Four years after winning his fourth state wrestling championship, Clayton Whiting was back at the WIAA State Individual Wrestling Tournament.
Whiting, who won his championships while wrestling for Oconto Falls High School from 2019-22, had a front-row seat to watch his sister, Taylor, win her fourth championship Feb. 28 at the Kohl Center in Madison.
The Whitings are believed to be the first brother-sister duo in the country to each win four high school state championships.
“It’s a dream come true,” Whiting said minutes after watching his sister win the 114-pound championship for Lena High School. “I knew she was always a wrestler from her competitive mindset, and it took her awhile to get into the sport, but once she did, she thrived.”
Whiting sat next to Lena coach Chad Misco during the semifinal and championship matches.
“I had to be here, and there’s no way they could say no,” he said. “It’s a special moment for me.”
Whiting posted a 163-5 record in high school that included Division 2 state champions at 152 pounds in 2019, 170 in 2020 and 182 in 2021 and 2022.
“I’d say the fourth one just because it was the icing on the cake,” Whiting said when asked which of his high school championships means the most to him.
Fast-forward four years from that championship and Whiting was back at the Kohl Center.
“I hoped it would happen,” he said. “She got it done every year in dominant fashion.”
Whiting said he had some advice for his sister before her fourth title match.
“I said, ‘Just take it all in, enjoy it, it’s your last high school match ever,’’” he said. “It’s six or seven minutes out there and it’s all done.”
Whiting wrestled for two seasons at the University of Missouri and had a 25-5 record before transferring to the University of Minnesota, where he is now in his second season with the Gophers.
“I got a little homesick (at Missouri),” he said. “A nine-hour drive to Missouri is not fun, but three hours is a lot more manageable. I took the opportunity (to transfer), because I didn’t feel like it was the right fit for me. I feel like I’m fitting in to this program. I’m graduating, so we’ll see what happens after that.
“The season’s still going. We have the Big 10s next week, and everything’s going well. I’m still adjusting to a new weight class. I’m at 174 now.”
Whiting said Taylor didn’t start wrestling until eighth grade.
“It took me a lot longer to get to where I am,” he said. “She’s driven to be the best. She looks up to more people who are way better than me and just keeps going and never stops.”
