STILLWATER, Okla. – The National Wrestling Hall of Fame on Wednesday announced the state 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.
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.
“Each year, our Tricia Saunders High School Excellence Award allows us to recognize young women who represent the very best of our sport,” said NWHOF Executive Director Lee Roy Smith. “This award celebrates more than athletic achievement by also honoring leadership, character and a commitment to excellence on the mat, in the classroom and in their communities. As women’s wrestling continues its remarkable growth across the country, these student-athletes are helping lead the way and inspiring the next generation.”
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 Central Region, Midwest Region, Northeast Region, Southeast Region and West Region winners will be announced on April 21 and the national winner will be announced on April 27.
The state winners of the Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award will be announced on Thursday. 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 regional DSHSEA winners will be announced on April 22 and the national winner will be announced on April 28.
The regional winners for the TSHSEA and the DSHSEA are selected from the state winners, and the national winner is 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
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.
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.
