Sam Shields-Colbray named USA Wrestling Athlete of the Week

Sam Shields-Colbray holds up his freestyle nationals stop sign. Photo: John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com.

Sam Shields-Colbray (Hermiston, Ore./Hermiston) has been selected as TheMat.com Athlete of the Week on July 26, 2016.


Shields-Colbray, a four-time Oregon high school state champion for Hermiston High School, doubled up at the 2016 ASICS/Vaughan Junior Nationals in Fargo, N.D. last week winning both the Greco-Roman and freestyle tournaments at 220 pounds.


Over the Greco-Roman competition, Shields-Colbray amassed six dominant victories on his way to the first place prize. He scored two pins and four technical falls on his road to the top, including a 13-2 win over Virginia’s Jeffrey Allen in the championship match.


Four days later Shields-Colbray capped off his trip to Fargo with an electric 15-4 technical fall victory over past Triple Crown winner Keegan Moore of Minnesota in the freestyle finals to win his fifth overall Fargo crown. The Oregonian won all six of his freestyle matches by technical fall, five of which were 10-0 scores. He outscored his opponents 65-4 in the men’s freestyle tournament.


Shields-Colbray was one of only two wrestlers to capture Junior national championships in both styles this year. The other being Minnesota’s Griffin Parriott who won the Greco-Roman and freestyle tournaments at 152 pounds.


Throughout his prep career, Shields-Colbray has appeared in the Fargo finals eight times, winning five. In addition to his two championships this year, he won the Junior Greco-Roman Nationals in 2014 and the Cadet Greco-Roman Nationals in 2012 and 2013. He was runner-up at the Junior Nationals in both styles last year and in the 2013 Cadet Freestyle Nationals.


Shields-Colbray has committed to wrestle at Iowa State next season under the leadership of Kevin Jackson. He was one of five Iowa State commits to make the Junior Nationals finals in freestyle, four of whom won it all.


Each week USA Wrestling will select an Athlete of the Week based upon performance within wrestling for that week. The selection committee will consider any level of wrestling, from youth programs through the Senior level.


To nominate a wrestler for USA Wrestling Athlete of the Week please send the athlete’s name, wrestling program and weekly and career accomplishments to Richard Immel at rimmel@usawrestling.org.