To honor World Wrestling Month, the winners of the Dave Schultz High School Excellence Awards have been selected by the National Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum. Schultz is the former Olympic champion and World champion wrestler who the award is name after. The award itself focuses on excellence on the wrestling mat but also scholastic achievement, community service and citizenship.
Forty-nine seniors have been chosen (one from every state but Mississippi). “Each year, the National Wrestling Hall of Fame pays tribute to Dave Schultz by honoring the outstanding youth of our land and by spotlighting the example the legendary wrestler modeled for bringing countries together in the spirit of competition, respect and friendship through wrestling,” said Lee Roy Smith, Executive Director of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. “These student-athletes reflect our sport’s future, an Olympic future that the international wrestling community is attempting to preserve during World Wrestling Month and through the Keep Wrestling in the Olympics campaign.
The five 2013 regional winners for the Dave Schultz High School Excellence award: J-Den Cox (central region), Adam Coon (midwest region), Zain Retherford (northeast region), Kevin Norstrem (Southeast region) and Isaiah Martinez (west region).
The 2013 Winners by State, Name and School:
- Alabama, Jordan Simpson, Oxford High School
- Alaska, Lincoln Johnson, Nikiski High School
- Arizona, Dalton Brady, Chandler High School
- Arkansas, Tyler Kurz, Cabot High School
- California, Isaiah Martinez, Lemoore High School
- Colorado, Garet Krohn, Arvada High School
- Connecticut, Elliot Antler, Xavier High School
- Delaware, Alvontae Drummond, Milford High School
- Florida, Kevin Norstrem, Brandon High School
- Georgia, Tyler Askey, Northgate High School
- Hawaii, Dane Pestano, Kamehameha-Kapalama High School
- Idaho, Jared Johnshoy, Melba Jr/Sr High School
- Illinois, Ricky Robertson, Carl Sandburg High School
- Indiana, Mitch Sliga, Fishers High School
- Iowa, Brandon Sorensen, Denver High School
- Kansas, Nathan Butler, Leavenworth High School
- Kentucky, Kevin Cooper, Simon Kenton High School
- Louisiana, Tyrek Malveaux, Comeaux High School
- Maine, Connor Sheehan, Fryeburg Academy
- Maryland, Garrett Lineberger, Waldorf Thomas Stone High School
- Massachusetts, Leo Trindade, Billerica Memorial High School
- Michigan, Adam Coon, Fowlerville High School
- Minnesota, Jake Short, Simley High School
- Missouri, J’Den Cox, Hickman High School
- Montana, Taylor French, Forsyth High School
- Nebraska, Ronald Wells, Omaha Central High School
- Nevada, Joey LaVallee, Reno High School
- New Hampshire, Adam Corey, Timberlane High School
- New Jersey, Anthony Ashnault, South Plainfield High School
- New Mexico, Paul Mascarenas, Cleveland High School
- New York, Nick Tighe, John C. Birdlebough High School
- North Carolina, Parker VonEgidy, Piedmont High School
- North Dakota, Preston Lehmann, West Fargo High School
- Ohio, Bo Jordan, Graham High School
- Oklahoma, Zach Beard, Tuttle High School
- Oregon, Reed Van Anrooy, Roseburg High School
- Pennsylvania, Zain Retherford, Benton High School
- Rhode Island, Jonah Aurelio, East Providence High School
- South Carolina, Dennis Flores, Hanahan High School
- South Dakota, Aero Amo, Rapid City Central High School
- Tennessee, Kaleb Baker, Christian Brothers High School
- Texas, Oliver Pierce, Allen High School
- Utah, Grant LaMont, Maple Mountain High School
- Vermont, Miguel Calixto, Mount Anthony Union High School
- Virginia, Zach Epperly, Christiansburg High School
- Washington, Jake Velarde, North Kitsap High School
- West Virginia, Justin Arthur, Huntington High School
- Wisconsin, Cole Johnson, DeSoto High School
- Wyoming, Dani Fisher, Campbell County High School
