This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Wyatt Koelling's to-do list includes making the Davis High varsity wrestling team and placing at the state tournament as a freshman, then winning multiple state titles for the Darts.

Lofty goals for a 14-year-old about to enter his ninth-grade year at Kaysville's Centennial Junior High.

But after the performance Koelling delivered last month at the USA Kids National Championships, nothing seems out of the teen's reach.

Koelling won two national championships, one in freestlye and one in Greco-Roman, in the schoolboy division's 144-pound class.

"I've only been wrestling Greco for two years, but [winning] was one of my goals," Koelling said. "I wasn't expecting it as much as I was expecting to win in freestyle."

He was one of three Utahns to capture two titles at the event held June 27-28 at Utah Valley University, joining Mapleton's Taylor LaMont (105 pounds) and Nephi's Ashton Seeley (136 pounds).

Koelling went through each bracket undefeated, bouncing back from a couple of losses at the Western Regional tournament earlier in June in Pocatello, Idaho.

He became the third national champion in the past two years turned out by Layton's Crusher Wrestling. Marc Fenwick, one of the club's coaches, said what sets Koelling apart from the rest of the field is his work ethic and dedication to the sport.

"He goes to our normal club practices, and then an hour after two times a week, he works one-on-one with some of our other coaches," Fenwick said. "The extra time he puts in gives him an edge in his matches."

Koelling is currently fifth in the utahwrestling.org schoolboy division rankings, based on points earned for tournament victories, but he is the top wrestler in the 144-pound class.

There was an immediate connection with the sport and Koelling enjoyed nearly instant success from the first time he jumped onto a mat five years ago. He won a national championship in the 87-pound freestyle division as a fourth-grader.

Koelling, also a middle linebacker in football, said he loves the physical nature of wrestling.

"I love it," Koelling said. "It's a great sport. Teaches a lot of discipline and it's full-contact — I love that.

"My first year was really, really tough. But the second year, I won the national title that summer, and just kind of progressed from there."

This season, he battled through shoulder injuries that sidelined him for more than a month. He missed four weeks with a separated left shoulder, then went down again with a sprained right shoulder.

"It was tough. I didn't get to go to lot of state tournaments. But I still came through and pulled it out," Koelling said.

It's that attitude and perseverance that makes Koelling believe his goal of multiple state titles is within reach. Fenwick said there's no reason to think he can't reach them.

"Before this season started, we looked at who is going to be in his weight class in high school," Fenwick said, "and we didn't think he'd place, let alone even qualify for state, based on the region they are in. Layton, Weber, Syracuse are tough schools.

"But after what he's done this year and the time he's put in, we don't see any reason why he shouldn't place as a ninth-grader, and be at least a two-time state champion." —

About Wyatt Koelling

Wyatt Koelling won two national championships in the 144-pound school boys division — one each in freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling — last month.

The incoming ninth-grader is one of three Utahns to win double titles, joining Mapleton's Taylor LaMont (105 pounds) and Nephi's Ashton Seely (136 pounds).

Koelling aspires to make the Davis High team in the winter and has set the goal of winning multiple state titles while wrestling for the Darts.