Submitted photo
It might be time for Colton Schaad to set some new goals.
This past weekend, the former Del Norte Warrior traveled to Louisiana to compete in the National Collegiate Wrestling Association national championships and placed eighth in the 174-pound division.
The strong finish to his debut season on the college mats earned him All-American honors.
Being named All-American was one of Schaad’s main goals beginning college, and it’s something he achieved in just his first year on the college mats.
Schaad, who competes for the University of Jamestown out of North Dakota, finished 5-3 in tournament action.
“He wrestled better than I’ve ever seen him wrestle,” said father and high school coach Clinton Schaad. “We’re really proud of him.
“He’s an All-American, and that was his goal. He wanted to be an All-American at some stage in college.”
Colton, who starred in football and wrestling during this high school days, had to battle to achieve that goal.
The 2025 Del Norte graduate won his opening two bouts in the championship bracket, before losing to Zion Smith out of Life University in the round of 16.
But he was far from done.
Schaad would battle back through the consolation bracket with three more victories, before closing out with two losses, including a defeat to Spencer Kon out of Tennessee in the seventh-place matchup.
Facing adversity is nothing new for Schaad, who was named the 2025 Humboldt Sports Big 5 Boys Athlete of the Year.
Submitted photo
Submitted photo
In his final high school season, Schaad lost his North Coast Section quarterfinal before battling his way back through the consolation bracket with five straight wins to qualify for the state championships.
“He’s always been tough and mentally driven,” Clinton Schaad said. “He had an amazing tournament, he just kept going and going.”
The Jamestown freshman qualified for the prestigious tournament after claiming an NCWA Northwest regional crown in Washington two weeks ago.
Jamestown is an NCAA Division-II program in transition after recently making the switch from NAIA.
The Jimmies competed in the Division-II level all winter but are not eligible to compete in the NCAA tournament until next season.
Making Schaad’s achievement even more impressive was the fact he was the only freshman in his weight division to ear All-American honors.
