Seth Duckworth
The National Wrestling Hall of Fame on Wednesday announced that Cael Hughes of Glencoe, Oklahoma, is the 2023 national winner of the Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award (DSHSEA).
“Receiving the national Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award is an incredible honor that I am very thankful for,” said Hughes. “I have always looked up to athletes like Dave Schultz, who show excellence on and off the mat, and it has always been a priority of mine to do the same.
“I want to thank God and my family for blessing me and helping me achieve my dreams,” he added. “I will continue to give my all to this sport that I love and when I complete my wrestling career I have every intention of giving back to the sport that made me who I am today.”
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.
Hughes was also named the Junior Hodge Trophy winner last week.
