The Hodge Trophy is viewed as college wrestling’s equivalent of football’s Heisman Award. This year, something more than “winning” is part of the record.
The Hodge is named after Oklahoma’s three-time NCAA champion, Dan Hodge, and is awarded annually to the collegiate wrestler who dominates competition and exhibits sportsmanship. This past season, two wrestlers were mentioned as prospects for the award: Jesse Mendez (Ohio State) and Mitchell Mesenbrink (Penn State).
Unfortunately, Mendez lost in the finals in his quest to secure a third NCAA championship. Meanwhile, Mesenbrink dominated his opponent, and it seemed obvious who would win the 2026 Dodge Trophy. So, after Mesenbrink’s championship win last Saturday night, an ESPN interviewer asked Mesenbrink if he deserved to win the Hodge Trophy.
With a sweaty, bloody bandage wrapped around a large goose-egg over his left eye, and the interviewer’s left hand resting on his right shoulder, Mesenbrink answered: “I’m not going to speak to that.” He then went on to reference Saint Francis of Assisi and how, when we combine our physical, mental, and spiritual selves, we produce art. Mesenbrink, you see, views his wrestling as art. He went on to explain that for him, fulfillment did not come from wrestling or any other part of his life. “For me,” the young man said, “it comes from God.”
Of course, Mitchell Mesenbrink’s response can be interpreted in multiple ways, but for me, it’s not only refreshing but also encouraging. This 22-year-old college student showed knowledge, poise, and more as he elevated the answer, pointing out that neither the Dodge Trophy nor another national championship is the ultimate quest. They represent opportunities to achieve something far greater and more important.
In that brief response, the college student told us that there is something more powerful than us.
No listener of Mesenbrink’s words or fan of collegiate wrestling needs to be religious, philosophical, or whatever to appreciate the maturity of a 165-pound National Champion.
Mitchell Mesenbrink knows who he is, and freely expresses it publicly.
