I, like every other rational person in the wrestling world, assume that Spencer Lee will win the Hodge Trophy in a runaway. Then I saw a pretty interesting discussion on it at themat.com. I think that many of the Lee doubters are probably guys who don't like IOWA (this is an open site for all college fans). But they make one valid argument. Spencer Lee ducked undefeated #2 Glory PRIN 2x this year, in the dual on 12/8, and at the Midlands on 12/29. The IOWA line on why he missed the dual was that Lee was going to pull a Snyder, wrestling mostly FS and a handful of duals as he prepared for the Olympic Team Trials. The problem w/ that argument is that the PRIN dual is the only dual he missed all year. He wrestled 3 duals leading up to PRIN and every one since. No, he wasn't pulling a Snyder. At Midlands, he beat up on the early round opponents before calling it a day when he was facing Glory. For the record, the US Open (the only FS he wrestled all season) was 2 weeks after the Princeton dual and one week before the Midlands. The Midlands duck is easier in my mind to rationalize. He wrestled a brutal lineup featuring 6 former NCAA champions at the Open. He was due a light schedule, or no schedule at all there. But 2 weeks to prepare for the US Open seems like enough time to squeeze in the PRIN dual. Maybe it's not enough time, but it does leave room for the argument.
Here's their stats going in to the voting:
Lee 18-0, 4 pins, 9 techs, 3 majors and 1 decision (89% bonus), Lee also had one forfeit when MN didn't wrestle him. And of course 2 ducks.
13-0 against NCAA qualifiers (5 technical falls, 4 falls, 3 major decisions, 1 decision.)
Moore 26-0, 3 pins, 6 techs, 10 majors and 4 decisions (74% bonus). And of course, no ducks.
16-0 record against NCAA qualifiers (7 major decisions, 6 decisions, 3 technical falls.)
Here's the Hodge criteria:
1. Record 2. Number of pins 3. Dominance 4. Past credentials 5. Quality of competition 6. Sportsmanship/citizenship 7. Heart
Moore wins on record & quality of competition.
Lee wins on pins, dominance & past credentials.
Tie on sportsmanship/citizenship & heart.
I still think Lee wins, but maybe Moore will get some votes. Previously, I thought it might be a runaway for Lee.
And for the sake of inclusion, Deakin and Steveson will probably be the other 2 finalists, but I don't see either of them garnering much support. And of course, there's Glory, #2 Adams WV 197 and a few other undefeated guys who could crack the finalist field instead of Deakin (unlikely) or Steveson (more likely).
Here's their stats going in to the voting:
Lee 18-0, 4 pins, 9 techs, 3 majors and 1 decision (89% bonus), Lee also had one forfeit when MN didn't wrestle him. And of course 2 ducks.
13-0 against NCAA qualifiers (5 technical falls, 4 falls, 3 major decisions, 1 decision.)
Moore 26-0, 3 pins, 6 techs, 10 majors and 4 decisions (74% bonus). And of course, no ducks.
16-0 record against NCAA qualifiers (7 major decisions, 6 decisions, 3 technical falls.)
Here's the Hodge criteria:
1. Record 2. Number of pins 3. Dominance 4. Past credentials 5. Quality of competition 6. Sportsmanship/citizenship 7. Heart
Moore wins on record & quality of competition.
Lee wins on pins, dominance & past credentials.
Tie on sportsmanship/citizenship & heart.
I still think Lee wins, but maybe Moore will get some votes. Previously, I thought it might be a runaway for Lee.
And for the sake of inclusion, Deakin and Steveson will probably be the other 2 finalists, but I don't see either of them garnering much support. And of course, there's Glory, #2 Adams WV 197 and a few other undefeated guys who could crack the finalist field instead of Deakin (unlikely) or Steveson (more likely).