STILLWATER, Okla. — The National Wrestling Hall of Fame announced Thursday afternoon the state winners of the Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award (DSHSEA). Incoming University of Minnesota student-athletes Gable Steveson (Minnesota) and Brayton Lee (Indiana) both received the honor of their respective state.
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.
Hailing from Apple Valley, Minn., Steveson is recently off his appearance at the U.S. Open on the senior level where he finished fourth at just 17 years old. Steveson leaves the high school wrestling scene as one of the most decorated wrestlers ever; he is a three-time world champion in freestyle wrestling (twice at Cadet level, once at Junior level), a four-time Minnesota state champion and leaves with a 171-match winning streak. He was named Metro Wrestler of the Year by the Star Tribune and InterMat High School Wrestler of the Year in 2018.
Winning the award in the state of Indiana was Brayton Lee. Lee leaves Brownsburg with an undefeated home record along with his three state championships. Lee leaves the high school level as one of the top recruits in the entire 2018 class. He burst on to the scene after he won the Who’s #1 event in October in the 152-pound division and has taken third at Fargo twice, and has also finished third at the prestigious Super 32 Tournament.
Be sure to follow along with Gopher Wrestling on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram as we approach the Senior Challenge Tournament and UWW Junior World Team Trials in Rochester, Minn. where both Lee and Steveson will wrestle.