Takedown Report

Amateur Wrestling Reports

Induction for The National Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum – Charlie Jenkins

May 17, 2026 · W.C. Friday Center in Chapel Hill, NC.
2026 honorees for “Lifetime Service to Wrestling”:

(Cecil Mock & Charlie Jenkins)

Charlie Jenkins – Jenkins began wrestling in elementary school while growing up in Washington, New Jersey. He attended Warren Hills High School, where he played baseball and was a four-year letter winner in wrestling. After graduating high school in 1980, he joined the workforce and moved to Pennsylvania. While his sons were competing in youth wrestling, Jenkins recognized a need for quality officials and acted by becoming a wrestling official in 1986. He worked his way through the system in Pennsylvania’s highly competitive District 11, arguably the strongest wrestling area in the country. While officiating in District 11, Jenkins worked matches involving nationally ranked programs such as Easton High School, Nazareth High School, Parkland High School, and Blair Academy. While in Pennsylvania, Jenkins officiated two National Prep tournaments, multiple dual team championships, sectional tournaments, and six regional championships.

In 2001, Jenkins married his wife Rhonda and moved to North Carolina where he quickly became a key figure in high school and collegiate officiating. He has worked numerous NCHSAA state tournaments and dual team finals, served as co-head official for the state tournament since 2012, and officiated at the collegiate level from 2002 to 2025. He has called two Southern Conference and ACC tournaments, along with multiple NCAA Division II regional championships.

In 2015, Jenkins became a regional supervisor for the Southeastern Wrestling Officials Association, a role he continues to hold. He played a key role working with the NCHSAA on the transition to a three-day state tournament format and the consolidation of dual team finals into a single central location. He has been a consistent and influential voice for wrestling in North Carolina, working to improve championship events and officiating standards. His philosophy is that officials should be open to corrective criticism along with a consistent focus on improvement. Jenkins received the Dick Knox Distinguished Service Award in 2007.

Jenkins retired from Scotland County Schools in 2022 after serving as Safe Schools Coordinator for 21 years. Despite overcoming significant health challenges, including cancer and open-heart surgery in recent years, Jenkins has continued to perform his duties at the highest level as a regional supervisor and co-head official of the NCHSAA state tournament.

National Wrestling Hall of Fame website.  https://nwhof.org/hall_of_fame 

May 28, 2026 Posted by | Uncategorized | , , | Leave a comment

Induction for The National Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum – Elizabeth Ross Carpenter Shelton

May 17, 2026 · W.C. Friday Center in Chapel Hill, NC.
2026 honorees for “Lifetime Service to Wrestling”:

(Butch Ross, Elizabeth Ross Carpenter Shelton & Rex Wells)

Elizabeth Ross Carpenter Shelton – A native of Lincoln County, Shelton grew up in a wrestling family and started keeping score for her father’s West Lincoln Middle School wrestling team when she was just eight years old. She attended West Lincoln High School, where she was a cheerleader, softball player, and wrestling team manager. After graduating from West Lincoln in 1995, she earned a degree in elementary education from Lenoir-Rhyne University in 2001 and a master’s degree in school administration from Appalachian State University in 2015. She worked as an educator in Lincoln County Schools, in both teaching and administration, from 1997 to 2018.

Elizabeth has been involved with wrestling at all levels, from youth through college. She got her start with North Carolina USA Wrestling by running the Top Dawg freestyle tournament in 2006 and remains active in the organization today. From 2008 to 2015, she served as an Executive Board Member and Secretary for NC USA Wrestling, and from 2006 to 2015, she served as the State Pairings Director. She was the recipient of the Frank Rader “Person of the Year” award in 2010 and the Southeast Regional Kids/Cadets Person of the Year award for USA Wrestling in 2011. In addition to her work with USA Wrestling, Elizabeth oversaw registration and pairings for the Appalachian State University Wrestling Camp from 2013 to 2021.

Recruited by Sara Koenig and Leigh Hebbard, Elizabeth joined the North Carolina High School Athletic Association state wrestling tournament staff in 2008 and continues to play a vital role in planning and coordinating the event today. In addition to overseeing tournament operations, she trains regional directors in the use of Trackwrestling and serves as a resource for tournament directors and coaches across the state during both the regular season and post season. Elizabeth was among the first to bring Trackwrestling to North Carolina, first with NC USA Wrestling and later in the NCHSAA state tournament. She was recognized with the NCHSAA Region 6 Special Person Award in 2019. With the goal of growing wrestling at the grassroots level, Elizabeth and Rusty Carpenter founded and began operating Priorities Wrestling in 2010. Her organization, supported and operated by her family, manages multiple wrestling tournaments across the Southeast, conducting between 50 and 75 events annually. Through her work, she helps teams conduct successful events while providing athletes, coaches, and fans with a high-quality tournament experience.  Currently, Elizabeth serves as a customer service representative for FloSports in addition to operating Priorities Wrestling. Her sons, Hunter and Will both wrestled for, and currently coach the West Lincoln wrestling
team with their grandfather, Butch Ross. Elizabeth and her father, Butch, are the first father and daughter inducted into the North Carolina chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.

National Wrestling Hall of Fame website.  https://nwhof.org/hall_of_fame 

May 28, 2026 Posted by | Uncategorized | , , | Leave a comment