STILLWATER, Okla. – Incoming UNI wrestler Cory Land was honored as the 2022 national winner of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame’s Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award (DSHSEA).
“I am honored to receive such a meaningful award, named in honor of someone who had a tremendous impact on our sport. When I first started wrestling one of the first names that I heard about was Dave Schultz,” said Land. “Even though he was taken away before my time his legacy has reigned as one of the greatest wrestlers and people to ever be a part of wrestling. I’m honored to receive such a prestigious award and will continue to do everything I can to represent his name.”
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 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.
Land of Moody, Alabama, is the 11th Panther to earn state recognition and the first to earn the national award. UNI has signed a state honoree for four consecutive years.
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 National Wrestling Hall of Fame is honored to be recognizing Cory Land as the national winner of the Dave Schultz High School Excellence award for 2022. I want to thank our selection committee for doing such a diligent job in choosing Cory as our national winner from the other highly qualified regional winners,” said Hall of Fame Executive Director Lee Roy Smith. “Cory has demonstrated that it is possible to successfully balance training and competing at the highest levels of our sport while also maintaining academic excellence and working on behalf of others in your community.”
The son of Eric Land and Kaylea Williams, Land is a four-time Alabama state high school champion for Moody High School. He was also an Alabama state champion as an eighth grader and finished his high school career with a perfect 203-0 career record. Land was named Outstanding Wrestler at the state tournament as a junior and holds the school record for single-season and career records for wins and pins.
He is the first wrestler from Alabama to compete in the Cadet Greco-Roman World Championships, finishing fifth in 2019 and capturing a silver medal in 2021. He was a Moody High School Bryant-Jordan Achievement Award nominee and received the Ironclad Wrestling Organization Coaches Award.
Land read to elementary school students on Read Across America Day and volunteered at the elementary school’s Thanksgiving Feast and at October Fest. A Beta Club officer and member of the Moody High School Student Leadership Team, he was co-editor of the Moody High School yearbook and served as an ambassador at the Moody Middle School groundbreaking.
He has a GPA of 3.86 and has signed a letter of intent to wrestle at the University of Northern Iowa.
National winners of the DSHSEA award have combined to win 19 NCAA Division I individual titles led by four-time champion Logan Stieber (2010), three-time winner Zain Retherford (2013) and two-time winners Steven Mocco (2001), David Taylor (2009), Teyon Ware (2002) and Zahid Valencia (2015).
Past Panthers to have earned state honors:
- C.J. Ettelson (2007) – Iowa
- Bart Reiter (2009) – Iowa
- Cody Caldwell (2011) – Iowa
- Josh Alber (2014) – Illinois
- Taylor Lujan (2015) – Georgia
- Max Thomsen (2015) – Iowa
- Jack Skudlarczyk (2017) – Texas
- Kyle Gollhofer (2019) – Georgia
- Cael Happel (2020) – Iowa
- Jared Simma (2021) – Kansas
- Cory Land (2022) – U.S. / Southeast / Alabama
All-Time National Winners of Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award
Year – Name, High School, Hometown, State (Superlatives)
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 (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, World Champion, World Silver 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. Paul 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
2022 Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award Regional Winners
Region – Name, Hometown, State, High School, College Attending
- Central – Zach Blankenship, Mounds, Oklahoma, Bixby High School, Oklahoma State University
- Midwest – Ryan Boersma, Tinley Park, Illinois, Mount Carmel High School, University of Missouri
- Northeast – Nicholas Feldman, Quarryville, Pennsylvania, Malvern Preparatory School, Ohio State University
- Southeast – Cory Land, Moody, Alabama, Moody High School, University of Northern Iowa
- West – James Rowley, Corvallis, Oregon, Crescent Valley High School, University of Wisconsin
2022 Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award State Winners
State – Name, High School, Hometown, College Attending
- Alabama – Cory Land, Moody High School, Moody, University of Northern Iowa
- Alaska – Landon Smith, Bethel Regional High School, Bethel
- Arizona – Kaleb Larkin, Valiant College Preparatory, Gilbert, Arizona State University
- Arkansas – Hayden Rofkahr, Greenwood High School, Berryville
- California – Joey Cruz, Clovis North High School, Clovis, University of Oklahoma
- Colorado – Daniel Cardenas, Pomona High School, Westminster, Stanford University
- Connecticut – Will Ebert, Fairfield Warde High School, Fairfield, Binghamton University
- Delaware – Gabe Giampietro, Smyrna High School, Smyrna, Drexel University
- Florida – Tom Crook, Jesuit High School, Tampa, Virginia Tech
- Georgia – Matthew Singleton, Woodward Academy, College Park, North Carolina State
- Hawaii – Blayze Sumiye, Moanalua High School, Ewa Beach, University of Providence
- Idaho – Rylan Rogers, Coeur d’ Alene High School, Hayden, University of Michigan
- Illinois – Ryan Boersma, Mount Carmel High School, Tinley Park, University of Missouri
- Indiana – Jesse Mendez, Crown Point High School, Crown Point, Ohio State University
- Iowa – Aiden Riggins, Waverly-Shell Rock High School, Janesville, University of Iowa
- Kansas – Jerrdon Fisher, Goddard High School, Garden Plain, University of Missouri
- Kentucky – Stephen Little, Union County High School, Sturgis, University of Arkansas at Little Rock
- Louisiana – Glenn Price, Archbishop Shaw High School, Marrero, University of New Orleans
- Maine – Jackson Sutherland, Mattanawcook Academy, Lincoln, Maine Maritime Academy
- Maryland – Richard Fedalen, McDonogh School, Laurel, Columbia University
- Massachusetts – Aiden Hanning, Northfield Mount Hermon High School, Merrimack (New Hampshire), Cornell University
- Michigan – Jacob Gonzales, Holly High School, Davisburg
- Minnesota – Bennett Berge, Kasson-Mantorville High School, Mantorville
- Mississippi – Jimmy Harpole, South Pontotoc High School, Pontotoc, United States Marine Corps
- Missouri – Eli Ashcroft, Kearney High School, Liberty, University of Arkansas Little Rock
- Montana – Trae Thilmony, Thompson Falls High School, Billings, North Carolina State
- Nebraska – Garrett Grice, Bellevue East High School, Bellevue, University of Virginia
- Nevada – Anthony Aniciete, Sports Leadership and Management of Nevada, Henderson, Tiffin University
- New Hampshire – Jack McKiernan, Pinkerton Academy, Derry, American International College
- New Jersey – Brian Soldano, High Point High School, Wantage, Rutgers University
- New Mexico – Avery Atma, Las Cruces High School, Las Cruces
- New York – Kole Mulhauser, Central Square High School, Central Square, Princeton University
- North Carolina – Kyle Montaperto, Central Academy of Technology and Arts, Marvin, University of Virginia
- North Dakota – Brock Fettig, Bismarck High School, Bismarck, South Dakota State University
- Ohio – Dylan Fishback, Aurora High School, Aurora, North Carolina State
- Oklahoma – Zach Blankenship, Bixby High School, Mounds, Oklahoma State University
- Oregon – James Rowley, Crescent Valley High School, Corvallis, University of Wisconsin
- Pennsylvania – Nicholas Feldman, Malvern Preparatory School, Quarryville, Ohio State University
- Rhode Island – Adolfo Betencur, Bishop Hendricken High School, Johnston
- South Carolina – David Hunsberger, James F. Byrnes High School, Lyman, Lander University
- South Dakota – Luke Rasmussen, Brookings High School, Brookings, South Dakota State University
- Tennessee – Ashton Davis, Cleveland High School, Lookout Mountain, University of Wyoming
- Texas – Kenneth Hendriksen, Creekview High School, Carrollton, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
- Utah – Bridger Ricks, Box Elder High School, Perry
- Vermont – Colton Perkins, Spaulding High School, Barre, Castleton University
- Virginia – Adonis Lattimore, Landstown High School, Quinton, United States Naval Academy
- Washington – Gage Cook, Granger High School, Granger, United States Military Academy
- West Virginia – Derek Raike, Point Pleasant High School, Point Pleasant, Ohio University
- Wisconsin – Clayton Whiting, Oconto Falls High School, Oconto, University of Missouri
- Wyoming – Cody Phelps, Pinedale High School, Pinedale, Western Wyoming Community College
National Wrestling Hall of Fame & Museum
America’s shrine to the sport of wrestling, the National Wrestling Hall of Fame & Museum was founded as a nonprofit organization in 1976 to honor the sport of wrestling, preserve its history, recognize extraordinary individual achievements, and inspire future generations. The National Wrestling Hall of Fame has museums in Stillwater, Oklahoma, and Waterloo, Iowa. The Stillwater, Oklahoma, location reopened in June 2016 following a $3.8 million renovation and now features interactive exhibits and electronic kiosks, as well as the opportunity to watch NCAA Championship matches from the 1930s to present day. It also has the John T. Vaughan Hall of Honors where the greatest names in wrestling are recognized, including iconic granite plaques presented to Distinguished Members since the Hall of Fame opened in 1976. The museum has the largest collection of wrestling artifacts and memorabilia in the world, including the most collegiate and Olympic wrestling uniforms. Wrestling truly is for everyone and the diversity and accessibility of the sport continues to be highlighted through exhibits featuring females, African-Americans, Asian Americans, Native Americans, and Latino Americans. There is also a library featuring historical documents, including NCAA guides and results, as well as books on the sport. For more information about the Hall of Fame, visit www.NWHOF.org.
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