Nearing the halfway mark of the 2017-18 wrestling season, South Dakota State’s Seth Gross is firmly in the discussion for the Hodge Trophy, which is awarded annually to the most outstanding collegiate wrestler.

A junior from Apple Valley, Minn., Gross is undefeated so far this season with a 12-0 record. Of his 12 victories, five have been by technical fall and five by fall. At last week’s Midlands Championships, the top-ranked Gross cruised to the 133-pound title by recording four technical falls and two pins in his six matches, earning the two-day tournament’s Dan Gable Outstanding Wrestler award.

Hodge Trophy candidates are judged on the following criteria: record, number of pins, dominance, past credentials, quality of competition, sportsmanship/citizenship and heart.

Gross enters the 2018 calendar year with a 72-16 overall record in his three seasons at SDSU, including a 32-6 mark in duals. A two-time NCAA qualifier, Gross compiled a 34-2 record as a sophomore en route to a national runner-up at the 2017 NCAA Championships.

Photo from www.gojacks.com.