Oklahoma State University Athletics
Perry and Dieringer Up For Hodge Trophy
March 26, 2014 | Cowboy Wrestling
March 26, 2014
STILLWATER, Okla. – Oklahoma State wrestlers Chris Perry and Alex Dieringer are among five finalists for the 2014 WIN Magazine/C.H. Dan Hodge Trophy, presented by ASICS.
The Hodge Trophy, named after the former three-time NCAA champion (1955-57) from the University of Oklahoma, is the highest non-academic award a collegiate wrestler can receive. It has been presented every year to the nation's best wrestler since 1995. The winner of the award is selected based on his record, number of pins, dominance, quality of competition, past credentials, sportsmanship and heart.
This year, wrestling fans can once again give their input by voting for their favorite wrestler at www.win-magazine.com. Fan votes are due by Friday, March 28, at 5 p.m. CST. Only one vote per person.
The fan vote will account for two of the 45 votes. The remainder of the votes will come from national wrestling media, retired college coaches from different regions of the country, representatives of national wrestling organizations and all previous Hodge winners.
Dieringer, from Port Washington, Wisc., earned his second All-American honor and first national title at 157 pounds with a 13-4 major decision over Minnesota's Dylan Ness in Oklahoma City. The Cowboy sophomore finished 37-1 on the season, which included 12 pins, five technical falls and two major decisions. Dieringer's only loss was at the hands of the 2013 NCAA champion and Iowa's Derek St. John, 2-1, on Jan. 10 in Iowa City. Dieringer has strung together a 72-4 career record at OSU.
Perry capped off his career at OSU with his second-straight NCAA individual title, defeating Oklahoma's Andrew Howe, 4-0, in the 174-pound finals. Perry, who produced a third-place finish in 2012 before defeating Penn State's Matt Brown in the 2013 national championship, finished the season with a 35-1 record. His bonus-point victories included seven pins, four technical falls and six major decisions. Perry's only loss this season was against Howe, 4-2, on Dec. 1 in Norman, Okla., which he avenged in the Big 12 finals and the 2014 NCAA Championship finals. Perry's career record at OSU was 125-11.
The other finalists joining the two Cowboys are Logan Stieber (141) of Ohio State and David Taylor (165) and Ed Ruth (184) of Penn State.
