WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Redshirt senior Matt Ramos was tabbed a top-10 candidate for the prestigious Dan Hodge Trophy in the latest projection released by FloWrestling.
The Hodge Trophy, presented annually to the nation's most dominant wrestler, is awarded at the end of the season based on four prongs of voting criteria: record, dominance/bonus point percentage, quality of competition, and sportsmanship.
Ramos checks in at No. 9 on the list. He has held the No. 1 ranking in the 125-pound division since winning the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational title on Dec. 7.
The undefeated Lockport, Illinois, native holds a season record of 22-0 with 12 technical falls, the second-most in the nation. He has an 80% bonus rate and is the only 125-pounder among the list of 21 candidates.
Nine of Ramos' 22 wins have come against ranked opponents. He has earned victories over the current No. 3, No. 4, No. 5, No. 17, No. 18, No. 19, No. 21, No. 25 and No. 30-ranked wrestlers in the country.
Additionally, he can improve his resume with a top-10 matchup looming against No. 8 Caleb Smith (Nebraska) on Senior Day.
With two regular season matches remaining, Ramos has the chance to lock up the No. 1 seed at the Big Ten Championships beginning on March 8. He will aim to become Purdue's first conference champion since Ryan Lange in 2004.
Ramos has put together arguably the most complete season of any Purdue wrestler in more than 30 years. If he were to go the distance, he would be the fourth national champion in school history and first since Charles Jones in 1992.
The Hodge Trophy, presented annually to the nation's most dominant wrestler, is awarded at the end of the season based on four prongs of voting criteria: record, dominance/bonus point percentage, quality of competition, and sportsmanship.
Ramos checks in at No. 9 on the list. He has held the No. 1 ranking in the 125-pound division since winning the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational title on Dec. 7.
The undefeated Lockport, Illinois, native holds a season record of 22-0 with 12 technical falls, the second-most in the nation. He has an 80% bonus rate and is the only 125-pounder among the list of 21 candidates.
Nine of Ramos' 22 wins have come against ranked opponents. He has earned victories over the current No. 3, No. 4, No. 5, No. 17, No. 18, No. 19, No. 21, No. 25 and No. 30-ranked wrestlers in the country.
Additionally, he can improve his resume with a top-10 matchup looming against No. 8 Caleb Smith (Nebraska) on Senior Day.
With two regular season matches remaining, Ramos has the chance to lock up the No. 1 seed at the Big Ten Championships beginning on March 8. He will aim to become Purdue's first conference champion since Ryan Lange in 2004.
Ramos has put together arguably the most complete season of any Purdue wrestler in more than 30 years. If he were to go the distance, he would be the fourth national champion in school history and first since Charles Jones in 1992.