The Tricia Saunders High School Excellence Award recognizes and celebrates the nation's most outstanding high school seniors for their excellence in wrestling, scholastic achievement, citizenship and community service. First presented in 2014, the TSHSEA is named for Tricia Saunders, a four-time World Champion and women's wrestling pioneer. Saunders was the first woman to be inducted as a Distinguished Member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2006 and was inducted into the United World Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2011. The Illinois Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame honors Genae Sampract as its 2017 recipient of the Tricia Saunders High School Excellence in Wrestling Award. Genae started wrestling in third grade with the Lionhearts Intense Wrestling Club, an IKWF club in Danville, Illinois. Her wrestling career includes 11 All-American honors, six in Freestyle including a second-place finish at Fargo in 2017 and five times in Folkstyle. She won four Illinois State titles. Other honors for Genae include taking third place in the Body Bar Freestyle competition and being was a U.S. Open Qualifier and a World Team Trials Qualifier. She is in her second year of being a world team member. This fall, Genae is attending McKendree College and wrestling for their women's team. Genae's community service includes working at the Jackie Joyner Kersee Community Center and volunteering her time with the Youth Wrestling program.