NCAA Champ Suriano Named Finalist for Hodge Trophy
3/22/2022 1:20:00 PM | Wrestling
NEWTON, Iowa -- University of Michigan graduate student Nick Suriano, the 2022 NCAA champion at 125 pounds, has been named of eight finalists for the prestigious Hodge Trophy, the presenting organization WIN Magazine announced on Tuesday (March 22).
College wrestling's equivalent to football's Heisman Trophy, the Hodge Trophy is given annually to the most dominant wrestler in the country based on overall record, bonus-point percentage, quality of competition and sportsmanship. It is named after Oklahoma's legendary three-time NCAA champion Dan Hodge, who was never taken down in college and pinned 36 of 46 opponents over a three-year span.
Suriano posted a perfect 16-0 record en route to the 125-pound NCAA title and earned bonus points in 75 percent of his wins with three falls, two technical falls and seven major decisions. He posted three bonus wins en route to the Big Ten 125-pound title and went 5-0 at NCAAs with a 5-3 decision over Princeton's Patrick Glory in the championship bout. Suriano wrapped his collegiate career as a two-time NCAA champion -- he also won at 133 pounds while at Rutgers in 2019 -- and a three-time NCAA finalist and posted an 86-7 career record.
Other finalists include: Penn State's Roman Bravo-Young, Penn State's Nick Lee, Cornell's Yianni Diakomihalis, Northwestern's Ryan Deakin, Missouri's Keegan O'Toole, Penn State's Carter Starocci, and Minnesota's Gable Steveson.
Fan voting for the 2022 Hodge Trophy is now open. The fan vote accounts for five first-place ballots towards the winner's overall and ends at 5 p.m. on Friday, March 25. The Hodge Trophy Voting Committee, made up of past winners of the award, media, a retired college coach from each region and a representative of each national wrestling organization, casts the remainder of the official votes.
WIN Magazine's website includes additional information on the Hodge and information on past winners. To vote for the 2022 Hodge: win-magazine.com/hodge-vote.
