Youth Wrestler of the Year Named for 2007

UtahWrestling.org has named William Kilpack of Sandy the 2007 Youth Wrestler of the Year.

Kilpack, a 12-year-old student in the seventh grade at Indian Hills Middle School, has had an excellent year on the mat, compiling a season record of 106-20, four state championships, three national titles, three national runner-up finishes, and two Western Regional championships.  Kilpack is now a seven-time national champion, and an eight-time state champion.  He was also named the Intermountain Champion for the Novice (ages 11 and 12) division in freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling in the first year of the Intermountain Champion Series.  He is a member of Mountain Top Wrestling Club, based in Sandy.

Bill Kilpack, editor of UtahWrestling.org and Utah editor for Wrestling USA Magazine, said, "William is an amazing athlete, and has been since a little kid.  He's got the right physical attributes, but is also very smart on the mat.  William has all the potential in the world and, despite all that he's done already, is really just starting to take off as an athlete.  It's humbling to see someone as young as he is doing things that I couldn't until I was quite a bit older.  It never ceases to amaze me to see what he is capable of."  Kilpack is also William's father and coach.

Kilpack's junior-high season was hampered by a shoulder injury, but he finished fourth at the Gladiator World Championships and fifth at the Who's Bad National Classic this past December, and finished second at the 4A/5A Junior High State Championships.  Several months later, he won the state titles in both freestyle and Greco-Roman at both the USA Wrestling-Utah State Championships and AAU Wrestling Utah State Championships.  He won a national folkstyle title at the AAU Grand Nationals in Butte, Mont., and two runner-up finishes in freestyle and Greco-Roman, then went from there to take the gold in both styles at the USA Wrestling Western Regional Championships (11-state championship tournament) held in Klamath Falls, Ore., where he wrestled 15 matches and won 14 by fall or technical superiority (gaining a six-point lead in two of three rounds).  After, he went on to Green Bay, Wis., where he came away with runner-up honors in freestyle at the USA Wrestling Kids Nationals, and a fourth-place finish in Greco-Roman.  He wrapped up the season as a selection for the Utah All-Star team this past July, and two more national titles at the State Games of America in freestyle and folkstyle.

He has been a prominent athlete in Utah wrestling since his first state championship at the age of five.  In 2006, he was ranked no. 2 in the Novice division (ages 11 and 12), as well as for all Kids divisions (ages 4 to 14).  In 2005, Kilpack was the Youth Wrestler of the Year and, in 2004, he was the no. 2 ranked Midget division (ages 9 and 10) wrestler, and no. 6 ranked overall.  Also in 2005, Utah Sports Magazine recognized Kilpack as one of Utah's Finest.

Over his young career, Kilpack has won eight state championships, seven national titles, and 25 All-American finishes and, in this the first year of the Intermountain Champion Series, was named the Intermountain Champion for the Novice division.

Another young Utah wrestler who really shined this season was Taylor LaMont of Mapleton.  He finished out 2007 as the no. 1 ranked Midget division wrestler, and no. 2 overall.  He won all three national titles at the AAU Grand Nationals in Butte, both titles at the USA Wrestling Western Regional Championships in Klamath Falls, Ore., and state titles in both freestyle and Greco-Roman at both the USA Wrestling-Utah State Championships and AAU Wrestling Utah State Championships.  He also won the U.S. Folkstyle Nationals this year, and took runner-up honors at the Reno World Championships (one of the toughest folkstyle tournaments in the country).

Nine-year-old LaMont is a fourth grader at Hobble Creek Elementary.  He is a nine-time state champion, and has won three AAU Grand Nationals triple crowns (winning the title in all three styles in Santa Fe, NM, Omaha, Neb., and Butte, Mont.).  He is a two-time place winner at the Reno World Championships, and a two-time national champion at the U.S. Folkstyle Nationals.  For the 2005–2006 season, Taylor was the top-ranked Bantam in Utah (ages 7 and 8), the no. 2-ranked Bantam in the 2004–2005 season and the top-ranked Flyweight (ages 6 and Under) for 2003–2004.  This year, Taylor was also voted the Utah Official of the Year by members of USA Wrestling-Utah (athletes, coaches and fellow mat officials).

This is the fourth year that UtahWrestling.org has named a Youth Wrestler of the Year.  The recipient is selected based on points earned for placement in local and national wrestling tournaments.

In 2006, the Youth Wrestler of the Year was Brandon George of Woods Cross.  At that time, he was a 12-year-old seventh grader at Millcreek Junior High, with an excellent season on the mat, finishing second at the U.S. Folkstyle Nationals this past January, and state titles in all three styles.  He took fifth at the Reno World Championships, the gold in Greco-Roman at the USA Wrestling Western Regional Championships in Klamath Falls, Ore., and won a national title in Greco-Roman at the AAU Grand Nationals held in Omaha, Neb.  At that same tournament, he took runner-up honors in both freestyle and folkstyle.  He wrapped up the season as a selection for the Utah All-Star team, winning one of the five matches that Utahns rose victorious against the Ohio All-Star team this past July.

In 2005, the Youth Wrestler of the Year was William Kilpack of Sandy.  At that time, he was a 10-year-old fourth grader at Sunrise Elementary, winning a national title in each of the three styles (freestyle, Greco-Roman and folkstyle), a state title in Greco-Roman wrestling, a fourth-place finish at the USA Wrestling Western Regional Championships in Greco-Roman, and a total of seven All-American finishes.

In 2004, the Youth Wrestler of the Year was Carson Kuhn of Sandy.  At that time, he was a 12-year-old seventh grader.  That year, he won a national title in freestyle, was the runner-up in Greco-Roman, and earned two championships at USA Wrestling Western Regionals (freestyle and Greco-Roman).  This came after taking state in all three styles.

WrestlingUSA Magazine has been the voice of national high school wrestling since 1965. For more information, see www.wrestlingusa.com.

Kilpack is editor of UtahWrestling.org, an AAU national champion and seven-time national silver medalist, a 15-time AAU/USA Wrestling All-American, and earned an alternate position on the U.S. Pan-Am Team in Greco-Roman. He coaches an independent freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling program through Salt Lake County Parks and Recreation, Mountain Top Wrestling Club.