2021 Dan Hodge Trophy Rankings Update: Gable Or Spencer?
2021 Dan Hodge Trophy Rankings Update: Gable Or Spencer?
Spencer Lee and Gable Steveson are in a tight race for the most prestigious award in college wrestling. So, who's in the lead?
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Conference weekend shook things up a bit and made one thing even more clear than it already was - it's a two-pony race for the Hodge Trophy Award this year - Spencer Lee and Gable Steveson.
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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.
Record
Number of pins
Dominance
Past credentials
Quality of competition
Sportsmanship/citizenship
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.
| Rank | Name | School | Weight | Year | Record | Previous | Number Of Pins | Bonus Rate | Dominance Score |
| 1 | Spencer Lee | Iowa | 125 | SR | 7-0 | 1 | 5 | 100% | 5.71 |
| 2 | Gable Steveson | Minnesota | 285 | JR | 11-0 | 2 | 3 | 100% | 5.09 |
| 3 | Daton Fix | Oklahoma State | 133 | SO | 9-0 | 3 | 4 | 89% | 4.8 |
| 4 | Jaydin Eierman | Iowa | 141 | SR | 8-0 | 5 | 4 | 62% | 4.53 |
| 5 | David Carr | Iowa State | 157 | SO | 15-0 | 6 | 4 | 73% | 4.66 |
| 6 | Keegan O'Toole | Missouri | 165 | FR | 13-0 | 8 | 5 | 76% | 4.84 |
| 7 | Sammy Sasso | Ohio State | 149 | SO | 12-0 | 9 | 3 | 41% | 4 |
| 8 | Hayden Hidlay | NC State | 157 | SR | 9-0 | 10 | 2 | 77% | 4.55 |
| 9 | Austin O'Connor | North Carolina | 149 | JR | 8-0 | 11 | 2 | 62% | 4.12 |
| 10 | Michael Kemerer | Iowa | 174 | SR | 7-0 | 12 | 2 | 57% | 4.14 |
Why Spencer Is #1
Spencer Lee remains in the top spot over Gable Steveson because quality of competition is the #5 criteria. Gable clearly leads in that criteria, but Spencer leads in criteria #2, #3, and #4. They are both tied in criteria #1 #6 and #7. Now, Gable's superior quality of competition might just be enough to put him above Spencer if he continues his dominance and Spencer doesn't tech or pin his way through the NCAA tournament. For now, however, Spencer remains #1. Inferior opponents or not, teching/pinning your way through a season is unprecedented.
Honorable Mention
The following guys are just barely on the outside looking in of the top ten at this point.
Drew Hildebrandt (Central Michigan)
Anthony Valencia (Arizona State)
Zach Hartman (Bucknell)
Jaret Lane (Lehigh)
Lou Deprez (Binghamton)