EDMOND, Okla. – Trevor Franklin became Unadilla Valley’s first New York State championship wrestler. Several years removed from that title, Franklin is now a two-time NCAA Division II champion at Upper Iowa, and was chosen this past week as the NCAA Division II Wrestler of the Year.

In a release on the Upper Iowa website last Thursday, Franklin was selected as the top D-II wrestler for the 2011-2012 year by the National Wrestling Coaches’ Association. Franklin is the fifth recipient of the award, and was a runaway winner outdistancing other top wrestlers T.J. Hepburn of Nebraska-Kearney and North Carolina-Pembroke’s Mike Williams in voting by eight regional representatives of the NWCA

Franklin capped a perfect 28-0 title with the 133-pound national title this past March, and the championship backs up his 125-pound national title in 2011. "This is a tremendous honor and I am a bit overwhelmed by the recognition," Franklin said. "This award doesn't come to me alone; great coaching and great partners in the wrestling room have pushed me to this point. There are some awards you can control, like national championships, and then there are awards that you can't like this one. It's just great to have others recognize the work put in. I'm grateful for the honor."