Future Statesmen Piper Fowler Garners National Award from National Wrestling Hall of Fame
by Jack Carnefix
Operations Manager
National Wrestling Hall of Fame
Stillwater, Okla. – The National Wrestling Hall of Fame on Tuesday (April 29) announced that Piper Fowler of Cleveland, Tennessee is the 2025 national winner of the Tricia Saunders High School Excellence Award (TSHSEA).
The Hall of Fame's High School Excellence Awards are proudly sponsored by the Hyman Family, whose generous support and passion for the sport help ensure the continued recognition and development of wrestling's next generation.
"I'm incredibly honored to receive the Tricia Saunders High School Excellence Award from the National Wrestling Hall of Fame," said Fowler. "Tricia Saunders broke barriers and paved the way for so many women in wrestling, and to be recognized in her name is both humbling and inspiring.
"This award fuels my drive to keep pushing forward—not just for myself, but for the next generation of girls in this sport," she added. "I'm deeply grateful to everyone who has supported me on this journey. I hope to carry on Tricia Saunders' legacy by inspiring the next wave of strong, fearless women in wrestling."
First presented in 2014, the TSHSEA is named for Tricia Saunders, a four-time World Champion and women's wrestling pioneer. Saunders was the first woman to be inducted as a Distinguished Member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2006 and was inducted into the United World Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2011.
The award recognizes and celebrates the nation's most outstanding high school senior female wrestlers for their excellence in wrestling, scholastic achievement, citizenship, and community service.
The national winner of the Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award will be announced on Wednesday. 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.
The TSHSEA and DSHSEA national winners will be honored during the 48th Honors Weekend at the National Wrestling Hall of Fame & Museum on June 6 and 7 in Stillwater, Oklahoma. To purchase tickets for Honors Weekend, visit https://bit.ly/2025NWHOFHonorsWeekendTickets.
"Piper's high school journey has been nothing short of exceptional," said Hall of Fame Executive Director Lee Roy Smith. "She has demonstrated remarkable drive and resilience in wrestling, all while excelling academically and giving back to her community in meaningful ways.
"As the newest recipient of the Tricia Saunders High School Excellence Award, Piper joins an inspiring group of young women who exemplify the values this award celebrates," he added. "With women's wrestling being the fastest-growing high school sport and newly added as the NCAA's 91st championship sport in 2025, Piper's success reflects the bright future of the sport—and we look forward to all she will continue to accomplish."
The daughter of Zack and McKenzie Fowler, Piper will continue her wrestling career at William Penn University.
Fowler was an undefeated four-time Tennessee wrestling state champion for Cleveland High School. She helped start the wrestling team at her school and was instrumental in helping them capture three state team titles and a third-place finish. Fowler was named Outstanding Wrestler at the 2024 state tournament and the recipient of the Catherine Neely Female Athlete of the Year award.
She won a gold medal at the 2023 U17 World Championships and represented the United States again in 2024. She is also a National High School Coaches Association champion, a Fargo champion, a Super 32 champion.
A Raider scholar, Fowler is a member of the Cleveland High School Leadership Council and the Criminal Justice Club. She is an active member in her youth group at church while also serving as an ambassador for ATS the Bridge, taking a public stand against drugs and vaping, and volunteering at elementary schools.
Fowler becomes the second national winner from Tennessee joining 2016 winner Katie Brock from Whitwell, Tennessee. California and Tennessee are tied for the most national winners with two while Hawaii, Idaho, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma and Washington have each had one winner.
Women's wrestling is one of the fastest growing high school sports with participation growing by more than 292 percent from 16,562 in 2018 to 65,000 in 2024.
Forty-six state high school athletic associations have voted to approve girls wrestling as an official sport, and 46 held official girls high school state wrestling championships in 2024-25. Hawaii was the first state to host a girls state championship in 1998 and Texas began its girls' tournament in 1999. The number grew to six states by 2015.
States that hosted girls state wrestling championships in 2024-25 are Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
In January, the NCAA added women's wrestling as its 91st championship sport. Women's wrestling advances from the NCAA Emerging Sports for Women program to become a national collegiate championship, featuring female athletes from all three divisions competing against one another. The NCAA's first women's wrestling championship will be in 2026. The NAIA recognizes women's wrestling as an official varsity sport and held their first official championship in 2023.
There are over 175 intercollegiate women's wrestling teams competing at the NCAA, NAIA, junior college and community college level.
Hall of Fame High School Excellence winners are evaluated and selected on the basis of three criteria: success and standout performances and sportsmanship in wrestling; review of GPA and class rank, academic honors and distinctions; and participation in activities that demonstrate commitment to character and community.
The Hall of Fame accepts nominations for its high school excellence awards from state chapters and coaches. The nominations are reviewed by a committee, which selects state and regional winners. The committee then determines the national winners from the regional winners.
All-Time National Winners of Tricia Saunders High School Excellence Award
Year - Name, High School, Hometown, State
2025 – Piper Fowler, Cleveland High School, Cleveland, Tennessee
2024 – Nebi Tsarni, Watkins Mill High School, Montgomery Village, Maryland
2023 - Kira Pipkins, Bloomfield High School, Bloomfield, New Jersey
2022 - Sofia Macaluso, Minisink High School, Otisville, New York
2021 - Olivia Brown, Broken Arrow High School, Broken Arrow, Oklahoma
2020 - Nanea Estrella, Lahainaluna High School, Makawao, Hawaii
2019 - Emily Shilson, Mounds View High School, North Oaks, Minnesota (Junior World Champion)
2018 - Alleida Martinez, Selma High School, Selma, California
2017 - Cierra Foster, Post Falls High School, Post Falls, Idaho
2016 - Katie Brock, Sequatchie County High School, Whitwell, Tennessee
2015 - Marizza Birrueta, Grandview High School, Grandview, Washington
2014 - Marina Doi, Kingsburg High School, Kingsburg, California
