The National Wrestling Hall of Fame on Tuesday announced the regional winners of the Tricia Saunders High School Excellence Award (TSHSEA). 

The Hall of Fame’s High School Excellence Awards are proudly sponsored by the Hyman Family, whose generous support and passion for the sport help ensure the continued recognition and development of wrestling’s next generation. 

The winners are: 

Central Region – Kiley Dillow, Chanute, Kansas, Chanute High School, Fort Hays State University 

Midwest Region – Taylor Whiting, Oconto, Wisconsin, Lena High School, University of Iowa 

Northeast Region – Natalie Radecki, Newark, Delaware, Caravel Academy, Lehigh University 

Southeast Region – Willow White, Miami, Florida, Law Enforcement Officers Memorial High School 

West Region – Zorina Johnson, Portland, Oregon, Ida B. Wells High School, Lehigh University 

The national winner will be announced on April 28. The national winner will be chosen from the regional winners. 

First presented in 2014, the award is named for Tricia Saunders, a four-time World Champion and women’s wrestling pioneer. Saunders was the first woman to be inducted as a Distinguished Member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2006 and was inducted into the United World Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2011. 

The award recognizes and celebrates the nation’s most outstanding high school senior female wrestlers for their excellence in wrestling, scholastic achievement, citizenship, and community service. 

TSHSEA 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 regional winners of the Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award will be announced on Wednesday. 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 DSHSEA national winner will be announced on April 29. 

The TSHSEA and DSHSEA national winners will be honored during the 49th Honors Weekend at the National Wrestling Hall of Fame & Museum on June 5 and 6 in Stillwater, Oklahoma. For more information, visit https://nwhof.org/news/2026-honors-weekend-information. 

Regional winners for both awards are selected from state winners, and the national winners will be chosen from the regional winners. 

The regions and the states that they are comprised of are: 

West (11) - Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming 

Midwest (10) - Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin 

Central (7) - Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas 

Southeast (11) - Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia 

Northeast (11) - Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont 

2026 Tricia Saunders High School Excellence Award Regional Winners 

Central Region: Kasey Dillow of Chanute, Kansas was a three-time Kansas state wrestling champion after finishing third as a freshman for Chanute High School. She was undefeated her final three years (129-0) and had a 133-match win streak for a career record of 167-6 career record. The daughter of Martin and Patricia Dillow, she will continue her wrestling career at Fort Hays State University. She finished seventh at Junior Nationals in 2023 and was a two-time Folkstyle Nationals All-American while being a two-time Southern Plains champion, a Wonder Woman of Wrestling champion, and Regional Wrestler of the Year three times. Dillow also lettered three years in volleyball, earning all-league honors and serving as team captain two years, and two years in softball. The valedictorian of her class, she was the Principles of Biomedical Science Student of the Year in 2023 and is a member of the National Honor Society and a four-time National Wrestling Coaches Association Academic All-American. Dillow also was a committee leader for the Student Government Association and a member of the Student Athlete Leadership Committee. She was vice president in FFA and served as president, vice president, secretary and historian in 4-H while also being a member of Junior Rotary, a vacation bible school volunteer and a volunteer for Awana. She regularly volunteered with her church, school, FFA and 4-H. 

Midwest Region: Taylor Whiting of Oconto, Wisconsin was a four-time Wisconsin state wrestling champion, the first four-time female champion in state history, with a career record of 69-1 for Lena High School. The daughter of Shane and Sara Whiting, she will continue her wrestling career at the University of Iowa. Whiting, who will represent Team USA at the 2026 U20 World Championships, was a Junior Nationals champion in 2024 and finished third in 2025 while capturing two Who’s Number One titles. She finished third at the women’s national trials in 2024 and 2025 and seventh at the 16U Nationals in 2023. She and her brother, Clayton, are believed to be the first brother and sister in the country to win four state wrestling titles each. The valedictorian of her class, Whiting is a National Honor Society and student council member and helped collect, sort and distribute food to families in need while also leading youth wrestling training sessions. She is passionate about mental health and aspires to a career in sports psychology. 

Northeast Region: Natalie Radecki of Newark, Delaware qualified for the Delaware boys state wrestling tournament four times and finished sixth in 2025 and 2026 for Caravel Academy to become the first girl in state history to place in the boys tournament twice. She was a team captain and finished her high school career with a 101-45 overall record, including 28-0 against girls and 73-45 against boys. The daughter of Anthony and Caron Radecki, Radecki will continue her wrestling career at Lehigh University. She was a Junior Nationals champion in 2025 and a 16U Nationals runner-up in 2024 while placing second, third and sixth at the USA Wrestling Trials. Radecki won the U17 Pan American Championships and received the Golden Boot presented to the outstanding wrestler in 2025. She was a Beast of the East girls champion in 2023 and a runner-up in 2024. Radecki lettered three years in cross country and earned all-county and all-state honors every year. She was a four-time member of the Founders Honor Roll and was named Outstanding Scholar Athlete of the junior class and student of the month in 2024. Radecki was treasurer of the Student Government Association three times while also being a member of the Race Amity Club. She was a member of the Senior Tri-M Music Honor Society and played the cello in the wind ensemble, the Caravel Cabaret, and the symphonic band. Radecki worked with Wrestle Like A Girl to petition the state of Delaware to sanction girls wrestling and also advocated to get a girls division at the Beast of the East tournament. Radecki volunteered four years at White Clay Creek State Park, Lums Pond State Park and with Special Olympics while also volunteering at the One Journey event in 2023. She builds cat kennels for the Humane Society while also being a member of Amnesty International. 

Southeast Region: Willow White of Miami, Florida was a two-time Florida state wrestling champion and three-time state place-winner for Law Enforcement Officers Memorial High School. The daughter of Opreece Brownlee and Willie White, White won the Beast of the East in 2025 and the National High School Coaches Association national tournament in 2024. She was a finalist at the Ironman tournament in 2025 and was selected for the HER Tournament of Champions awards. White had a 5-2 record at Fargo in both 2024 and 2025. She was president of Key Club and the Student Government Association while also being NALS certified. White has more than 1,000 community service hours, including beach cleanup, volunteering for Miami PAL football games, food drives with Key Club, and volunteering at youth wrestling tournaments. A member of the Police Explorers, she is a graduate of a summer police academy program and is working towards certification as both a patient care technician and an electrocardiogram technician. 

West Region: Zorina Johnson of Portland, Oregon was three-time Oregon state wrestling champion and four-time finalist for Ida B. Wells-Barnett High School. The daughter of Lance Johnson and Julia Markley, she will continue her wrestling career at Lehigh University. After suffering her only loss in the state finals her freshman year, Johnson won 96 matches in a row to finish her career with a 108-1 record. She won Junior Nationals in folkstyle and finished second in freestyle in 2025 and was the first alternate for Team USA at the 2025 U17 World Championships. Johnson finished fourth in folkstyle in 2024 after finishing second in freestyle and third in folkstyle in 2023. She also lettered three years in boys tackle football earning all-league honors as a linebacker and leading the team in sacks in 2022. Johnson also earned a varsity letter in track in 2023 and was junior varsity team captain in soccer in 2024 and a member of the junior varsity swim team in 2023. She was also a gymnastics state youth champion on the beam. The valedictorian of her class, she is president and cofounder of Wells Christian Fellowship and a member of the Mock Trial Club, the Science Olympiad Club, the Women In Sports Club, the Sports Leadership Club, and the Spanish Club. Johnson is a Multnomah Athletic Club Scholar Athlete Award recipient while also serving as a statewide representative for the Oregon School Activities Association Student Advisory Committee. She volunteers as a lifeguard and counselor at Trout Creek Bible Camps, an overnight summer camp with hundreds of attendees each week. 

Women’s wrestling is one of the fastest growing high school sports with participation growing by more 447 percent from 16,562 in 2018 to 74,064 in 2025. 

Forty-eight state high school athletic associations have voted to approve girls wrestling as an official sport, and 48 held official girls high school state wrestling championships in 2025-26. Hawaii was the first state to host a girls state championship in 1998 and Texas began its girls’ tournament in 1999. The number grew to six states by 2015. 

In 2025, the NCAA added women’s wrestling as its 91st championship sport. Women's wrestling advanced from the NCAA Emerging Sports for Women program to become a national collegiate championship, featuring female athletes from all three divisions competing against one another. The NCAA held its first women's wrestling championship in March. The NAIA recognizes women’s wrestling as an official varsity sport and held their first official championship in 2023. 

There are over 200 intercollegiate women’s wrestling teams competing at the NCAA, NAIA, junior college and community college level.

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. 

2026 Tricia Saunders High School Excellence Award State Winners 

State - Name, High School, Hometown, College Attending
Alabama - Mackenzie Schultz, Enterprise High School, Daleville, Life University
Alaska - Malila Miller, Service High School, Anchorage
Arizona - Everest Leydecker, Valiant College Preparatory, Phoenix, University of Iowa
Arkansas - Dalani Hornbuckle, Rogers High School, Rogers, Carl Albert State College
California - Stevie Joyce Martin, Granada High School, Castro Valley, Lehigh University
Colorado - Timberly Martinez, Pomona High School, Lakewood, University of Western Colorado
Connecticut - Jillian Blake, Trumbull High School, Trumbull, Sacred Heart University
Delaware - Natalie Radecki, Caravel Academy, Newark, Lehigh University
Department of Defense - Kaelyn Ronnau, Kaiserslautern High School, Kaiserslautern, Germany
Florida - Willow White, Law Enforcement Officers Memorial High School, Miami
Georgia - Elle Kaufmann, The Lovett School, Atlanta
Hawaii - Serah Yogi, Pearl City High School, Mililiani, Colorado Mesa University
Idaho - Kyler Scott, Century High School, Pocatello
Illinois - Claudia Heeney, Lockport High School, Orland Park, Menlo College
Indiana - Aleksandra Bastaic, Highland High School, Highland
Iowa - Anastasia Simon, Decorah High School, Decorah
Kansas - Kiley Dillow, Chanute High School, Chanute, Fort Hays State University
Kentucky - Tatum Millet, Oldham County High School, LaGrange
Louisiana - Olivia Maxie, Baton Rouge Magnet High School, Baton Rouge
Maine - Hannah Perro, Noble High School, Lebanon
Maryland - Sonia Pegoue, Walter Johnson High School, Kensington
Massachusetts - Samantha Bertini, Ludlow High School, Ludlow, McKendree University
Michigan - Madison Nieuwenhuis, Plainwell High School, Plainwell
Minnesota - Caley Graber, Northfield High School, Northfield, McKendree University
Mississippi - Addy Mollendor, Ocean Springs High School, Ocean Springs, Colby Community College
Missouri - Jayden Keller, Brookfield High School, Brookfield, William Jewell College
Montana - Bella Downing, Flathead High School, Columbia Falls, Ottawa University
Nebraska - Jordyn Campbell, Yutan High School, Gretna
Nevada - Mika Yoffee, SLAM! Nevada, Las Vegas
New Hampshire - Madison Beauregard, Concord High School, Concord, Arcadia University
New Jersey - Saharia Quamina, Bloomfield High School, Bloomfield
New Mexico - Eloise Woolsey, V. Sue Cleveland High School, Rio Rancho, Colorado Mesa University
New York - Charlie Wylie, Port Jervis High School, Montague
North Carolina - Faith Bane, New Bern High School, New Bern, Life University
North Dakota - Aleiya Cullinan, Bismarck Legacy High School, Bismarck, Bismarck State College
Ohio - Deionna Borders, Berea-Midpark High School, Berea
Oklahoma - Millie Azlin, Bixby High School, Bixby, Oklahoma State University
Oregon - Zorina Johnson, Ida B. Wells High School, Portland, Lehigh University
Pennsylvania - Julia Horger, Conwell-Egan Catholic High School, Bensalem
Rhode Island - Yasmin Bido, E-Cubed Academy, Providence
South Carolina - Bianca Connell, Mauldin High School, Easley
South Dakota - Regina Stoeser, Harrisburg High School, Sioux Falls, Fort Hays State University
Tennessee - Audrey Levendusky, Montgomery Central High School, Clarksville, King University
Texas - Cydney Davis, El Paso Bel Air High School, El Paso,
Utah - Taya Crookston, Ridgeline High School, North Smithfield
Vermont - Maisa Allen, Otter Valley Union High School, Brandon
Virginia - Sophia Slaughter, Orange County High School, Orange
Washington - Adalyne Montiel, Toppenish High School, Toppenish
West Virginia - Morganne Miller, East Hardy High School, Wardensville
Wisconsin - Taylor Whiting, Lena High School, Oconto, University of Iowa
Wyoming - Kaylie Julander, Kemmerer High School, Kemmerer 

All-Time National Winners of Tricia Saunders High School Excellence Award 

Year - Name, High School, Hometown, State, College Attending
2025 - Piper Fowler, Cleveland, Tennessee, Cleveland High School, William Penn University
2024 - Nebi Tsarni, Watkins Mill High School, Montgomery Village, Maryland
2023 - Kira Pipkins, Bloomfield High School, Bloomfield, New Jersey
2022 - Sofia Macaluso, Minisink High School, Otisville, New York (U20 World Silver Medalist)
2021 - Olivia Brown, Broken Arrow High School, Broken Arrow, Oklahoma
2020 - Nanea Estrella, Lahainaluna High School, Makawao, Hawaii
2019 - Emily Shilson, Mounds View High School, North Oaks, Minnesota (Five-Time College National Champion, Junior World Champion)
2018 - Alleida Martinez, Selma High School, Selma, California
2017 - Cierra Foster, Post Falls High School, Post Falls, Idaho
2016 - Katie Brock, Sequatchie County High School, Whitwell, Tennessee
2015 - Marizza Birrueta, Grandview High School, Grandview, Washington
2014 - Marina Doi, Kingsburg High School, Kingsburg, California