ASICS committee seeks to identify nation’s top prep wrestler

By Gary Abbott
USA Wrestling/Themat.com
gabbott@usawrestling.org

The high school wrestling season is coming to a close, with state championships being hosted across the nation, mostly in February and March. Dreams are being achieved, as high school athletes in each state are seeking to win a coveted state high school crown.

With so much interest in high school wrestling at this time, the inevitable question for wrestling fans is this: Who is the nation’s top high school wrestler this year?

The answer to that question, for the last 22 years, has been sought by a committee on behalf of ASICS, one of the leading corporations in the wrestling community. Since 1986, ASICS has sponsored an annual High School All-American Team, and named a High School Wrestler of the Year. The ASICS staff is not included on the committee; as the choices are made by independent high school wrestling experts on behalf of the company.

One of the reasons that the ASICS awards program is considered the most prestigious of high school awards is that athletes from all grades are considered in the selections. Many All-American teams include just seniors, or are broken down by year in school. The ASICS teams feature the best of the best, regardless of whether they are seniors, juniors, sophomores or freshmen.

In addition, the team is not selected just upon how they do in their regular high school season. Included in the discussion are the major post season competitions, such as USA Wrestling’s national and regional championships on the age levels (Cadet, FILA Cadet, Junior and FILA Junior), as well as the annual folkstyle high school championship tournaments.

The first ASICS High School All-American Team was selected in 1986, and published in the national magazine Wrestling Masters. The ASICS High School Wrestler of the Year in 1986 was Laurence Jackson of California, who had dazzling success at the ASICS Junior Nationals and was a dominant wrestler in his state.

Jackson became the first of a series of star high school wrestlers who received this award, which is annually presented at the ASICS/Vaughan Junior National Championships. The list of past winners include many wrestlers who have gone on to glory on the college and international levels.

The following year, ASICS developed a poster which featured its All-American Team, and is mailed to every high school and USA Wrestling club in the nation. These posters are prominently displayed at the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, and have become a favorite display for visitors there.

Of the 21 previous Wrestler of the Year winners among boys, three made Olympic teams: Cary Kolat of Pennsylvania, Joe Williams of Illinois and Oscar Wood of Oregon. Of this elite group of wrestlers, eight won NCAA titles: Kolat, Williams, Alan Fried of Ohio, Damion Hahn of New Jersey, Jesse Jantzen of New York, Steven Mocco of New Jersey, Zack Esposito of New Jersey and Dustin Schlatter of Ohio.

No wrestler has ever won the ASICS High School Wrestler of the Year twice. The first underclassman to win was Ohio junior Alan Fried in 1988. The next year, however, Adam Mariano of New York received the award. Another junior to win the ASICS High School Wrestler of the Year was Dustin Schlatter of Ohio in 2005. The next year, New York’s Troy Nickerson claimed the honor.

Last year’s winner was considered a dominant choice, Henry Cejudo of Coronado High School in Colorado. Although Cejudo was untouchable in high school competition, his claim to fame came in freestyle wrestling on the Senior level. Cejudo became the first high school wrestler to win a U.S. Senior Nationals freestyle title in 2006 since USA Wrestling has been the national governing body. Cejudo was beating some of the world’s top wrestlers while still a high school student, an amazing feat that was considered in the selection of the High School Wrestler of the Year award.

Certainly, the selection of the ASICS Team offers wrestling fans something to discuss and argue. It is very difficult to pick the nation’s best wrestlers in each weight class to start. The ASICS Team is selected by the weight class that the athlete competed in the high school state tournament. Athletes are not moved around to different weight classes, no matter what. In some cases, among the best wrestlers in the nation happen to be in the same weight division and only one can be on the First Team. An example was when Schlatter and six-time Junior Nationals champion Brent Metcalf of Michigan were battling at the same weight during their high school years.

In 2001, ASICS and TheMat.com started a Girls High School All-American Team, and a new committee was formed to evaluate the young female wrestlers on the prep levels. The first Girls High School Wrestler of the Year winner in 2001 was Toccara Montgomery of Ohio, who went on to earn a spot on the first U.S. Women’s Olympic Wrestling Team in 2004. Like the men, no girl has ever won the award twice. Each of the six winners have been medal winners at the U.S. Senior Women’s National Championships in freestyle, including last year’s recipient Jackie Cataline of California.

With high school wrestling meets being held around the nation at this time, the debate for this year’s awards has already begun. However, it is really still too early to even consider the Wrestler of the Year choice, since the spring wrestling season is also a factor in the final choice. Not only will this year’s winner need to win a state high school or prep school national title, but their performance in the post-season events will take on added significance. With national folkstyle championships and top USA Wrestling age-group national tournament still ahead, the jury is still out on who will be the winner this summer in Fargo, N.D. when the ASICS awards are presented.

Who do you think is the nation’s top high school wrestler in 2007? Let the debate begin.

ASICS High School Wrestler of the Year
1986 - Laurence Jackson, California
1987 - Dan Knight, Iowa
1988 - Alan Fried, Ohio
1989 - Adam Mariano, New York
1990 - Ray Brinzer, Pennsylvania
1991 - Scott Schluchter, Oklahoma
1992 - Cary Kolat, Pennsylvania
1993 - Joe Williams, Illinois
1994 - Oscar Wood, Oregon
1995 - Sean Hage, Georgia
1996 - David Kjedlgaard, Iowa
1997 - Kenny Cox, Oregon
1998 - T.J. Hill, Missouri
1999 - Damion Hahn, New Jersey
2000 - Jesse Jantzen, New York
2001 - Steven Mocco, New Jersey
2002 - Zack Esposito, New Jersey
2003 - Roger Kish, Michigan
2004 - Dustin Schlatter, Ohio
2005 - Troy Nickerson, New York
2006 – Henry Cejudo, Colorado

TheMat.com/ASICS Girls High School Wrestler of the Year
2001 - Toccara Montgomery, Ohio
2002 - Brandy Rosenbrock, Michigan
2003 - Samantha Lang, Oregon
2004 - Ali Bernard, Minnesota
2005 - Deanna Rix, Maine
2006 – Jackie Cataline, California

Gary Abbott is the Director of Communications and Special Projects for USA Wrestling and is a founder of the National Wrestling Media Association and is a 2005 recipient of the NWCA Meritorious Service Award.

Gary Abbott