Clayton Whiting continues to shine on wrestling mat

Oconto Falls’ Clayton Whiting continues to rack up accomplishments on the wrestling mat.

Following his Division 2 152-pound weight class state title as a freshman on the Oconto Falls High School team, Whiting has since turned in several other strong finishes at big tournaments around the country.

Just over a month after claiming his state title, Whiting made the trip down to Cedar Falls, Iowa to compete in the 16U Folkstyle Nationals from March 29-30.

Competing for Askren Wrestling Academy, Whiting won all five of his matches to claim the 160 weight class.

“Winning Folkstyle Nationals was a big accomplishment for me,” said Whiting, whose best finish at the tournament had previously been third. “It proved I could compete with the best wrestlers from across the United States.”

Whiting’s first three wins at the tournament came by pin. He earned a 6-2 decision win in the semifinals before claiming a 13-3 major decision win in the title match.

Whiting made a trip to Spokane, Washington on June 14-15, where he represented Team Wisconsin and finished 9-0 in his dual matches at the 16U Freestyle National Duals.

Six of the wins came by technical fall. Two wins were by decision, while the other was by forfeit. Whiting did not allow his opponents to score in four matches.

Team Wisconsin ended up finishing ninth.

Whiting came in third at the 16U Freestyle Nationals in Fargo, North Dakota from July 12-15.

He earned three straight wins to open the tournament and advance to the quarterfinals before suffering a 5-4 loss.

Whiting continued to battle despite being sent to the consolation bracket, earning three more wins to earn a rematch against the wrestler that knocked him off. Whiting got his revenge.

“You have to be both mentally and physically tough. I believe in my training and kept a positive attitude,” Whiting said. “After my loss in the quarterfinals, I kept wrestling tough on the back side. I ended up meeting the kid that beat me in the third place match. I got some redemption by beating him for third place. That was a great feeling.”

His finishes in Fargo and Cedar Falls also made Whiting a double All-American and helped him earn a spot on the USA National Team, huge honors for the young wrestler who aspires to one day win an Olympic gold medal.

Whiting ranked No. 18 in the 160 class for the entire country in a flowrestling.com July 2 rankings update.

“Rankings don’t mean much. I still need to train harder and keep improving,” said Whiting. “It’s an honor to know my peers recognize me as one of the best in the country at 160 pounds, but ranking mostly motivate me to get better and keep climbing up the ranking lists. It makes me want to train harder and wrestle top competitors even more. My goal is to be the No. 1 wrestler pound-for-pound in the U.S.”

Another honor Whiting earned this year was becoming a Wisconsin triple crown champion after first-place finishes in three different styles of wrestling — freestyle, folkstyle and Greco-Roman.

Whiting says his mindset and approach doesn’t change from the high school season to some of the other tournaments he competes in.

“I go out with the same positive attitude that I can win,” he said. “Keeping everything the same doesn’t allow for mental mistakes.”

Aside from the tournaments, Whiting has spent the summer practicing with the Wisconsin Badgers and Olympic athletes at the Badger Regional Training Center in Madison. He’s also participated in various wrestling camps, including Jeff Jordan’s State Champ Wrestling Camp.

Before the winter high school season gets going, Whiting has a few other big tournaments he will be competing in still. He will head to Grappler Fall Classic in Michigan and Super 32 Challenge in North Carolina.

Whiting won the Grappler Classic last year, but has never competed in the Super Challenge.