The National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum recently announced the release of two limited-edition bobbleheads celebrating the Penn State wrestling team’s remarkable achievement of winning the 2025 national championship. This year marked a significant milestone as the program secured its 13th national title on March 22, 2025, after a stellar performance in the championships.
The bobbleheads feature a design that highlights the iconic Penn State wrestling singlet and headgear worn by the Nittany Lion, showcasing the mascot grinning broadly as it holds up its number of titles. One bobblehead, dubbed the 2025 Wrestling National Champions Bobblehead, depicts the Nittany Lion displaying one finger with its right hand and three fingers on its left, symbolizing the team’s cumulative 13 NCAA titles. The other, known as the Championship Counter Bobblehead, features the Nittany Lion standing triumphantly atop a Penn State wrestling mat, with an adjustable counter on the front designed to reflect future titles won by the program.
Phil Sklar, co-founder and CEO of the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum, expressed his enthusiasm about the release, stating, “Bobbleheads are the ultimate way to celebrate a team’s championship, and these bobbleheads will be the ultimate way for Nittany Lion fans to commemorate the Penn State wrestling team’s 2025 national championship.” He further emphasized the significance of this release, marking it as a celebration of both the recent and long-standing achievements of the Penn State wrestling program, which has become a powerhouse in collegiate wrestling.
The production of these bobbleheads does not just act as a keepsake but as a reflection of the Nittany Lions’ stellar season, during which they crowned two individual champions while also setting a new team scoring record for the championships, surpassing their previous record established in 2024. Each limited-edition bobblehead will retail for $40, with an $8 shipping fee per order, and will feature unique numbering up to 2,025.
Fans eager to commemorate the wrestling team’s success can place their orders directly through the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame online store. Shipping for the Championship Counter bobblehead is slated for July 2025, while the 2025 Wrestling National Champions bobblehead is expected to ship in September 2025, ensuring that fans will be able to celebrate this championship win throughout the upcoming months.
In related news, the finalists have been announced for the 2025 WIN Magazine/Culture House Dan Hodge Trophy, an award presented annually by ASICS Wrestling, which honors the nation’s top NCAA Division I wrestler. The Hodge Trophy, named after the late three-time NCAA champion Dan Hodge, has become one of the most prestigious accolades in collegiate wrestling since its inception in 1994.
This year’s finalists include three undefeated NCAA DI champions: Mitchell Mesenbrink and Carter Starocci from Penn State and Wyatt Hendrickson from Oklahoma State. Each finalist showcased remarkable performance metrics during the season, ensuring stiff competition for the trophy.
Voting for the Hodge Trophy will open to fans in the week following the NCAA championships, with online ballots available at WIN-Magazine.com. Fans will have their opportunity to influence the outcome, as their votes will be counted among the official Hodge Trophy Voting Committee's selections. The deadline for fan voting is set for March 28, 2025, at 5 PM CST.
Mitchell Mesenbrink boasts a record of 27-0 this season, with impressive statistics including 18 technical falls and a remarkable bonus-point spread of 88.9%. Similarly, Carter Starocci holds an undefeated record of 26-0, with 6 pins and a bonus percentage of 84.6%. Meanwhile, Wyatt Hendrickson also maintains an unblemished record of 27-0, with 13 pins and a bonus-point percentage of 81.5%. Each candidate exemplifies not only technical prowess but also a broad scope of achievement across the competition.
The Hodge Trophy winner, determined by a composite of first-place votes from fans and committee members based on criteria such as record, dominance, quality of competition, and sportsmanship, will be announced on March 31, 2025, at 12 PM CST. With such a competitive lineup, wrestling fans are in for an exciting lead-up to the announcement, eager to see who will claim the coveted title.
Overall, both the bobblehead unveiling and the Hodge Trophy finalists underscore the vibrant culture of collegiate wrestling and the passionate engagement of its community. As fans rally around their beloved teams and celebrated athletes, the spirit of competition continues to thrive, bridging generations of wrestling enthusiasts through memorabilia and awards. With both events showcasing the pinnacle of achievement in the sport, wrestling fans have much to celebrate this season.
