Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cael Hughes Named National Winner of the Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award
May 03, 2023 | Cowboy Wrestling
STILLWATER – Oklahoma State wrestling signee Cael Hughes was announced as the national winner of the 2023 Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award by the National Wrestling Hall of Fame on Wednesday morning.
"Receiving the national Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award is an incredible honor that I am very thankful for," Hughes said. "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. 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."
A four-time state champion for Stillwater High School, Hughes became Oklahoma's 45th four-time state wrestling champion. He also became the fifth Oklahoma wrestler to finish his high school career undefeated and untied, compiling a 140-0 career record. He also helped lead Stillwater to three straight Oklahoma team titles and back-to-back Oklahoma dual team titles.
He won and was named the Outstanding Wrestler at the 2023 Pittsburgh Classic and was also the 2022 Walsh Ironman tournament champion. Win Magazine named him the 2023 recipient of the Junior Hodge Trophy, presented annually by Resilite to the nation's most dominant wrestler. He was also announced as the Jim Thorpe High School Player of the Year for wrestling by the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame.
He volunteered with Stillwater Medical Center, delivering meals to homebound people, and with Stillwater Makes A Changer, a student-led philanthropic project at Stillwater High School. Hughes also volunteered with Special Olympics and with Unified Peers, one-on-one mentoring with special needs students.
Valedictorian of his class and a member of the National Honor Society, Hughes was an Academic State Championship team member in 2021.
Hughes becomes the fourth Oklahoma State wrestling signee to be named the national winner of the Dave Schultz High School excellence award, joining Coleman Scott in 2004, Chance Marsteller in 2014 and Daton Fix in 2017. Steve Mocco was also a recipient of the award in 2001, but did not join the Cowboys until 2005.
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.
"Cael has shown that he not only has an intense desire and passion to excel in the sport of wrestling, but also in the classroom and in the community," Hall of Fame Executive Director Lee Roy Smith said. "He holds himself to a high standard as an athlete and student while respecting others and impacting his community and the world in a positive way."
Hughes will be honored at the National Wrestling Hall of Fame on June 2 and 3 in Stillwater as part of the Hall of Fame's 46th Honors Weekend.
"Receiving the national Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award is an incredible honor that I am very thankful for," Hughes said. "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. 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."
A four-time state champion for Stillwater High School, Hughes became Oklahoma's 45th four-time state wrestling champion. He also became the fifth Oklahoma wrestler to finish his high school career undefeated and untied, compiling a 140-0 career record. He also helped lead Stillwater to three straight Oklahoma team titles and back-to-back Oklahoma dual team titles.
He won and was named the Outstanding Wrestler at the 2023 Pittsburgh Classic and was also the 2022 Walsh Ironman tournament champion. Win Magazine named him the 2023 recipient of the Junior Hodge Trophy, presented annually by Resilite to the nation's most dominant wrestler. He was also announced as the Jim Thorpe High School Player of the Year for wrestling by the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame.
He volunteered with Stillwater Medical Center, delivering meals to homebound people, and with Stillwater Makes A Changer, a student-led philanthropic project at Stillwater High School. Hughes also volunteered with Special Olympics and with Unified Peers, one-on-one mentoring with special needs students.
Valedictorian of his class and a member of the National Honor Society, Hughes was an Academic State Championship team member in 2021.
Hughes becomes the fourth Oklahoma State wrestling signee to be named the national winner of the Dave Schultz High School excellence award, joining Coleman Scott in 2004, Chance Marsteller in 2014 and Daton Fix in 2017. Steve Mocco was also a recipient of the award in 2001, but did not join the Cowboys until 2005.
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.
"Cael has shown that he not only has an intense desire and passion to excel in the sport of wrestling, but also in the classroom and in the community," Hall of Fame Executive Director Lee Roy Smith said. "He holds himself to a high standard as an athlete and student while respecting others and impacting his community and the world in a positive way."
Hughes will be honored at the National Wrestling Hall of Fame on June 2 and 3 in Stillwater as part of the Hall of Fame's 46th Honors Weekend.
Players Mentioned
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