UNI wrestling: Keckeisen named finalist for Hodge Trophy

NEWTON, Iowa --- UNI redshirt junior Parker Keckeisen has been named one of five finalists for the 2024 WIN Magazine/Culture House Dan Hodge Trophy, presented by ASICS as announced on Tuesday morning.

The wrestling equivalent of college football's Heisman Trophy, the award is given to the nation's top collegiate wrestler as voted on by members of the national wrestling media, a retired college coach from each region, a representative of each national wrestling organization and a fan vote.

Keckeisen, who won the NCAA Division I 184-pound national title this past weekend in Kansas City, joins four other Penn State athletes and national champions as finalists this year:

Levi Haines (157 pounds | Penn State)
Carter Starocci (174 pounds | Penn State)
Parker Keckeisen (184 pounds | UNI)
Aaron Brooks (197 pounds | Penn State)
Greg Kerkvliet (HWT | Penn State)

Criteria for the award include overall record against Division I opponents, dominance and bonus-point percentage, quality of competition and sportsmanship. Keckeisen is UNI's first Hodge Trophy finalist since the award's inception in 1995.

Fans can cast their vote for the Hodge Trophy online until 5 p.m. CT on Friday, March 29. Click HERE to vote. The winner will be announced on Monday, April 1.

Keckeisen compiled a perfect 31-0 record (28-0 against Division I opponents) to become UNI's first undefeated Division I national champion since 1963 with his fourth All-American selection. A four-time medalist at the NCAA Championships, he is also Northern Iowa's only four-time Big 12 Conference champion (2021-24), extending the program's dominance over the 184-pound weight class as the conference tournament with its seventh consecutive Big 12 title.

Keckeisen recorded bonus-point victories in all but three of his matches this season, including 14 major decisions, 12 technical falls and two pins. With a bonus-point percentage of 90.3%, he finished the season with 14 straight bonus-point wins, including bonus-point wins throughout the entirety of both the Big 12 and NCAA Championships.

The award is named after the late Dan Hodge, a three-time NCAA champion who wrestled at Oklahoma from 1955-57. Hodge went 46-0 over his three-year career, pinning 36 of 46 opponents and was never taken down in college. He is still the only wrestler ever to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated.

PREVIOUS HODGE TROPHY WINNERS

1995 - T.J. Jaworsky (North Carolina | 134 pounds)
1996 - Les Gutches (Oregon State | 177 pounds)
1997 - Kerry McCoy (Penn State | HWT)
1998 - Mark Ironside (Iowa | 134 pounds)
1999 - Stephen McNeal (Cal State Bakersfield | HWT)
2000 - Cael Sanderson (Iowa State | 184 pounds)
2001 - Nick Ackerman (Simpson | 174 pounds) & Cael Sanderson (Iowa State | 197 pounds)
2002 - Cael Sanderson (Iowa State | 197 pounds)
2003 - Eric Larkin (Arizona State | 149 pounds)
2004 - Emmett Wilson (Montana State-Northern | 197 pounds)
2005 - Steve Mocco (Oklahoma State | HWT)
2006 - Ben Askren (Missouri | 174 pounds)
2007 - Ben Askren (Missouri | 174 pounds)
2008 - Brent Metcalf (Iowa | 149 pounds)
2009 - Jake Herbert (Northwestern | 184 pounds)
2010 - Jayson Ness (Minnesota | 133 pounds)
2011 - Jordan Burroughs (Nebraska | 165 pounds)
2012 - David Taylor (Penn State | 165 pounds)
2013 - Kyle Dake (Cornell | 165 pounds)
2014 - David Taylor (Penn State | 165 pounds)
2015 - Logan Stieber (Ohio State | 141 pounds)
2016 - Alex Dieringer (Oklahoma State | 165 pounds)
2017 - Zain Retherford (Penn State | 149 pounds)
2018 - Zain Retherford (Penn State | 149 pounds)
2019 - Bo Nickal (Penn State | 197 pounds)
2020 - Spencer Lee (Iowa | 125 pounds)
2021 - Spencer Lee (Iowa | 125 pounds) & Gable Steveson (Minnesota | HWT)
2022 - Gable Steveson (Minnesota | HWT)
2023 - Mason Parris (Michigan | HWT)

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