The 2006 Dave Schultz High School Excellence winners announced for 48 states
National Wrestling Hall of Fame
04/06/2006

STILLWATER, Okla. -- The National Wrestling Hall of Fame & Museum in Stillwater, Oklahoma has announced its 2006 state winners of the Dave Schultz High School Excellence award. This annual award is bestowed upon high school seniors who demonstrate excellence in wrestling success, scholastic achievement, character, citizenship and community service.

The award, named in honor of Olympic and World Champion Dave Schultz, has recognized 528 wrestlers since its inception in 1996.

“A graduate of Palo Alto High School and the University of Oklahoma, Dave Schultz was one of the greatest and most well-liked high school, collegiate, and international wrestlers the United States has ever had” said Lee Roy Smith, Executive Director of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.

Regarded as a tireless competitor and supreme tactician on the mat, he was beloved throughout the world of amateur wrestling for his friendliness and eagerness to lend help or advice to teammates and opponents alike. Schultz was inducted into the sport’s Hall of Fame as a Distinguished Member in 1997.

State-by-state winners were selected from the 48 states that sponsor interscholastic high school wrestling championships. Five regional winners will be selected from the 48 state winners on April 14, and from that group, one individual will be selected as the national winner. The national winner will be invited to Honors Weekend, June 2-3, in Stillwater to receive his award.

Following are a list of the 2006 winners by state and school.

State/Winner’s Name/High School

Alabama - Forrest Millsap, Homewood
Alaska - Eli Hutchison, Skyview
Arizona - Anthony Robles, Mesa
California - Billy Murphy, Hughson
Colorado - Quinten Fuentes, Roosevelt
Connecticut - Mike Powers, Loomis Chaffee
Delaware - Andrew Bradley, St. Marks
Florida - David Craig, Brandon
Georgia - Nate Carr Jr., Jones County
Hawaii - Brandon Low, St. Louis
Idaho - Adam Hall, Bonners Ferry
Illinois - Jim Kennedy, Grant Community
Indiana - Paul Young, Bloomington South
Iowa - T.J. Sebolt, Centerville
Kansas - Jessie Strawn, Holton
Kentucky - Jacob Murton, Lawrence County
Louisiana - Mike Newberg, Parkway
Maine - Josh Pelletier , Foxcroft Academy
Maryland - Mack Lewnes, Mount St. Joseph
Massachusetts - Brian Sheehan, Lowell
Michigan - Jon Reader, Davison
Minnesota - Mike Thorn, St. Michale
Missouri - Zack Bailey, Oak Park
Monatana - Cole Dallaserra, Butte
Nebraska - Matt Vacanti, Papillion-La Vista
Nevada - Bryce Saddoris, Spring Creek
New Hampshire - Eric Morrill, Timberlane Regional
New Jersey - Mike Grey, Delbarton
New Mexico - John Paul Maynes, Silver
New York - J.P. O’Connor, Oxford Academy
North Carolina - Bryan Sigmon, Brandys
North Dakota - Scott Glasser, Bismarck
Ohio - Lance Palmer, St. Edward
Oklahoma - Lance Thompson , Stillwater
Oregon - Zach Giesen , North Valley
Pennsylvania - Matt Dunn, Reynolds
Rhode Island - Ted Coppa, North Kingston
South Carolina - Matt Leach, Greenville Eastside
South Dakota - Brett Jarman, Canton
Tennessee - Corey Manson, Baylor
Texas - Ben Ashmore, Bishop Lynch
Utah - Levi Mele, Uintah
Vermont - Corey Greene, Mount Anthony
Virginia - Jordan Frishkorn, Great Bridge
Washington - Brandon Sitch, Kelso
West Virginia - Joey Lindamood, Parkersburg
Wisconsin - Trevor Bradvold , River Falls
Wyoming - Josh Sainz, Star Valley

Congrats Jesse! What a great choice. We enjoyed spending time with you on all the Senior Stuff. Good Luck at Old Dominion--enjoy the beach:)

The Edisons

Will the top 5 regional winners be posted?

NWHOF announces Dave Schultz Award regional winners

DATE: 4/14/2006 9:10:00 PM
By Gary Abbott
USA Wrestling

The National Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum has announced the five Regional winners of the Dave Schultz High School Excellence Awards for 2006.

In alphabetical order, the Regional winners are:
Ben Ashmore of Bishop Lynch High School in Dallas, Texas (Central)
Adam Hall of Bonners Ferry High School in Bonners Ferry, Idaho (West)
David Craig of Brandon High School in Brandon, Fla. (Southeast)
Mack Lewnes of Mount Saint Joseph High School in Baltimore, Md. (Northeast)
Jon Reader of Davison High School in Davison, Mich. (Midwest)

One of these five outstanding student-athletes will receive the national Dave Schultz High School Excellence Awards for 2006, which will be announced in May.

The Regional winners will be announced and recognized at the Las Vegas Convention Center, as part of USA Wrestling’s U.S. Nationals Championships weekend, which also includes the FILA Junior Nationals, the Veterans Nationals and the Western Junior Regionals.

The Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award is presented by the National Wrestling Hall of Fame annually to a high school senior. The award program is based equally on outstanding wrestling success, scholastic achievement and citizenship or community service.

Last week, the Hall of Fame announced its state-wide winners, as a winner of the honor was awarded for each state. The five Regional winners were selected from this pool of outstanding individuals.

This awards program is named in the honor of the late Dave Schultz, an Olympic and World champion, who set an example for excellence, both on and off the mat. Dave’s wife Nancy Schultz has played an important role in supporting this awards program.

A short biography of each Regional winners follows:

CENTRAL - Ben Ashmore, Bishop Lynch High School, Dallas, Texas
His high school weight class is 119 pounds. Ashmore is a two-time Prep School National champion, and has won four Texas state high school titles, with a 186-5 career record. He has a 3.5 grade point average (GPA). He has won the Beast of the East Tournament twice, and was a winner of the Dapper Dan Classic this year. He also made the ASICS All-American First Team in 2005. He will attend Oklahoma State in the fall. He is a coach of the Dallas Firecrackers youth club and a member of three Athlete In Action International Mission Tours. Ashmore volunteers for the Special Olympics hosted at Bishop Lynch High School. He is presently involved in senior project with the Brady Center in Dallas, Texas, and a member of Vansickle Baptist Church.

WEST - Adam Hall, Bonners Ferry High School , Bonners Ferry, Idaho
His high school weight class is 152 pounds. Hall is a three-time Idaho state high school champion, and was also a state runner-up. He has a 3.81 grade point average (GPA). He won the NHSCA High School Senior Nationals and was named Outstanding Wrestler. He also placed second in freestyle at the 2005 ASICS/Vaughan Junior Nationals, and was a two-time All-American at the Cadet Nationals. He will attend Boise State in the fall. He is an Eagle Scout, a member of the National Honors Society and a youth program member at Trinity Lutheran Church. Hall is a Bonners Ferry Youth Club Coach, and a member of the Foreign Language Club.

SOUTHEAST - David Craig of Brandon High School, Brandon, Fla.
His high school weight class is 171 pounds. Craig is a four-time Florida high school state champion, with a career record of 136-0. He has a 3.58 grade point average (GPA). He was a double champion at the 2005 ASICS/Vaughan Junior Nationals, winning both freestyle and Greco-Roman titles. He was also a 2003 Cadet National champion. He was a winner at the Dapper Dan Classic this year. He will attend Lehigh Univ. in the fall. He is a member of the Academy of Finance Club and the St. Andrews Community Methodist Church. He works as a youth councilor during the Russ Cozart Summer Wrestling Camps in Brandon, Fla.

NORTHEAST - Mack Lewnes of Mount Saint Joseph High School in Baltimore, Md.
His high school weight class is 160 pounds. Lewnes is a two-time National Prep School champion, and won four Maryland state high school titles, with a 137-12 career record. He has a 4.23 grade point average. He has won titles at major tournaments including the Ironman, the Beast of the East and the Powerade Championships. He will attend Cornell in the fall. He is involved in a Peer Education Mentorship Program as a speaker. He has provided 40 hours of community service with recreational sport in Annapolis, Md. Lewnes is a member of the St. Constantine and Helne Greek Orthodox Church and is a Maryland Distinguished Scholar.

MIDWEST - Jon Reader of Davison High School in Davison, Mich.
His high school weight class is 160 pounds. Reader is a three-time Michigan state high school champion, with a career record of 171-6. He had 54 consecutive pins during his career. He has a 3.65 grade point average (GPA). He was a 2005 FILA Cadet National champion, winning both freestyle and Greco-Roman, and was named Outstanding Wrestler in Greco-Roman. Reader placed second in the 2006 NHSCA High School Senior Nationals. He will attend Iowa State in the fall. He is a Peer Mediation Councilor at Davison High School and a member of Michigan DECA (a marketing and leadership association). Reader serves 10 hours a week as a volunteer youth wrestling coach in Davison, Mich.

2 of the 4 finalists came from States with no college programs (not counting club) at all.

The winner of this years Dave Schultz's award is David Craig.

Congrats to Jesse!