Junction City High School senior Elisa Robinson has been announced as the State of Kansas winner for the Tricia Saunders High School Excellence Award. JCHS Wrestling Coach Tyler Gonzales said the award will be on display at the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in Stillwater, Oklahoma.
Saunders is a four-time world champion and women's wrestling pioneer. She 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.
Winners are evaluated and selected on the basis of three criteria including 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.
Robinson captured a Class 6A state championship at 191 pounds this past February in Salina during the first ever season girls wrestling was sanctioned by the Kansas State High School Activities Association. In three previous years in tournaments hosted in McPherson she captured what were considered state titles even though KSHSAA sanctioning had not yet occurred.