Some of the best college wrestlers in the country also excel in the classroom.
According to the just-released National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) Individual All-Academic wrestling team list for 2008-2009, five NCAA Division I individual champs earned academic distinction. They are:
- 133-pound champ Franklin Gomez of Michigan State, a junior majoring in Human Resources, earning a 3.098 grade point average (GPA);
- 141-pound titlewinner J. Jaggers of Ohio State University, a senior Communications major, with a 3.02 GPA;
- 165 lb. champ Jarrod King of Edinboro University, a senior Health and Physical Education – Human Performance major, earning a 3.78 GPA;
- 174 lb. titleist Steve Luke of University of Michigan, a senior majoring in Biology, with a 3.35 GPA;
- 184 lb champ Jake Herbert of Northwestern University, a senior Communication major, earning a 3.179 GPA.
To make the NWCA Individual All-Academic wrestling team, an individual wrestler must have at least a 3.2 cumulative GPA, been an NCAA qualifier or won 60 percent of his total schedule, and must have competed in at least 60 percent of said schedule. The other way to qualify for the All-Academic team is have a 3.0 cumulative and been an NCAA All-American.
In addition to the five NCAA champions, the NWCA’s 2008-09 All-Academic Team features a total of 51 NCAA qualifiers, 17 NCAA All-Americans, and 8 NCAA finalists. A total of 73 individuals representing 45 schools are being honored this year on the All-Academic Team.
The wrestler with the highest grade point average on this year’s All-Academic Team is Nicholas Amuchastegui of Stanford University, an NCAA qualifier who holds a 3.928 GPA in Mechanical Engineering. Also among the top five individuals in terms of GPA were Liberty’s Christian Smith (3.92), Tucker Lane (3.919) of University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Jeffrey Newby (3.82) of Utah Valley State, and Edinboro’s Jarrod King.
In terms of schools with the most individuals on the NWCA All-Academic Team, Utah Valley State led the way with four wrestlers, followed by the United States Military Academy (Army), Old Dominion University, and Northwestern University with three individual wrestlers each.
“The student-athletes on this All-Academic Team exemplify what we are looking for in the sport of wrestling,” said Jim Beichner, NWCA President. “You see teams and individuals from the largest institutions that sponsor wrestling to the smaller colleges listed. There is diversity here that you do not always get to see when it comes to compiling these type of teams.”
“As a coaches association, we look forward to recognizing the accomplishments of our coaches and wrestlers each year. This is just another way to showcase our sport’s close alignment with educational values,” said Mike Moyer, Executive Director of the NWCA.
Next: How the top ten teams at the 2009 NCAAs did in terms of wrestlers making the NWCA All-Academic Team
Resources
List of wrestlers on 2009 NWCA Individual All-Academic Team
NWCA website
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