The National Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum has announced the five Regional winners of the Dave Schultz High School Excellence Awards for 2006.

In alphabetical order, the Regional winners are: 
Ben Ashmore of Bishop Lynch High School in Dallas, Texas (Central) 
Adam Hall of Bonners Ferry High School in Bonners Ferry, Idaho (West) 
David Craig of Brandon High School in Brandon, Fla. (Southeast) 
Mack Lewnes of Mount Saint Joseph High School in Baltimore, Md. (Northeast) 
Jon Reader of Davison High School in Davison, Mich. (Midwest) 

One of these five outstanding student-athletes will receive the national Dave Schultz High School Excellence Awards for 2006, which will be announced in May.

The Regional winners will be announced and recognized at the Las Vegas Convention Center, as part of USA Wrestling's U.S. Nationals Championships weekend, which also includes the FILA Junior Nationals, the Veterans Nationals and the Western Junior Regionals.
 
The Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award is presented by the National Wrestling Hall of Fame annually to a high school senior. The award program is based equally on outstanding wrestling success, scholastic achievement and citizenship or community service.

Last week, the Hall of Fame announced its state-wide winners, as a winner of the honor was awarded for each state. The five Regional winners were selected from this pool of outstanding individuals.

This awards program is named in the honor of the late Dave Schultz, an Olympic and World champion, who set an example for excellence, both on and off the mat. Dave's wife Nancy Schultz has played an important role in supporting this awards program.

A short biography of each Regional winners follows:

CENTRAL - Ben Ashmore, Bishop Lynch High School, Dallas, Texas
His high school weight class is 119 pounds. Ashmore is a two-time Prep School National champion, and has won four Texas state high school titles, with a 186-5 career record. He has a 3.5 grade point average (GPA). He has won the Beast of the East Tournament twice, and was a winner of the Dapper Dan Classic this year. He also made the ASICS All-American First Team in 2005. He will attend Oklahoma State in the fall. He is a coach of  the Dallas Firecrackers youth club and a member of three Athlete In Action International Mission Tours. Ashmore volunteers for the Special Olympics hosted at Bishop Lynch High School. He is presently involved in senior project with the Brady Center in Dallas, Texas, and a member of Vansickle Baptist Church.

WEST - Adam Hall, Bonners Ferry High School , Bonners Ferry, Idaho
His high school weight class is 152 pounds. Hall is a three-time Idaho state high school champion, and was also a state runner-up. He has a 3.81 grade point average (GPA). He won the NHSCA High School  Senior Nationals and was named Outstanding Wrestler. He also placed second in freestyle at the 2005 ASICS/Vaughan Junior Nationals, and was a two-time All-American at the Cadet Nationals. He will attend Boise State in the fall. He is an Eagle Scout, a member of the National Honors Society and a youth program member at Trinity Lutheran Church. Hall is a Bonners Ferry Youth Club Coach, and a member of the Foreign Language Club.

SOUTHEAST - David Craig of Brandon High School, Brandon, Fla. 
His high school weight class is 171 pounds. Craig is a four-time Florida high school state champion, with a career record of 136-0. He has a 3.58 grade point average (GPA). He was a double champion at the 2005 ASICS/Vaughan Junior Nationals, winning both freestyle and Greco-Roman titles. He was also a 2003 Cadet National champion. He was a winner at the Dapper Dan Classic this year. He will attend Lehigh Univ. in the fall. He is a member of the Academy of Finance Club and the St. Andrews Community Methodist Church. He works as a youth councilor during the Russ Cozart Summer Wrestling Camps in Brandon, Fla.

NORTHEAST - Mack Lewnes of Mount Saint Joseph High School in Baltimore, Md.
His high school weight class is 160 pounds. Lewnes is a two-time National Prep School champion, and won four Maryland state high school titles, with a 137-12 career record. He has a 4.23 grade point average. He has won titles at major tournaments including the Ironman, the Beast of the East and the Powerade Championships. He will attend Cornell in the fall. He is involved in a Peer Education Mentorship Program as a speaker. He has provided 40 hours of community service with recreational sport in Annapolis, Md. Lewnes is a member of the St. Constantine and Helne Greek Orthodox Church and is a Maryland Distinguished Scholar.

MIDWEST - Jon Reader of Davison High School in Davison, Mich.
His high school weight class is 160 pounds. Reader is a three-time Michigan state high school champion, with a career record of 171-6. He had 54 consecutive pins during his career. He has a 3.65 grade point average (GPA). He was a 2005 FILA Cadet National champion, winning both freestyle and Greco-Roman, and was named Outstanding Wrestler in Greco-Roman. Reader placed second in the 2006 NHSCA High School  Senior Nationals. He will attend Iowa State in the fall.  He is  a Peer Mediation Councilor at Davison High School and a member of Michigan DECA (a marketing and leadership association). Reader serves 10 hours a week as a volunteer youth wrestling coach in Davison, Mich.