Mitchell Mesenbrink Wins 2026 Hodge Trophy
Mar 8, 2026; University Park, PA, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions Mitchell Mesenbrink has his arm raised after defeating Iowa Hawkeyes Mikey Caliendo (not pictured) in the 165-pound championship final of the Big Ten Wrestling Championships at Bryce Jordan Center. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images The “Heisman Trophy” of college wrestling is back in Happy Valley was Penn State’s 165er Mitchell Mesenbrink was announced as the winner of the 2026 Hodge Trophy. Mitchell Mesenbrink wins the 2026 Dan Hodge Trophy Award pic.
twitter. com/lYrdlowBaI — FloWrestling (@FloWrestling) March 30, 2026 Mesenbrink just finished up a dominant junior season, going 27-0 on the year and winning his second individual NCAA title at 165 pounds. What’s crazy is he’ll be back for one final season next year, and he’ll have a chance to establish himself as one of the most decorated wrestlers in NCAA history.
His lone loss in his college career came during his freshman season when he lost the 165-pound final to David Carr of Iowa State 9-8, losing on riding time. This is the 8th time a Penn State wrestler has won the Hodge Trophy, with Kerry McCoy (1997), David Taylor (2012 and 2014), Zain Retherford (2017 and 2018), Bo Nickal (2019), and Aaron Brooks (2024) having previously won the award.