Hall of Fame biography: Emily Shilson, Tricia Saunders High School Excellence Award
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by National Wrestling Hall of Fame
Emily Shilson of North Oaks, Minnesota, is the Tricia Saunders High School Excellence Award winner for 2019. She is the daughter of Chad and Margaret Shilson.
A true groundbreaking athlete, Shilson is the top-ranked wrestler at 106 pounds in the National Girls High School Rankings. She was a six-time – yes, six-time – Minnesota Girls High School state champion and qualified for the Minnesota AAA boys state championship three times, becoming the first girl to ever qualify for the tournament. She had a career record of 139-64 with 62 pins against boys, wrestling for Centennial High School and Mounds View High School. She earned all-conference honors twice and was also honorable mention twice.
Shilson made history again in 2018 as the first U.S. wrestler to win a gold medal at the Youth Olympic Games and won the Cadet World Championship in 2018 after capturing a silver medal in 2017.
She won gold medals at the Cadet Pan-Am Championships in 2016 and 2018 when she also earned the Golden Boot Award as the tournament’s Outstanding Wrestler. In addition, she is a three-time Junior National champion in both folkstyle and freestyle, a two-time Cadet Freestyle national champion and a Cadet Folkstyle national champion.
Off the mat, Shilson organized family members and teammates to pick up litter in their community and the communities where they are training and competing, including around the Oklahoma City Memorial during the USA Girls Folkstyle Nationals. She also lettered in cross country and has completed seven marathons and ultramarathons. She has a 3.97 GPA and is planning to enroll and wrestle at Augsburg University.
A true groundbreaking athlete, Shilson is the top-ranked wrestler at 106 pounds in the National Girls High School Rankings. She was a six-time – yes, six-time – Minnesota Girls High School state champion and qualified for the Minnesota AAA boys state championship three times, becoming the first girl to ever qualify for the tournament. She had a career record of 139-64 with 62 pins against boys, wrestling for Centennial High School and Mounds View High School. She earned all-conference honors twice and was also honorable mention twice.
Shilson made history again in 2018 as the first U.S. wrestler to win a gold medal at the Youth Olympic Games and won the Cadet World Championship in 2018 after capturing a silver medal in 2017.
She won gold medals at the Cadet Pan-Am Championships in 2016 and 2018 when she also earned the Golden Boot Award as the tournament’s Outstanding Wrestler. In addition, she is a three-time Junior National champion in both folkstyle and freestyle, a two-time Cadet Freestyle national champion and a Cadet Folkstyle national champion.
Off the mat, Shilson organized family members and teammates to pick up litter in their community and the communities where they are training and competing, including around the Oklahoma City Memorial during the USA Girls Folkstyle Nationals. She also lettered in cross country and has completed seven marathons and ultramarathons. She has a 3.97 GPA and is planning to enroll and wrestle at Augsburg University.
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