Wrestling: Retherford wins his second consecutive Hodge Trophy

The resume to become the best Penn State wrestler of all time just got one more accolade stronger.

Often likened to the Heisman Trophy for college wrestling, the Hodge Trophy has been honoring the sport's best for more than 20 years – and now for the past two in a row Retherford has been the recipient.

“To win the award that symbolizes dominance in college wrestling two years in a row means a lot to me. It’s awesome,” Retherford said via press release. “Coming into college my first year, I really wasn’t that dominant. I would ride just to ride and would squeak out a few wins. Throughout wrestling at Penn State, I learned to look for more points and expand matches a little bit.”

A native of Benton, Pa., Retherford concluded his senior season with a third-straight national title at 149. His final victory – a 6-2 win over Lock Haven's Ronnie Perry – sets the Nittany Lions' all-time win streak at 94. That's just one of the many benchmarks posted by Retherford during his five-year career.

Another comes today, as no other wrestler to don a PSU singlet has ever won the Hodge Trophy in consecutive years. David Taylor is the school's only two-timer, winning in 2012 and in '14. Kerry McCoy (1997) is the only other Nittany Lion competitor to finish first in the Hodge voting.

Retherford is one of three wrestlers in Hodge Trophy history, dating back to 1995, who has won the honor in consecutive seasons. Ben Askren of Missouri (2006-07) was the most recent to do it, but Retherford also joins his head coach Cael Sanderson, who was the first wrestler to win multiple Hodge trophies. He's also the only three-timer. Sanderson won in 2000, '01 and '02 at Iowa State. He is the only collegiate wrestler to finish his eligibility undefeated, with a 159-0 record and four NCAA titles.

Retherford finishes his storied career with three national championships, joining Ed Ruth as the only three-timers Penn State history. After a 31-0 senior season, Retherford's career record now permanently stands at 126-3. His last loss came as a true freshman during the consolation rounds of the NCAA tournament. He'd go on to win 19 consecutive matches at nationals, a total that falls two shy of Ruth's 21 in all-time tournament wins.

With 35 out of 48 first-place votes, Retherford earns this year's award over teammate Bo Nickal (184), South Dakota's Seth Gross (133) and Arizona State's Zahid Valencia (174). Nickal finished second in the voting.

Criteria in order to determine the winner includes a variety of credentials, including: overall record, number of pins, dominance on the mat, past statistics/honors, quality of competition, sportsmanship/citizenship and heart. The first four criteria come primary, with a heavy emphasis on total number of falls.

The award has been said to have been created to elevate the importance and to motivate the sport's best to put his opponent to his back. As a senior, Retherford led all finalists with 17 falls, ending with 53 for his career. The latter total ties Josh Moore (2001-04) and Taylor (2011-14) for the most pins in a Nittany Lion career.

As the program's 10th four-time All-American, Retherford was honored after the national tournament as the NCAA Most Dominant Wrestler of the Year. It was his third season in a row winning that award.

Retherford's 126 career victories ranks him seventh all-time in PSU history. His final win percentage of 97.67 places him in third-place behind only Ruth (97.84) and Taylor (97.81).