USA Wrestling President Bruce Baumgartner presents the John Smith Award for the Freestyle Wrestler of the Year to David Taylor, at the Kickoff Party in Pittsburgh. Photo by Justin Hoch.

David Taylor (State College, Pa./Nittany Lion WC) has been named the winner of the 2018 John Smith Award as the Freestyle Wrestler of the Year by USA Wrestling. It is the first time that Taylor has received this prestigious award.

Taylor received the award at the Kickoff Party, organized by Jordan and Lauren Burroughs, in Pittsburgh, Pa. on March 20.

Taylor won a gold medal at 86 kg in freestyle at the 2018 World Wrestling Championships in Budapest, Hungary. It was his first Senior World Championships appearance for the United States.

Seeded second based upon his successful season, Taylor was randomly drawn into an opening bout against Olympic and World champion Hassan Yazdani Charati of Iran. In a memorable match where he trailed 6-2 at the break, Taylor powered back in the second period for an 11-6 win.

Taylor won three more times on his first day just to reach the finals. After a dominant 10-0 technical fall over 2015 European Junior champion Hajy Rajabau of Belarus, he shut down a difficult opponent for him, Cuba’s Yurieski Torreblanca of Cuba, 8-0 in the quarterfinals.

The semifinal against 2017 European champion Dauren Kurugliev of Russia became a classic. Taylor fell behind 5-1 at the break, but also, when Kurugliev kicked out of a Taylor leg attack, the kick struck Taylor’s head and actually knocked him out. In the second period, Taylor rallied with two takedowns to tie it at 5-5, gaining the tiebreaking criteria. In the final seconds, Taylor converted another takedown to shut the door for a rough 7-5 win.

His gold-medal bout was against Fatih Erdin of Turkey, the talented No. 1 seed, who Taylor dominated on the way to a 12-2 technical fall.

He finished the 2018 season undefeated, including competition at the international and domestic levels. Taylor qualified for his first U.S. Senior World Team by winning Final X at State College in June, defeating Nick Reenan in the best-of-three finals series in two straight matches.

Taylor was also the 2108 U.S. Open champion in Las Vegas, Nev. in April, defeating Richard Perry in the championship finals. It was Taylor’s fourth career U.S. Open title.

He won a gold medal at the 2018 Pan American Championships in Peru in May. Taylor added a gold medal at the Yasar Dogu International in Turkey in July. He was also the gold medalist at the 2018 Ivan Yarygin Memorial Grand Prix in Russia in January, regarded as the toughest open freestyle tournament in the world each year.

At the 2018 Freestyle World Cup in Iowa City, Iowa in April, Taylor went undefeated in four dual meets, winning all of his matches by technical fall, and helped lead the USA team title.

Taylor was named the 2018 United World Wrestling International Freestyle Wrestler of the Year, based upon his amazing success during the year.

His freestyle career includes a gold medal at the 2017 World Cup, and a bronze medal at the 2013 World University Games. He was a World Team Trials runner-up in 2014 and 2017. He placed third at the 2016 U.S. Olympic Team Trials, and was third at the 2015 World Team Trials.

Taylor was a two-time NCAA champion and four-time NCAA finalist for Penn State. He received the Dan Hodge Trophy as the nation’s top college wrestler in both 2012 and 2014.

Taylor was a four-time Ohio state high school champion for St. Paris Graham High School, and won USA Wrestling national titles at the Cadet and Junior levels. He was also eighth at the 2007 Junior World Championships.

The award is named in honor of two-time Olympic champion and four-time World champion John Smith.

PAST JOHN SMITH AWARD WINNERS AS FREESTYLE WRESTLER OF THE YEAR
2018 - David Taylor (State College, Pa./Nittany Lion WC)
2017 – Kyle Snyder, Woodbine, Md., Titan Mercury WC
2016 – Kyle Snyder, Woodbine, Md., Titan Mercury WC
2015 – Kyle Snyder, Woodbine, Md., Titan Mercury WC
2014 – Tervel Dlagnev, Columbus, Ohio, Sunkist Kids
2013 - Jordan Burroughs, Lincoln, Neb., Sunkist Kids
2012 - Jordan Burroughs, Lincoln, Neb., Sunkist Kids
2011 – Jordan Burroughs, Lincoln, Neb., Sunkist Kids
2010 – J.D. Bergman, Columbus, Ohio, New York AC
2009 – Jake Herbert, Evanston, Ill., New York AC
2008 - Henry Cejudo, Colorado Springs, Colo., Sunkist Kids
2007 - Daniel Cormier, Stillwater, Okla., Gator WC
2006 - Bill Zadick, Colorado Springs, Colo., Gator WC
2005 - Tolly Thompson, Cedar Falls, Iowa, Sunkist Kids
2004 - Cael Sanderson, Ames, Iowa, Sunkist Kids
2003 - Cael Sanderson, Ames, Iowa, Sunkist Kids
2002 - Joe Williams, Iowa City, Iowa, Sunkist Kids
2001 - Joe Williams, Iowa City, Iowa, Sunkist Kids
2000 - Brandon Slay, Amarillo, Texas, Dave Schultz WC
1999 - Stephen Neal, Bakerfield, Calif., Dave Schultz WC
1998 - Sammie Henson, Norman, Okla., Sunkist Kids
1997 - Les Gutches, Corvallis, Ore., Sunkist Kids
1996 - Kendall Cross, Raleigh, N.C., Sunkist Kids
1995 - Kevin Jackson, Phoenix, Ariz., Sunkist Kids
1994 - Melvin Douglas, Mesa, Ariz., Sunkist Kids
1993 - Terry and Tom Brands, Iowa City, Iowa, Team Foxcatcher
1992 - John Smith, Stillwater, Okla., Sunkist Kids

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