Penn State’s Aaron Brooks wins Hodge Award as nation's top wrestler

Penn State senior Aaron Brooks, a five-time All-American and a four-time NCAA champion, received the top honor in collegiate wrestling Monday.

He was named the 2024 Hodge Trophy winner as the nation’s best collegiate wrestler. This is an annual award given to the top wrestler in the country.

The award was established in 1995 and is equal to the Heisman Trophy given annually to the top college football player.

Brooks was 22-0 this season with six pins, 11 technical falls and three major decisions while competing at 197 pounds.

He and teammate Carter Starocci became four-time NCAA champions March 23.

“Winning the Hodge Trophy is a blessing,” Brooks said in a news release. “It is like the Heisman Trophy in football, so to know the hard work and dedication I’ve put in is being rewarded with such a historic award is really cool.”

Brooks compiled an 89-3 career record and becomes the fifth Penn State wrestler to win the award, joining Kerry McCoy (1997), David Taylor (2012, 2014), Zain Retherford (2017, 2018) and Bo Nickal (2019).

Brooks will receive the award at the Penn State wrestling banquet Saturday.

“I am really happy for Aaron,” Penn State coach Cael Sanderson said. “He worked hard, kept improving in all of his positions and had a dominating season.”

Brooks earned 48 of 59 first-place votes from the Hodge Trophy voting committee, composed of a retired college coach from each region of the country, a representative from each of the national wrestling organizations, national media members and past Hodge winners.

Northern Iowa’s Parker Keckeisen received eight first-place votes, Starocci received two and Penn State heavyweight Greg Kerkvliet received one.

The award was founded in 1995 by Mike Chapman, the creator of WIN Magazine, and sponsored by ASICS.

The late Dan Hodge was a three-time NCAA champion at 177 pounds at Oklahoma. He was the only wrestler to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated (April 1, 1957).

“Aaron Brooks stands tall in the long list of Dan Hodge Trophy winners, not only for his performance on the mat this year (and all four years, for that matter) but for the way he has represented his school and his sport,” Chapman said. “Penn State has set the standard for team excellence over the past dozen years and also for individual excellence. It’s a pleasure to welcome Aaron to the roll call of Dan Hodge recipients.”

Franklin Regional grad Spencer Lee was a two-time Hodge winner at Iowa (2020 and 2021).

“I never heard Aaron talk about winning the Hodge, but one of his many strengths is his faith and knowing he is going to go out and give a tremendous effort and everything else will work itself out,” said Sanderson, a three-time Hodge winner.

Brooks added: “When you put expectations on yourself, that creates pressure. If it comes, it comes. I don’t put it on my mind like that. My faith is what took me to this level.”