that the voters misunderstood the assignment.
“The Hodge Trophy should go to the BEST wrestler in the NCAA,” he tweeted. “I think Wyatt is an amazing, amazing wrestler and had an incredible moment that we will never forget. That being said Carter is the best wrestler in the NCAA. I don’t think the award has been given to the best wrestler of the year consistently and that’s all I really want. Whoever is the best should get it no matter what team or criteria.”
Notably, the Hodge Trophy changed its voting criteria in recent years. Prior to 2022, the award included “past credentials” as a criterion. That went away following a controversial 2021 process that saw the award split between Steveson and Iowa’s Spencer Lee.
Should it have remained, Starocci would have almost certainly had a leg on Hendrickson. As it is, Hendrickson won in the second-closest voting of all-time. But the results led many to question the legitimacy of the award moving forward.