STANFORD, Calif. – Redshirt freshman Shane Griffith has been named one of eight finalists for the WIN Magazine/Culture House Dan Hodge Trophy, presented annually to the nation's top collegiate wrestler.
Griffith is just the second finalist in school history, joining Matt Gentry (2004). The Westwood, New Jersey, native was 28-0 in his rookie campaign – the best start to a career in program history.
The Pac-12 champion at 165 pounds, Griffith's 28-match winning streak is the second-longest in school history. He led the team in wins and falls (9) this season. Eighteen of his 28 wins were by bonus points and he had six wins over ranked opponents. In addition to his conference title, Griffith won the Battle at The Citadel, the Roadrunner Open and the Southern Scuffle.
Joining Griffith as finalists are Noah Adams (West Virginia), Ryan Deakin (Northwestern), Patrick Glory (Princeton), Spencer Lee (Iowa), Kollin Moore (Ohio State), Gable Steveson (Minnesota) and Charles Tucker (Cornell). All the finalists were undefeated going into the NCAA Tournament, while Griffith is the only freshman among the group.
Official ballots for the Hodge Trophy Voting Committee made up of past all past Hodge winners, a retired college coach from each region, and national media members will begin on Monday, March 23.
In addition, the official Fan Vote for the 2020 Hodge will also begin at 10 a.m. PT on March 23 on www.WIN-magazine.com. The Fan Vote winner will receive an additional two first-place votes.
The award is named after the great Dan Hodge, who was a three-time NCAA champ (1955-57) at the University of Oklahoma. Hodge was 46-0 with 36 pins and never allowed a takedown in his college career.
Primary criteria for the award are a wrestler's record, number of pins, dominance and quality of competition. Past credentials, sportsmanship/citizenship and heart are used as secondary criteria in years where two finalists stats are nearly equal.
The 2020 Hodge winner will be announced at 10 a.m. PT on Monday, March 30.
