Gable Steveson's dominant senior season was recognized again Monday when the Gophers heavyweight was named a repeat winner of the Dan Hodge Trophy, given to the top college wrestler in the country.
Gophers star Gable Steveson becomes two-time Hodge Trophy winner
Steveson on Monday became the sixth multiple-time winner of college wrestling's most prestigious award.
March 29, 2022 at 11:31AM
Steveson, who was named co-winner of the Hodge Trophy last year with Iowa's Spencer Lee, completed his third consecutive undefeated season by winning his second consecutive NCAA championship on March 19 in Detroit. The former Apple Valley High School standout finished 18-0 this season with 15 bonus-point wins.
He finished his career with 52 consecutive victories and posted an 85-2 record with three Big Ten championships and an NCAA third-place finish as a freshman. His chance at a national title as a sophomore disappeared when the NCAA canceled the tournament because of COVID-19.
Steveson, who won an Olympic freestyle gold medal in dramatic fashion over Georgia's Geno Petriashvili last summer in Tokyo, is the sixth wrestler to win the Hodge Trophy multiple times. He joins Lee, Iowa State's Cael Sanderson, Missouri's Ben Askren and Penn State's David Taylor and Zain Retherford. He also is the only heavyweight to win the award multiple times.
Primary criteria for the award are a wrestler's record, number of pins, dominance and quality of competition. Steveson received 49 of 59 first-place votes, with three-time NCAA champion Yianni Diakomihalis of Cornell finishing second and Penn State's Nick Lee third.
Minnesota, ranked first in the nation, dealt with injury and absence against No. 3 Michigan State.
