NEWTON, Iowa (AP) - Penn State’s Zain Retherford has been honored with the 2017 Dan Hodge Trophy, given to the nation’s top wrestler.
He won his second straight NCAA title at 149 pounds this month. Retherford has won 63 straight matches and is 95-3 for his career.
He received 33 of 45 first-place votes from a panel that includes past winners, retired coaches and national wrestling media members. Retherford was second in the Hodge voting a year ago.
Missouri’s J’Den Cox, a 2016 Olympic bronze medalist, was second with five first-place votes.
Ohio State’s Kyle Snyder, a two-time NCAA champion and an Olympic and world gold medalist, received four votes. He missed much of the college season while wrestling for the U.S. in international competition.
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