NEWTON, Iowa — Long before Mitchell Mesenbrink ever stepped foot in the Penn State wrestling room, he recalls walking past one of longtime club coach and mentor Ben Askren’s Dan Hodge Trophies inside the Askren Wrestling Academy in his home state of Wisconsin each time he attended a workout.

The two-time Hodge winner Askren (2006, 2007) left one of his Hodges out in the open and accessible to the kids. Over the years, Mesenbrink said, it showed natural signs of wear and tear.

He found himself caught between two voices he respected. His father, John — who coached him and Askren in high school at Arrowhead High in Hartland, Wis. — viewed each Dan Hodge Trophy as something to be protected, handled with care, and as a symbol of the sport’s highest honor. Conversely, Askren, who had earned them, left the trophy at his club within reach of his wrestlers — letting kids hold it, feel its weight and believe in it.

Somewhere in between, the younger Mesenbrink was left to make sense of both.

And now, the two-time NCAA champion will have decide how he wants to handle his own, as Mitchell Mesenbrink has been named the winner of the 2026 WIN Magazine/Culture House Dan Hodge Trophy, presented by ASICS.

The 165-pound standout will be presented the prestigious award at the Penn State wrestling banquet on Sunday, April 12 in State College. Like in past seasons, Mesenbrink will then publicly be presented the award at a Nittany Lion football game this fall.

“This is a very surreal come-to-fruition moment,” Mesenbrink said. “I’ve always had bonus (points), even throughout high school, but maybe I got overlooked because I never got OW awards. I went all throughout high school without getting one. I would rather have a Dan Hodge Trophy than the ‘Arrowhead Wrestling Invite OW,’ though, so at the end of the day, it was a good trade.

He added, “With judgment awards, it is decided by someone else. I wrestle the way I do so I can take the interpretation out of the ref’s hands. I want to leave no doubt.”

Mesenbrink is one of 41 individual national champions who have won a total of 65 NCAA titles for Penn State. He becomes the sixth different Nittany Lion to win the Hodge, bringing the program’s total to eight in its history. The junior won by a substantial margin, as he got 61 out of 65 first-place votes, with Oklahoma State’s freshman Jax Forrest (133) earning four and fellow Nittany Lion Josh Barr (197) acquiring one. The Hodge Trophy Voting Committee is comprised of a retired college coach from each region of the country, the heads of each of national wrestling organization, select national media members and past Hodge winners.