Youth Wrestler of the Year Named for 2008

UtahWrestling.org has named Caleb Williams of Wellington the 2008 Youth Wrestler of the Year.

Williams, a 12-year-old student in the 6th grade at Wellington Elementary School during the 2007–2008 season, has had an excellent year on the mat, compiling a season record of 152-12, four state championships, five national titles and three Western Regional runner-up finishes.  Williams is now a 32-time national champion, and an 17-time state champion.  He was also named the Outstanding Wrestler for the Novice (ages 11 and 12) division in Greco-Roman at the USA Wrestling-Utah State Championships.  He is a member of Champions Wrestling Club, based in Springville.

Bill Kilpack, editor of UtahWrestling.org and Utah editor for Wrestling USA Magazine and IntermatWrestle.com, said, "Williams is an amazing athlete, and has really learned to use his length and leverage in a sport that tends to favor shorter, stockier athletes.  He's very smart on the mat, knowing when to ease into a position and when to really hit it hard."

After winning his second straight junior-high state title, Williams finished fourth at the Tulsa Nationals and Reno World Championships, then had runner-up finishes in all three styles at the USA Wrestling Western Regional Championships (11-state championship tournament) held in Pocatello, Ida.

Ron Williams, Caleb's father, said, "This is the first year Caleb participated in regionals (it has always conflicted with baseball), but with it being so close, we were able to do both.  It was awesome!"

He followed those runner-up finishes with five straight national titles, winning it in both freestyle and Greco-Roman at the USA Wrestling Kids Nationals in Orem, Uta., and all three styles at the AAU Grand Nationals in Castle Rock, Colo. He was one of only five Utah athletes to win three national titles at AAU Grand Nationals.

In 2007, Williams won the Cliff Keen Trinity Award (winning three of the World of Wrestling series of national tournaments) and was on the 1st Team World of Wrestling All-Stars. That same year, he was the first Utahn to receive the American Crown Award (winning three of the American Crown series of national tournaments) and has been named a Triple Crown Winner for the Rocky Mountain Nationals tournament series three times.

He has been a prominent athlete in Utah wrestling since very young.  In 2007, he was ranked no. 3 in the Novice division (ages 11 and 12) and no. 5 for all Kids divisions (ages 4 to 14). In 2006, he was the no.1 ranked Midget (ages 9 and 10) wrestler in Utah, and no. 5 for all Kids divisions. In 2005, he was the no. 4 ranked Midget in Utah, and no. 11 for all Kids divisions. In 2004, he was the no. 1 ranked Bantam division (ages 7 and 8) wrestler.

Over his young career, Williams has won 17 state championships, 32 national titles, and 42 All-American finishes.

Another Utah wrestler who really shined this season was William Kilpack of Sandy.  He finished out 2008 as the no. 1 ranked Schoolboy (ages 13 and 14) division wrestler, and no. 2 overall.  He won the title at the Reno World Championships (the largest folkstyle tournament in the country) and was the first Utahn to be named Outstanding Wrestler for his age division at that tournament; all three national titles at the AAU Grand Nationals in Castle Rock; the Reno Nationals; and the Gladiator World Championships.  He had a runner-up finish at the Games of Rome, finished third at the Rocky Mountain Nationals and the Beehive Brawl, and finished sixth at the Salt Lake Slam.  He was the Intermountain Champion for the Schoolboy division in the lower weights, and won two state titles in Greco-Roman and one in freestyle at both the USA Wrestling-Utah State Championships and AAU Wrestling Utah State Championships.  He was also named the Outstanding Wrestler in Greco-Roman at the Box Elder Tournament, the Kuna Classic and the Bill Scheff Invitational, and was named to the 2nd Team World of Wrestling All-Stars.

13-year-old Kilpack is an eighth grader at Indian Hills Middle School.  He is a 13-time national champion, a two-time Intermountain Champion, an 11-time state champion, and a nine-time Utah Summer Games champion.  For 2005 and 2007, Kilpack was the Utah Youth Wrestler of the Year.  He has also represented Utah and the United States as a Student Ambassador, in 2006 in England and Scotland, and in 2008 in China.

This is the fifth 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 2007, the Youth Wrestler of the Year was William Kilpack of Sandy.  At that time, he was a 12-year-old sixth grader at Sunrise Elementary, winning two national titles in folkstyle and one in freestyle, three national runner-up finishes, four state titles, two championships at the USA Wrestling Western Regional Championships, a total of eight All-American finishes and was the Intermountain Champion for the Novice division.

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.

Wrestling USA 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 and the junior-high program, Jordan Junior Wrestling.