The National Wrestling Hall of Fame on Wednesday announced the regional winners of the Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award (DSHSEA). 

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 – Austin Collins, Wray High School, Wray, Colorado, University of Wyoming 

Midwest Region – Dreshaun Ross, Fort Dodge High School, Fort Dodge, Iowa, Oklahoma State University 

Northeast Region – Dunia Sibomana-Rodriguez, Long Beach High School, Long Beach, New York, University of North Carolina 

Southeast Region – Michael Mocco, Cardinal Gibbons High School, Parkland, Florida, University of Iowa 

West Region – Rocklin Zinkin, Buchanan High School, Fresno, California, Oklahoma State University 

The national winner will be announced on April 29. The national winner will be chosen from the regional winners. 

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. 

DSHSEA 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 Tricia Saunders High School Excellence Award were announced on Tuesday. The TSHSEA recognizes and celebrates the nation’s most outstanding high school senior female wrestlers for their excellence in wrestling, scholastic achievement, citizenship, and community service. The TSHSEA national winner will be announced on April 28. 

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. 

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 Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award Regional Winners 

Central Region: Austin Collins of Wray, Colorado was a three-time Colorado state champion and four-time state finalist with a career record of 168-6 for Wray High School. The son of Amy and Greg Collins, he will continue his wrestling career at the University of Wyoming. Collins won gold in freestyle and Greco-Roman at the U15 Pan American Championships and received the Golden Boot as the Outstanding Wrestler in Greco-Roman while helping the United States win team titles in freestyle and Greco-Roman in 2023. He finished fourth in Greco-Roman at Junior Nationals while finishing third in Greco-Roman and fifth in freestyle at the 17U US Open in 2025. Collins went undefeated and won the 16U Greco-Roman national title while finishing fourth in folkstyle and seventh in freestyle in 2024. He had runner-up finishes in 16U Folkstyle and Greco-Roman in 2023. He also lettered in football earning all-conference honors three times while being all-state as a junior and senior after earning honorable mention honors as a sophomore. A member of National Honor Society, he was academic all-state in both football and wrestling as a junior and senior while being named Most Outstanding SWAF Student in 2024 and 2025. Collins received academic letters and was a member of the high honor roll all four years while achieving excellence in English and math. Collins received the Congressional Record award which was presented to him by Colorado District 4 United States Representative Greg Lopez. Collins was president of student body council as a junior and senior after serving as reporter in 2024. He was president of class student council as a freshman and sophomore and served as a representative as a junior and vice president as a senior. Collins was secretary for the Future Business Leaders of America while also being a member of RHO Kappa, and Family Career and Community Leaders of America. He was named student of the month by the Lions Club and KRDZ and was student of the year as a sophomore and junior. He volunteered as a museum cleaner with the Book Buddies library program while also donating his time to the Wray Veterans Day celebration, the Lions Club breakfast, and as a walker at a senior citizen home. Collins also volunteered as both a youth football and youth wrestling coach. 

Midwest Region: Dreshaun Ross of Fort Dodge, Iowa was a four-time Iowa state champion for Fort Dodge High School with a 146-2 career record. The son of Amy and Andre Ross, he will continue his wrestling career at Oklahoma State University. He won his last 144 matches, including undefeated seasons as a sophomore, junior and senior, and won every match as a senior by fall or technical fall. He was selected to receive the Dan Gable Wrestler of the Year Award twice and was named the outstanding wrestler at the Iowa state tournament. Ross was a six-time Tulsa Nationals champion and earned the prestigious Trinity Award five times. He was a Junior Nationals champion in 2022, 2023 and 2025, winning the 16U title as a 14-year-old and the 15U Greco-Roman and freestyle titles. He was first-team all-state in football in 2024 and 2026 and was also named first-team academic all-state. A member of the student advisory committee, he also volunteered at youth clubs and tournaments.

Northeast Region: Dunia Sibomana-Rodriguez of Long Beach, New York was a three-time New York state champion, a four-time finalist and a five-time place-winner for Long Beach High School. The adopted son of Miguel and Marissa Rodriguez, he will continue his wrestling career at the University of North Carolina. He joined Jacori Teemer and Vito Arujau as the only wrestlers to win five Nassau County titles. Sibomana-Rodriguez earned All-American honors in Greco-Roman with a fourth-place finish at Fargo in 2025 after winning the freestyle title in 2024. He earned All-American honors with third-place finishes in Greco-Roman at U17 nationals in 2023 and freestyle at U15 nationals in 2022. Sibomana-Rodriguez was a two-time National High School Coaches Association All-American while also being a New York state triple crown winner and a state freestyle and Greco-Roman champion. He was team captain for wrestling for three years and also earned all-county honors and was team captain in soccer. Sibomana-Rodriguez participated in “Surf for All” a program created by local shop Skudin Surf, which gets kids with physical and cognitive disabilities into the water, and now volunteers every summer with the program. He also volunteers with “Coats for Kids” and volunteered as a youth wrestling coach. He is studying television and film production and sports broadcasting. After being held back a year in second grade while learning English, Sibomana-Rodriguez has excelled in the classroom and made the high honor roll as a junior and senior. Sibomana-Rodriguez was named Kids Helping Kids Kid of the Year and has also received the community spirit award. As a six-year-old Sibomana-Rodriguez survived an attack by chimpanzees while playing with his brother and cousin at Virunga National Park in the Congo. While the other two boys were killed, Sibomana-Rodriguez survived with traumatic injuries to his lips, face and right ear. Many of the muscles in his face were destroyed and he lost the middle finger on his left hand. Sibomana-Rodriguez came to America for reconstructive surgeries a few months after the harrowing incident and lived with foster families both on Long Island and in Brooklyn. He was officially adopted by the Rodriguez family when he was in middle school. 

Southeast Region: Michael Mocco of Parkland, Florida was a four-time Florida state champion for Cardinal Gibbons High School. The son of Kate Herrmann and Steve Mocco, he will continue his wrestling career at the University of Iowa. Mocco was undefeated as a junior (49-0) and senior (54-0) and had a career record of 194-3. He won the U17 World Championships in freestyle in 2024 while capturing Junior Nationals titles in freestyle and Greco-Roman in 2023 and finishing third in 2025. Named Florida Wrestler of the Year in 2023 and 2025, Mocco was a Super 32 champion in 2025 and an Ironman champion in 2024. He volunteered at Our Lady Queen of Martyrs and worked for the CGHS newspaper, the Insight. His father Steve was the New Jersey and National winner of the DSHSEA in 2001. 

West Region: Rocklin Zinklin of Fresno, California was a three-time California state champion and a four-time state finalist for Buchanan High School. The son of Amey and Nick Zinklin, he will continue his wrestling career at Oklahoma State University. He won Junior Nationals in freestyle in 2025 and is a two-time Doc Buchanan champion and a Super 32 champion. Zinklin volunteers in an elementary school class and as a counselor for a youth wrestling program. He is also a member of the “Link Crew” which helps incoming freshmen adapt to high school. 

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. 

Coleman Scott (2004) and Logan Stieber (2010) became the first DSHSEA national winners to be inducted as Distinguished Members of the Hall of Fame when they were inducted in 2024. 

Cael Sanderson, who was the Utah and West Region winner of the DSHSEA in 1997, and Jake Varner, who was the California winner of the DSHEA in 2005, are also Distinguished Members of the Hall of Fame. 

National winners of the DSHSEA have combined to win 20 NCAA Division I individual titles led by four-time champion Logan Stieber (2010), three-time winner Zain Retherford (2013) and two-time winners David Carr (2018), Steven Mocco (2001), David Taylor (2009), Teyon Ware (2002) and Zahid Valencia (2015).

All-Time National Winners of Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award

2025 - Marcus Blaze, Perrysburg High School, Perrysburg, Ohio
2024 - Aeoden Sinclair, Milton High School, Edgerton, Wisconsin
2023 - Cael Hughes, Stillwater High School, Stillwater, Oklahoma
2022 - Cory Land, Moody High School, Moody, Alabama
2021 - Alex Facundo, Davison High School, Essexville, Michigan
2020 - Braxton Amos, Parkersburg South High School, Mineral Wells, West Virginia (Freestyle Junior World Champion and Greco-Roman Junior World Bronze Medalist)
2019 - Cohlton Schultz, Ponderosa High School, Parker, Colorado (Greco-Roman Cadet World Champion)
2018 - David Carr, Perry High School, Massillon, Ohio (NCAA Champion and Junior World Champion)
2017 - Daton Fix, Charles Page High School, Sand Springs, Oklahoma (World Silver Medalist, Junior World Champion and 2X Junior World Bronze Medalist)
2016 - Mark Hall II, Apple Valley High School, Apple Valley, Minnesota (NCAA Champion, 2X Junior World Champion and Cadet World Champion)
2015 - Zahid Valencia, St. John Bosco High School, Bellflower, California (World Champion, 2X NCAA Champion and Junior World Silver Medalist)
2014 - Chance Marsteller, Kennard-Dale High School, Fawn Grove, Pennsylvania
2013 - Zain Retherford, Benton Area High School, Benton, Pennsylvania (3X NCAA Champion)
2012 - Taylor Massa, St. Johns High School, St. Johns, Michigan
2011 - Morgan McIntosh, Calvary Chapel High School, Santa Ana, California
2010 - Logan Stieber, Monroeville High School, Monroeville, Ohio (World Champion and 4X NCAA Champion)
2009 - David Taylor, Graham High School, St. Paris, Ohio (Olympic Gold Medalist, 3X World Champion, World Silver Medalist, World Bronze Medalist and 2X NCAA Champion)
2008 - Jason Chamberlain, Springville High School, Springville, Utah
2007 - Zachary Sanders, Wabasha-Kellogg High School, Wabasha, Minnesota
2006 - David Craig, Brandon High School, Brandon, Florida
2005 - Troy Nickerson, Chenango Forks High School, Chenango Forks, New York (NCAA Champion)
2004 - Coleman Scott, Waynesburg High School, Waynesburg, Pennsylvania (NCAA Champion and Olympic bronze medalist)
2003 - C.P. Schlatter, St. Paris Graham High School, Urbana, Ohio
2002 - Teyon Ware, Edmond North High School, Edmond, Oklahoma (2X NCAA Champion)
2001 - Steven Mocco, Blair Academy, Blairstown, New Jersey (2X NCAA Champion and Olympian)
2000 - Ben Connell, Lugoff-Elgin High School, Lugoff, South Carolina
1999 - Zach Roberson, Blue Valley North West High School, Overland Park, Kansas (NCAA Champion)
1998 - Garrett Lowney, Freedom High School, Appleton, Wisconsin (2X Olympian) and Justin Ruiz, Taylorsville High School, Salt Lake City, Utah (Olympian)
1997 - Jeff Knupp, Walsh Jesuit High School, Akron, Ohio
1996 - David Kjeldgaard, Lewis Central High School, Council Bluffs, Iowa

2026 Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award Regional Winners

Central Region – Austin Collins, Wray High School, Wray, Colorado, University of Wyoming

Midwest Region – Dreshaun Ross, Fort Dodge High School, Fort Dodge, Iowa, Oklahoma State University

Northeast Region – Dunia Sibomana-Rodriguez, Long Beach High School, Long Beach, New York, University of North Carolina

Southeast Region – Michael Mocco, Cardinal Gibbons High School, Parkland, Florida, University of Iowa

West Region – Rocklin Zinkin, Buchanan High School, Fresno, California, Oklahoma State University

2026 Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award State Winners 

State - Name, High School, Hometown, College Attending
Alabama – Bradley Williams, Spain Park High School, Hoover, University of Maryland
Alaska – Michael Dickinson, Soldotna High School, Soldotna, Colorado Mesa University
Arizona – Christopher Ramirez, Canyon View High School, Waddell
Arkansas – Jack Hooe, Shiloh Christian School, Bentonville
California – Rocklin Zinkin, Buchanan High School, Fresno, Oklahoma State University
Colorado -Austin Collins, Wray High School, Wray, University of Wyoming
Connecticut – John Carrozza, Ridgefield High School, Ridgefield, Wesleyan University
Delaware – Nicolas Walker, Cape Henlopen High School, Lewef
Florida – Michael Mocco, Cardinal Gibbons High School, Parkland, University of Iowa
Georgia – Ryder Wilder, Camden County High School, Kingsland, Northwestern University
Hawaii – Hunter Berger, St. Louis School, Honolulu, Duke University
Idaho – Nathan Gugelman II, American Falls High School, American Falls, Utah Valley University
Illinois – Aaron Stewart, Warren Township High School, Gurnee, University of Illinois (For Wrestling and Football)
Indiana – Michael White, Lawrence North High School, Noblesville, Oklahoma State University
Iowa – Dreshaun Ross, Fort Dodge High School, Fort Dodge, Oklahoma State University
Kansas – Brock Johnson, Paola High School, Paola, South Dakota State University
Kentucky – Jayden Raney and Jordyn Raney, Union County High School, Sturgis, Oklahoma State University
Louisiana – Alex Rozas, Teurlings Catholic High School, Rayne, Virginia Tech
Maine – Brady Ouellette, Noble High School, Lebanon
Maryland – Elijah Collick, Stephen Decatur High School, Berlin, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Massachusetts – James Tildsley, Shawsheen Valley Technical High School, Billerica
Michigan – Nicholas Sorrow, Hudson High School, Jackson, Michigan State University
Minnesota – Titan Friedrichs, Watertown Mayer High School, Watertown, University of Minnesota
Mississippi – Caeden Hill, Tupelo High School, Tupelo
Missouri – Miller Sipes, Staley High School, Kansas City, Air Force Academy
Montana – Makael Aguayo, Billings West High School, Billings
Nebraska – Tyler Harrill, Skutt Catholic High School, Gretna, Air Force Academy
Nevada – Brenden Agcaoili, Sports Leadership and Management of Nevada, Las Vegas
New Hampshire – Benjamin Byrne, Nashua High School South, Nashua, New England College (DIII)
New Jersey – Jayden James, Delbarton High School, Westwood, Penn State
New Mexico – Roman Luttrell, Cleveland High School, Rio Rancho, Utah Valley University
New York – Dunia Sibomana, Long Beach High School, Long Beach, University of North Carolina
North Carolina – Bentley Sly, Stuart Cramer High School, Cramerton, Appalachian State University
North Dakota – Nicolas Enzminger, Bismarck Legacy High School, Bismarck, University of Mary
Ohio – Karson Brown, St. Edwards High School, Brunswick, Ohio State University
Oklahoma – Jake Miller, Broken Arrow High School, Broken Arrow, Iowa State University
Oregon – Brody Buzzard, Harrisburg High School, Harrisburg
Pennsylvania – Jax Forrest, Bishop McCort Catholic High School, Johnstown, Oklahoma State University
Rhode Island – Joseph Joyce, Ponganset High School, Chepachet, Princeton University
South Carolina – AJ De La Cruz, West-Oak High School, Westminster
South Dakota – Elijah Schunke, Brandon Valley High School, Brandon, Utah Valley University
Tennessee – Joseph Uhorchuk, Signal Mountain High School, Signal Mountain, United States Military Academy
Texas – Dylan Ota, Southlake Carroll High School, Southlake, Colorado School of Mines
Utah – Austin Paris, Layton High School, Layton, University of Wyoming
Vermont – Cahota LaFond, Colchester High School, Colchester, Vermont State University
Virginia – Jared Goodson, Poquoson High School, Poquoson, Virginia Military Institute
Washington – Czar Quintanilla, Washington State High School, Spokane, Utah Valley University
West Virginia – Jesse Adams, Parkersburg South High School, Coal City, Ohio University
Wisconsin – Kellen Wolbert, Oconomowoc High School, Wales, University of Michigan
Wyoming – Tel Parry, Star Valley High School, Afton