Penn State Wrestling: PJ Duke Named Nation's Top High School Wrestler

Penn State wrestling knows it has a potential star in PJ Duke, who will be a freshman for the Nittany Lions next season. Duke earned a huge honor recently as the 2025 recipient of the Junior Hodge Trophy, awarded to the nation's top high school wrestler.

WIN Magazine presented Duke with the award recognizing the wrestler's impressive career at Minisink Valley High in New York. Duke won four New York state titles, finishing his career with a 152-1 record. He also won individual titles at prestigious events such as Super 32 (twice), the Junior Nationals in Fargo, N.D., and the Ironman Tournament in Ohio.

Duke seeks to make his first Senior level team in June when he wrestles at Final X for a spot on the U.S. Team that will compete at the 2025 World Championships. The 18-year-old Duke swept the 70 kg men's freestyle weight class at the recent U.S. World Team Trials, defeating two 2025 NCAA champions in the process. Duke will face childhood hero Yianni Diakomihalis at the Final X series June 14 in Newark, N.J.

“It is pretty cool,” Duke told WIN Magazine's Tristan Warner about winning the Junior Hodge Trophy. “I worked my whole life for this, and it has always been a dream to be No. 1 in the country.”

Duke is the second consecutive Penn State wrestler to win the Junior Hodge Trophy. He follows 2024 winner Luke Lilledahl, who placed third at the 2025 NCAA Championships and won the 57 kg freestyle title at the U.S. Open. Lilledahl will face Spencer Lee at Final X.

Duke already has compiled a successful freestyle resume, winning two U20 U.S. Open title and a world bronze medal. Duke seeks to make a very impressive pair of world teams as well. He is competing at the U20 World Team Trials in Ohio this weekend.

“This is amazing,” Minisink Valley wrestling coach Kevin Gallagher told Win Magazine about the award. "You don’t get a bigger honor. I couldn’t be happier for PJ. He is a gifted athlete, but also the hardest worker I’ve ever seen. It was a pleasure to have him all these years."

The Junior Hodge Trophy is a companion to the Hodge Trophy, awarded to the nation's top college wrestler. Both were named for Dan Hodge, the late three-time NCAA champion at Oklahoma. Penn State's Mark Hall won the Junior Hodget Trophy in 2016.

Duke likely will start his Penn State wrestling career at 157 pounds, a weight class currently occupied by two-time NCAA bronze medalist Tyler Kasak.