We're about at the halfway point through the Division I wrestling season. It is both crazy and unfortunate seeing as how almost all wrestlers have single-digit matches with most less than five. However, the season is still prevailing and so will the Dan Hodge Trophy Award presented to the best wrestler at the end of the season. 

A reminder - the Dan Hodge Trophy uses seven criteria when determining the season's best wrestler. They are presented below in the order of importance. 

1. Record

2. Number of pins

3. Dominance

4. Past credentials

5. Quality of competition

6. Sportsmanship/citizenship

7. Heart

Below you will find the rankings along with an explanation and some numbers. The dominance score is an average of how many team points a wrestler accrues every time they step on the mat. 

This is not a prediction or a ranking of wrestlers in pound-for-pound order as that can be found HERE. This is a ranking of who is having the best season so far following the above criteria. 

1) Spencer Lee (Iowa), 125

Spencer learned how to pin, uh-oh. The Hawkeye has been putting up ridiculous bonus rates for three season, but this season he's putting an emphasis on pinning. He's 3-0 with three pins, and all in the first period. Spencer has spent less than six total minutes on the mat and has an average mat time of just 1:55. He's done it all against ranked opponents as well with two of them being in the top-10.

2) Gable Steveson (Minnesota), 285

You could possibly make the argument that Gable Steveson is a better pound-for-pound wrestler (watch the FRL crew debate above), but he's clearly a step below Spencer in the Hodge race right now. That's not to diminish what he is doing. He is putting up absurd numbers for a heavyweight. Six matches with four tech falls, and one pin. The one match Gable didn't end early was a dominant 14-6 major decision over #3 Anthony Cassioppi. Bonus points because his pin came in just 13 seconds.

3) Mason Parris (Michigan), 285

If there's one man who can keep up with Spencer and Gable this season, it appears to be Mason Parris. He's only wrestled two matches this season, but two of them have ended in falls. He missed a big opportunity when Michigan didn't wrestle Iowa this weekend. A bonus-point victory of Cassioppi would have been huge for Parris.

4) Hayden Hidlay (NC State), 157

Hayden Hidlay probably wasn't a guy many people would have picked as a Hodge finalist at the beginning of the season, but here we are halfway through and Hayden has looked as good as ever. He's 6-0 with two pins, two techs, a major, and just one regular decision. Unfortunately for fans, we won't get to see a Hidlay - Deakin rematch until NCAAs, but keeping up this dominance rate a win over an opponent like Deakin, who will most likely end high in the Hodge rankings once he takes the mat, would boast quite well for Hidlay.

5) Logan Massa (Michigan), 174

Similar to teammate Mason Parris, Logan Massa's has only wrestled three matches and missed a big opportunity against Iowa when Michigan was unable to compete. However, his pin over Indiana's DJ Washington is looking pretty nice after Washington's 10-9 win over Carter Starocci.

Tanner Sloan at #8 might be the biggest surprise on here. He has the most wins, tied for the most pins, and has an above-average bonus rate of 90%. Where the SDSU sophomore is lacking is past credentials and quality of competition. His one nonbonus point victory came against the only ranked opponent he's wrestled this season - Jake Woodley. Unfortunately for Sloan his won't get a shot at a top-tier opponent until the Big 12s when Noah Adams and AJ Ferrari will be in his bracket.

Keegan O'Toole is similar to Sloan. A high amount of wins (for 2021 standards), with the most amount of pins, but is being held back by past credentials and quality of competition. Missouri is scheduled to wrestle at Oklahoma State's Cowboy Challenge tournament on February 14th. A big bonus point victory over #5 Travis Wittlake would be a big feather on O'Toole's cap.