New London’s William Christopher caps off high school career with undefeated season

In his last high school match, New London’s William Christopher won the WIAA Division 2 state championship in the 138-pound weight class in Madison on Feb. 28, ending his season with a perfect 61-0 record.

William didn’t start wrestling until sixth grade, but took to the sport immediately. “Nathan Kreuger (varsity coach) was my social studies teacher and convinced me to go out for wrestling with a few of my buddies.”

Although he didn’t start wrestling in middle school, William was no stranger to combat sports. “I always had a love for taekwondo. Starting it when I was two years old and worked my way to a second-degree black belt at just nine years old. Once I did find wrestling, I found my new love. I immediately started doing club, it was the most fun I’ve ever had.”

Along with winning the state championship his senior season, William has racked up other accolades as well, placing as a 2024 Fargo All-American, placing sixth at state in 2025, and winning the 2026 On the Water Championship.

William’s work ethic has found achievement on the mat and in the classroom. “Of course, academics will always get more difficult as the years go on, but so did my seriousness for the sport. I had a rough first year in wrestling, but I always had solid academics. My sophomore year was when I really focused on wrestling, but then my grades had an impact. It wasn’t until my junior year that I was able to finally find the balance to stay on top of my school work. This year, I am able to keep an undefeated record and focus on my sports while keeping a 3.8 GPA with multiple advanced placement classes this year. It’s all about being disciplined and having the drive to remind yourself what really matters to you.”

The hard work that one needs to put into the sport is William’s favorite part of wrestling, “I love the journey, and it may sound cliché, but you have to love it in the sport, the hard practices, the grind, the weight cutting, the adversity, the discipline. It is all important, and a lot of people say that it isn’t fun, but it’ll keep you disciplined in life. I believe that’s just not true. I learned to have fun in those moments, to giggle a little when things get hard. I love this sport because I love to wrestle. I embrace the grind and have fun with it, and I think that’s what keeps this addiction to the sport going on.”

William appreciates all the coaches and teammates that helped him along the way, “I couldn’t have accomplished anything without my High School coaches, Nathan Kreuger, Mark Moser, Andrew Moser, and Josh Murnane. They’ve taken so much time in my development and work on my craft. They have celebrated the big wins with me and have been by my side on the rough losses. All my accomplishments couldn’t have been done without my outside work. Jason Kleinschmidt has taken weeks at a time with me, from domestic to overseas travels, to work on more than just my folkstyle, but freestyle and Greco. He has taught me more than just wrestling, but what it is to be a good person out in the world. My biggest accomplishments couldn’t have been done without my high school teammates Wyatt Magolski and Trevor Schultz. Wyatt was a big role model to me, and I always wanted to be the “little brother” to follow in his footsteps. Trevor Schultz is a guy who has seen my hard work pay off, and I am so happy that I can help with his and our development together, which shows how hard we work. My biggest shout-out goes to my teammates and best friends, Michael Ciancio and Cash Botting. These guys have been there for me through thick and thin. We cut weight together, train together, go to camps together, travel together, be there for each other through the good times, and they are always there for me through the rough times. If you see me anywhere, I am probably with these two goofballs. Nothing could’ve happened without these two guys by my side.

The biggest accomplishment for William was his breakthrough season in 2025. “I think that when I qualified for State for the first time was my most memorable experience. I had a tough two years of losing in the blood rounds beforehand, and many people didn’t know the time that went into wrestling for me to try to make it. To see that finally everything paid off, and the moments when I was so impatient but I just had to tell myself to trust the process. That was the biggest moment for me.”

William sets himself up for success before each match with cues that give him a winning mindset, “my reminders. I’ve worked with a wrestling mindset coach since my freshman year, and I found that reminders are the best things to use before I wrestle. I have notes on my phone, and before every match, I click through each one to remind myself that it’s just another match, and no matter what happens, my family still loves me, my friends will still be there for me, and everything will be okay. You just have to remind yourself that no matter how you’re feeling, you can still perform 100%, and that nothing after this match defines you. My mindset and my knowledge on how to keep me focused is my biggest asset. I’ve always believed it’s a you-versus-you sport.”