Oklahoma State University’s star, Wyatt Hendrickson, is living his dream this year. Recently, he clinched the 285-pound NCAA title in the most dramatic fashion, where he defeated Minnesota’s Gable Steveson in the summit clash to win the title. Earlier, he also defeated Penn State’s defending national champion, Greg Kerkvliet, in the semifinals of the championships. With the 24-year-old winning the biggest title of his career, he added another feather to his cap, which left the fans excited.

Hendrickson was crowned the winner of the 2025 Dan Hodge Trophy, pipping some big names like Carter Starocci and Mitchell Mesenbrink. While Hendrickson won 30 of the 59 votes, Starocci received 26 votes, and Mesenbrink got just 3 votes. In the end, it was one of the most competitive Hodge votes in history as Hendrickson reigned triumphantly.

Celebrating his victory, the OSU star said, “There has been a lot of hard work that has been compiled over the last five years. 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.” As the news about Hendrickson’s upset victory spread like wildfire, fans took to social media to congratulate him.

Fans hail Wyatt Hendrickson as he receives yet another honor

Hendrickson added another feather to his cap after winning the NCAA title earlier this year. While there were more renowned names like Starocci in the running for the Dan Hodge Trophy, his surprising victory left many fans speechless. Amid this, the OSU’s fans got together and celebrated Hendrickson’s achievement. One of the fans on Twitter said, “Well deserved Wyatt! So Proud of You!” While the fan acknowledged his efforts during the NCAA Wrestling Championships, the fan also honored him with a heartening statement.

Further, another fan couldn’t believe that Hendrickson had triumphed over the likes of Starocci and Mesenbrink. As a result, the fan wrote, “I’m in shock! Let’s goooo!” Indeed, like many wrestling fans, the OSU fan soon came to terms with the reigning NCAA champion’s achievement. Meanwhile, Hendrickson wasn’t the first OSU star to win this prestigious award. The likes of Steve Mocco and Alex Dieringer have won the award previously while representing OSU. Thus, a fan stated, “Let’s go Cowboy! 3rd wrestler in Oklahoma State wrestling history to win the prestigious Dan Hodge Trophy (wrestling Heisman).” The fan was thrilled that Hendrickson kept the tradition alive by becoming another OSU star to lift the Dan Hodge Trophy.

On the contrary, there were also some fans who downplayed Hendrickson’s achievement. “See it’s not a career achievement award,” said one fan, who felt that Hendrickson had a long way to go in his career and shouldn’t consider this achievement as the ultimate one. Lastly, the battle was a competitive one between Hendrickson and Starocci, as it was a matter of a difference of just four votes in the end. A fan wrote, “It’s official, Wyatt Hendrickson edged out Carter Starocci for the Dan Hodge Trophy … the 2nd closest race ever per WIN Magazine, as revealed on Flo,” as he was overjoyed to see Hendrickson lift the prestigious trophy.

With Wyatt Hendrickson living his dream this year, he would look to aim for even bigger achievements as he sets his foot on the mat in the coming years. It’ll be interesting to see how his career pans out after excelling on the NCAA stage.