Oklahoma State's Alex Dieringer named 2016 Dan Hodge Trophy finalist

Oklahoma State's Alex Dieringer is one of four finalists for the 2016 Dan Hodge Trophy, given annually to the nation's most dominant collegiate wrestler.

Cornell senior Nahshon Garrett (37-0) , Penn State sophomore Zain Retherford (34-0) and Ohio State sophomore Kyle Snyder (11-0) are the other finalists.

The award is named after Dan Hodge the former three-time (1955-57) NCAA champion from the University of Oklahoma, who did not allow a takedown in his career and pinned 36 of his 46 opponents.

For the fourth consecutive year, fans will vote on four finalists. The winner of the fan vote will earn two first-place votes among the total ballots from a group of formal voters which includes all former Hodge Trophy winners, national media, representatives of national wrestling organizations and retired former college coaches from various regions.

There are seven forms of criteria for the award: Record, number of falls, dominance on the mat, quality of competition, past credentials, sportsmanship/citizenship and heart. The first four serve as the primary criteria.

The deadline for fan voting is noon (CT) Friday. The overall winner will be announced at noon (CT) March 28.

Dieringer is a three-time finalist, placing fifth in 2014 to Penn State's David Taylor and second last season to Ohio State's Logan Stieber. Steve Mocco is the only Cowboy to win the award in 2005 at heavyweight.

Dieringer became OSU''s 16th three-time national champion and first since Jake Rosholt won three from 2003-06 with a 6-2 victory over Wisconsin's Isaac Jordan last Saturday. He's the first Cowboy to win three straight titles since now-assistant coach Eric Guerrero won from 1997-99.

The Port Washington, Wisc. native posted a 133-4 overall record with a 19-1 record at the NCAA Tournament. His lone loss at the tournament was in overtime to eventual champion Derek St. John of Iowa in Dieringer's freshman season. Dieringer took went on to place third. The Cowboy registered his second-consecutive undefeated season and a 82-straight wins, the third-longest streak in program history.

Dieringer won 27 of his 33 matches by bonus points during his senior season. He recorded three bonus point wins during the NCAA Tournament with two falls and a major decision. In all, Dieringer had 12 falls, seven technical falls and eight major decisions. He posted 13 wins over ranked opponents.