The Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award is given annually to the one wrestler in the nation who best embodies excellence in wrestling, scholastic achievement, character, citizenship and community service. David Taylor of Graham High School in St. Paris, Ohio is the recipient for 2009.

Taylor is a four-time state champion with an overall record of 180-2. Of those 182 matches, he won 65 by fall and 91 by technical fall. In four years, only 19 matches lasted the full three periods and, of those, he won seven by major decision.

He was named to the Asics All-America first team in each of the last two years, and to the third team as a freshman. Twice he has been honored as the Ohio Wrestler of the Year. He has been ranked as the best wrestler in the nation by both Amateur Wrestling News and USA Wrestling Magazine. He is the first-ever four-time winner of the Walsh Ironman tournament and was chosen to represent Team USA in both the Dream Team Classic and the Dapper Dan.

Taylor has been equally as successful in the international styles of wrestling, winning both USA Wrestling's freestyle and Greco-Roman junior national championships. He won the FILA junior national championship and placed eighth in the Junior World Championships in Beijing. As a cadet, he won two national freestyle championships and one Greco-Roman title.

An outstanding student, Taylor maintains a 4.0 grade point average and ranks in the top 10 of his graduating class. He was the first student at his school to study Chinese as an online course.

Taylor has been active in 4-H for years, and served as a club officer. He has won numerous county fair championships and is an Ohio state champion barrel racer. He was chosen to serve as a camp counselor for the Jeff Jordan State Champ Camps and has actively helped the youth wrestling program in his community. He is still deciding where he will attend college.