2023 USA Wrestling Greco-Roman Awards: Cohlton Schultz (Wrestler), Spenser Mango (Coach)

USA Wrestling announced its 2023 Athlete and Coach of the Year award winners during the U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Wrestling at Penn State, April 19-20. We will post the winners of these awards this week, one day for each Olympic discipline. We start today with our Greco-Roman Award winners.

Cohlton Schultz named 2023 USA Wrestling Greco-Roman Wrestler of the Year

Cohlton Schultz (Parker, Colo./Sunkist Kids) has been named the 2023 Greco-Roman Wrestler of the Year by USA Wrestling. This is the first time that he has won this prestigious award.

Schultz placed 10^th at the 2023 Senior World Championships in Belgrade, Serbia in September 2023, competing at 130 kg. It was his third straight appearance at the Senior World Championships for the United States. He opened up the tournament with a pin over Marcel Albini of the Czech Republic, before losing in the second round and not qualifying for repechage.

He added a silver medal at the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile in November, 2023, winning his first two matches to reach the finals, before falling to multiple World medalist Oscar Pino Hinds of Cuba in the finals. He qualified for the 2023 Senior World Team by winning at 2023 Final X in Newark, N.J., defeating Adam Coon in two straight matches.

Schultz won two different U.S. Senior National titles during the 2023 calendar year. At the April 2023 U.S. Open in Las Vegas, Schultz claimed the title, beating Coon in the finals by technical fall. He also won the December 2023 Senior Nationals in Fort Worth, Texas, beating Coon in the finals. By winning the December Senior Nationals, Schultz earned the right to wrestle in the 2024 Pan American Olympic Games Qualifier.

Schultz also wrestled in the NCAA Div. I Wrestling Championships in March, 2023, placing seventh at 285 pounds for Arizona State.

He made six U.S. age-group World Teams in Greco-Roman, including winning a U17 World gold medal in 2017, a U20 World silver medal in 2019 and a U20 World bronze medal in 2018. Schultz was second in the 2020 U.S. Olympic Team Trials.

Schultz is now a four-time NCAA All-American for Arizona State, including an appearance in the 2022 NCAA finals. He hails from Parker, Colo., where he was a four-time Colorado state champion.

PAST GRECO-ROMAN WRESTLER OF THE YEAR AWARD WINNERS

2023 — Cohlton Schultz, Parker, Colo., Sunkist Kids  

2022 — Max Nowry, Colorado Springs, Colo., U.S. Army WCAP

2021 — Max Nowry, Colorado Springs, Colo., U.S. Army WCAP

2020 — No award (COVID-19)

2019 — Max Nowry, Colorado Springs, Colo., U.S. Army WCAP

2018 — Adam Coon, Ann Arbor, Mich., New York AC/Cliff Keen WC

2017 — Kamal Bey, Colorado Springs, Colo., Sunkist Kids

2016 — Andy Bisek, Marquette, Mich., Minnesota Storm

2015 — Andy Bisek, Colorado Springs, Colo., Minnesota Storm

2014 — Andy Bisek, Colorado Springs, Colo., Minnesota Storm

2013 — Spenser Mango, Colorado Springs, Colo., U.S. Army WCAP

2012 — Chas Betts, Colorado Springs, Colo., Minnesota Storm

2011 — Justin Lester, Colorado Springs, Colo., U.S. Army

2010 — Justin Ruiz, Meridian, Idaho, New York AC

2009 — Dremiel Byers, Colorado Springs, Colo., U.S. Army

2008 — Adam Wheeler, Colorado Springs, Colo., Gator WC

2007 — Brad Vering, Colorado Springs, Colo., New York AC

2006 — Joe Warren, Colorado Springs, Colo., New York AC

2005 — Justin Ruiz, Colorado Springs, Colo., New York AC

2004 — Rulon Gardner, Wellsville, Utah, Sunkist Kids

2003 — Jim Gruenwald, Colorado Springs, Colo., Sunkist Kids

2002 — Dremiel Byers, Colorado Springs, Colo., U.S. Army

2001 — Rulon Gardner, Cascade, Colo., Sunkist Kids

2000 — Rulon Gardner, Afton, Wyo., Sunkist Kids

1999 — Dremiel Byers, Colorado Springs, Colo., U.S. Army

1998 — Matt Lindland, Lincoln, Neb., Sunkist Kids

1997 — Rulon Gardner, Gilbert, Ariz., Sunkist Kids

1996 — Dennis Hall, Stevens, Point, Wis., Sunkist Kids

1995 — Dennis Hall, Stevens Point, Wis., Sunkist Kids

1994 — Dennis Hall, Stevens Point, Wis., Sunkist Kids

1993 — James Johnson, Phoenix, Ariz., Sunkist Kids

Spenser Mango named 2023 USA Wrestling Greco-Roman Coach of the Year

Spenser Mango (Colorado Springs, Colo./U.S. Army WCAP) has been named the 2023 Greco-Roman Coach of the Year. This is the fourth time Mango has won this prestigious honor and the third time in a row, with selections in 2018, 2021, 2022 and 2023.

Mango is a coach for the U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program, based in Fort Carson, Colo. Army WCAP had half of the athletes who competed in Greco-Roman at the 2023 Senior World Championships in Belgrade, Serbia: Ildar Hafizov (60 kg), Xavier Johnson (63 kg), Alejandro Sancho (67 kg), Kamal Bey (77 kg) and Spencer Woods (82 kg). Johnson and Bey placed 10^th in their weight class. Army WCAP placed a total of 10 athletes on the 2023-24  U.S. Senior Greco-Roman National Team, by being in top three in their weight class.

The U.S. Army placed first in the Div. I team standings at the 2024 U.S. Open in Las Vegas, with four individual champions and 13 total All-Americans.

Army WCAP won the 2023 Armed Forces Championships at Naval Base Kitsap in Bremerton, Wash., claiming the Greco-Roman, freestyle and overall team title.

Mango has been one of the more active coaches helping coach U.S. teams at the international level. He has helped coach numerous past U.S. Senior World Teams and was part of the coaching effort at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Mango was one of the top Greco-Roman athletes to compete for the U.S. Army WCAP program before retiring after the 2016 U.S. Olympic Team Trials to become a coach. Mango competed in two Olympic Games — 2008 in Beijing, China, and 2012 in London, England. He also wrestled on six straight U.S. Senior World Teams (2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015), giving him eight straight years as the No. 1 athlete in the USA at his weight class.

His top placement at a World Championships was fifth in 2013 and 2014. Domestically, Mango claimed seven U.S. Open titles. On the age-group levels, Mango won a 2007 University World championship and a 2006 Junior World Bronze medal.

Mango is a graduate of the University of Northern Michigan, where he competed on its U.S. Olympic Education Program Greco-Roman team. Originally from St. Louis, Missouri, Mango won two state titles for Christian Brothers College High School and was successful in Greco-Roman in USA Wrestling age-group program. SFC Spenser Mango continues to serve in the U.S. Army, having begun his service to the nation in August,of 2010.

PAST GRECO-ROMAN COACH OF THE YEAR AWARD WINNERS

2023 – Spenser Mango, Colorado Springs, Colo., U.S. Army WCAP

2022 - Spenser Mango, Colorado Springs, Colo., U.S. Army WCAP

2021 - Spenser Mango, Colorado Springs, Colo., U.S. Army WCAP

2020 - No award (COVID-19)

2019 – Nate Engel, San Jose, Calif., California RTC/Stanford University

2018 – Spenser Mango, Colorado Springs, Colo., U.S. Army WCAP

2017 – Herb House, Colorado Springs, Colo., New York AC/OTC

2016 - Brandon Paulson, Coon Rapids, Minn., Minnesota Storm

2015 – Jason Loukides, Camp LeJeune, N.C., U.S. Marine Corps

2014 – Dan Chandler, Minneapolis, Minn., Minnesota Storm

2013 – Joe Russell, Fairfax, Va., Patriot Elite WC

2012 – Dan Chandler, Minneapolis, Minn. Minnesota Storm

2011 – Shon Lewis, Colorado Springs, Colo., U.S. Army

2010 – Dan Hicks, Camp LeJeune, N.C., U.S. Marine Corps

2009 – Ivan Ivanov, Boise, Idaho, Suples WC and USOEC

2008 - Brandon Paulson, Anoka, Minn., Minnesota Storm

2007 - Jay Antonelli, Chesapeake, Va., U.S Marines

2006 - Shon Lewis, Colorado Springs, Colo., U.S. Army

2005 - Shawn Sheldon, West Palm Beach, Fla., New York AC

2004 - Andy Seras, Sandy Hook, Conn., Sunkist Kids

2003 - Shon Lewis, Colorado Springs, Colo., U.S. Army

2002 - Shon Lewis, Colorado Springs, Colo., U.S. Army

2001 - Andy Seras, Sandy Hook, Conn., Sunkist Kids

2000 - Dan Chandler, Minneapolis, Minn., Minnesota Storm

1999 - Dan Chandler, Minneapolis, Minn., Minnesota Storm

1998 - Jay Antonelli, Quantico, Va., U.S. Marines

1997 - Dan Chandler, Minneapolis, Minn., Minnesota Storm

1996 - Rob Hermann, Pensacola, Fla., U.S. Navy

1995 - Dan Chandler, Minneapolis, Minn., Minnesota Storm

1994 - Dan Chandler, Minneapolis, Minn., Minnesota USA Wrestling

1993 - Tony Thomas, Fort Benning, Ga., U.S. Army1992 - Rob Hermann, Pensacola, Fla., U.S. Navy