Wrestlers of the Year:
Dillon Hinton – Hinton capped off his high school wrestling career with a dominant senior season compiling a 42-3 record. He kicked off the season with a 2nd Place Finish at the Steve Bradley Invite at 157lbs and just after the new year, grabbed 2nd place at 150lbs in the prestigious Lyle King Princeton Invitational Tournament. In the postseason, Hinton made it a clean sweep with Individual Regional and Sectional Championships before going 4-0 at 157lbs at the IHSA 1A Individual State Finals to claim his first ever Individual State Championship. Hinton also helped lead the Vandals to their 30th Regional Championship and to a Runner-Up finish in the IHSA 1A Dual Team State Finals for the second year in a row.
Max Philpot – Philpot missed a bit of time to start the season but quickly got up to speed and racked up an outstanding record of 35-2 in his junior season. Philpot won the 132lb class at the prestigious Lyle King Princeton Invitational Tournament and swept his way through the postseason grabbing his third straight Individual Regional and Sectional Championships and then kept that momentum going at the IHSA 1A State Finals going 4-0 to win the 132lb State Championship, his second in a row and his third top 2 finish at the Individual State Tournament. Philpot also helped lead the Vandals to their 30th Regional Championship and to a Runner-Up finish in the IHSA 1A Dual Team State Finals for the second year in a row.
Preston Waughtel – Waughtel’s junior season was simply illustrious as he went undefeated on the season at 28-0. Waughtel took first place at 126lbs at the Steve Bradley Invite and grabbed another 1st place at 126lbs in the Lyle King Princeton Invitational Tournament. It was another clean sweep through the IHSA 1A Individual State Finals at 126lbs as Waughtel went 4-0 to win the State Championship. It was Waughtel’s third straight top 2 finish. Waughtel also helped lead the Vandals to their 30th Regional Championship and to a Runner-Up finish in the IHSA 1A Dual Team State Finals for the second year in a row.
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