STILLWATER, Okla. – The National Wrestling Hall of Fame announced Tuesday that incoming Sun Devil wrestling freshman Cohlton Schultz will receive the 2019 Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award.
The four-time Colorado state champion is the second Sun Devil to earn the award in the past four years as two-time NCAA Champion Zahid Valencia earned the honor in 2015.
"National Wrestler of the Year is a big deal and it really signifies a great high school career," Sun Devil wrestling coach Zeke Jones said. "It really exemplifies excellence not only on the mat, but also in the classroom and in the community. It's really what we want to see from all of our Sun Devils."
Cohlton Schultz is the first wrestler from the Centennial State to earn the honor, and he will be presented with the award during the 43rd Annual Honors Weekend at the National Wrestling Hall of Fame & Museum in Stillwater, Oklahoma, May 31 and June 1.
"I am honored and very thankful to receive this award," Schultz said. "I have admired and looked up to Dave Schultz and many of the previous award winners my entire life, both on and off the mat. It is a blessing to be mentioned in the same sentence as Dave Schultz and the previous winners of this prestigious award."
Competing for Ponderosa High School in Parker, Cohlton Schultz dominated during his four years as a Mustang by amassing 188 wins with only two defeats. Of those 188 wins, he pinned his opponent for the victory in 152 of them.
"We are excited to honor Cohlton Schultz from Parker, Colorado, as the national winner of the 2019 Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award," Executive Director Lee Roy Smith said. "This award and honor represents the National Wrestling Hall of Fame's pride in a young man who has demonstrated a commitment to balancing his pursuit of excellence in the fields of academics, athletics and community service."
He won the Greco-Roman Cadet World Championship in 2017 and took third at the Greco-Roman Cadet Junior World Championships in 2018. Cohlton Schultz also competed at the World U23 Championships in 2018 and Junior World Championships in 2017.
A two-time Ironman Champion and four-time Reno Tournament of Champions champion, Cohlton Schultz earned Outstanding Wrestler honors in 2019, and was a four-time Doc Buchanan Champion, picking up Outstanding Wrestler honors there in 2018 and 2019.
Off the mat, he is a member of the Student Athletic Council and the Principal Interview Committee. He also volunteers as a motivational speaker and volunteers at Southeast Christian Church. Following his gold medal win in 2017, the mayor and Parker City Council declared October 17 as "Cohlton Schultz Day."
His next chapter will see him don the maroon and gold in Tempe next fall as a member of the 20-time conference champion Sun Devil wrestling program.
The DSHSEA was established in 1996 to honor Olympic and World champion Dave Schultz, whose career was cut short when he was murdered in January 1996. He was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame as a Distinguished Member in 1997 and as a member of the United World Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2016.
The DSHSEA recognizes and celebrates the nation's most outstanding high school senior male wrestlers for their excellence in wrestling, scholastic achievement, citizenship, and community service. The Hall of Fame also presents the Tricia Saunders High School Excellence Award, which recognizes and celebrates the nation's most outstanding high school senior female wrestlers.
The state winners are evaluated and selected on the basis of three criteria: success and standout performances and sportsmanship in wrestling; review of GPA and class rank, academic honors and distinctions; and participation in activities that demonstrate commitment to character and community.
The Hall of Fame accepts nominations for its high school excellence awards from state chapters and coaches. The nominations are reviewed by a committee, which selects state and regional winners. The committee then determines the national winners from the regional winners.
National winners of the DSHSEA award have combined to win 19 NCAA Division I individual titles led by four-time champion Logan Stieber (2010), three-time winner Zain Retherford (2013) and two-time winners Steven Mocco (2001), David Taylor (2009) and Teyon Ware (2002). The 2016 winner of the DSHSEA Mark Hall won an NCAA title as a freshman in 2017 while 2015 winner Zahid Valencia has won back-to-back championships in 2018 and 2019.
The four-time Colorado state champion is the second Sun Devil to earn the award in the past four years as two-time NCAA Champion Zahid Valencia earned the honor in 2015.
"National Wrestler of the Year is a big deal and it really signifies a great high school career," Sun Devil wrestling coach Zeke Jones said. "It really exemplifies excellence not only on the mat, but also in the classroom and in the community. It's really what we want to see from all of our Sun Devils."
Cohlton Schultz is the first wrestler from the Centennial State to earn the honor, and he will be presented with the award during the 43rd Annual Honors Weekend at the National Wrestling Hall of Fame & Museum in Stillwater, Oklahoma, May 31 and June 1.
"I am honored and very thankful to receive this award," Schultz said. "I have admired and looked up to Dave Schultz and many of the previous award winners my entire life, both on and off the mat. It is a blessing to be mentioned in the same sentence as Dave Schultz and the previous winners of this prestigious award."
Competing for Ponderosa High School in Parker, Cohlton Schultz dominated during his four years as a Mustang by amassing 188 wins with only two defeats. Of those 188 wins, he pinned his opponent for the victory in 152 of them.
"We are excited to honor Cohlton Schultz from Parker, Colorado, as the national winner of the 2019 Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award," Executive Director Lee Roy Smith said. "This award and honor represents the National Wrestling Hall of Fame's pride in a young man who has demonstrated a commitment to balancing his pursuit of excellence in the fields of academics, athletics and community service."
He won the Greco-Roman Cadet World Championship in 2017 and took third at the Greco-Roman Cadet Junior World Championships in 2018. Cohlton Schultz also competed at the World U23 Championships in 2018 and Junior World Championships in 2017.
A two-time Ironman Champion and four-time Reno Tournament of Champions champion, Cohlton Schultz earned Outstanding Wrestler honors in 2019, and was a four-time Doc Buchanan Champion, picking up Outstanding Wrestler honors there in 2018 and 2019.
Off the mat, he is a member of the Student Athletic Council and the Principal Interview Committee. He also volunteers as a motivational speaker and volunteers at Southeast Christian Church. Following his gold medal win in 2017, the mayor and Parker City Council declared October 17 as "Cohlton Schultz Day."
His next chapter will see him don the maroon and gold in Tempe next fall as a member of the 20-time conference champion Sun Devil wrestling program.
The DSHSEA was established in 1996 to honor Olympic and World champion Dave Schultz, whose career was cut short when he was murdered in January 1996. He was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame as a Distinguished Member in 1997 and as a member of the United World Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2016.
The DSHSEA recognizes and celebrates the nation's most outstanding high school senior male wrestlers for their excellence in wrestling, scholastic achievement, citizenship, and community service. The Hall of Fame also presents the Tricia Saunders High School Excellence Award, which recognizes and celebrates the nation's most outstanding high school senior female wrestlers.
The state winners are evaluated and selected on the basis of three criteria: success and standout performances and sportsmanship in wrestling; review of GPA and class rank, academic honors and distinctions; and participation in activities that demonstrate commitment to character and community.
The Hall of Fame accepts nominations for its high school excellence awards from state chapters and coaches. The nominations are reviewed by a committee, which selects state and regional winners. The committee then determines the national winners from the regional winners.
National winners of the DSHSEA award have combined to win 19 NCAA Division I individual titles led by four-time champion Logan Stieber (2010), three-time winner Zain Retherford (2013) and two-time winners Steven Mocco (2001), David Taylor (2009) and Teyon Ware (2002). The 2016 winner of the DSHSEA Mark Hall won an NCAA title as a freshman in 2017 while 2015 winner Zahid Valencia has won back-to-back championships in 2018 and 2019.