Tyler Schilling of Sweet Home qualified for All-American status last week with a fifth-place finish in Greco at the Cadet 100-pound division at the ASICS/Vaughan Junior and Cadet National Championships in Fargo, N.D.
Schilling, who will be a sophomore this fall, is the second member of his family to achieve All-American status after his older brother Colton did so last year. Colton Schilling, who will be a senior this fall, moved up a couple of weight classes this year and finished a match short of qualifying in Greco and 2-2 in freestyle.
“He didn’t lose to any slouches,” Thorpe said. “Both kids he lost to are already committed and signed to Division I wrestling programs.
“They wrestled great. As always, it’s a busy summer for kids who want to make themselves better athletes. The training they’re doing will help them not just in wrestling. The training we do will make you better no matter what you do.”
Back home for two days, the Schillings left Tuesday, July 24, along with Thorpe, their father Steve Schilling, and Sweet Home teammates Tyler Cowger and Wade Paulus, for an Oregon cultural exchange trip to South Africa through Aug. 12.
Team members spent Monday in a mini-camp to “knock the rust off,” Thorpe said.
The Oregon team includes two other All-Americans – Cowger and Hermiston’s Tyler Berger – and several state high school champions.
Every wrestler on the team had to qualify in a tournament and has placed in a high school state championship, he said.
“This is a very, very good team we’re taking,” he said. “It’s probably one of the better cultural exchange teams Oregon’s taken anywhere in a long time. It’s the best we’ve ever taken to Africa. It’s by far one of the most decorated teams we’ve sent.”