The National Wrestling Coaches Association has announced its annual Division II All-Academic Teams and the NWCA Individual All-Academic wrestling team for the 2010-11 wrestling season.
The Division II All-Academic Wrestling Team consists of 160 student-athletes from 37 colleges and universities. Thirty-eight members were named to the first team, 35 members to the second team, and 87 were listed as honorable mention.
Out of these 160 student-athletes, 25 All-Americans were named to the All-Academic Team, including two national champions – Todd Wilcox of Grand Canyon University at 133 pounds and John Sundgren of St. Cloud State University at 157 pounds.
Both Gannon University and Augustana (S.D.) each placed four members on the first team, while the University of Wisconsin-Parkside, the University of Nebraska-Omaha, Upper Iowa University, and St. Cloud State each placed three members on the first team.
Four student-athletes were named to the individual team for the fourth time. They were Cody Zimmerman from the UW-Parkside; Jay Sherer from Augustana; John Sundgren from St. Cloud State; and Evan Forde from Minnesota State University-Moorhead.
In order for a student-athlete to be nominated for the Division II All-Academic Team, they need to have a minimum 3.00 cumulative grade point average on a 4.0 scale. They must also be in at least their second full year at his school, be a varsity member on the team or a key reserve, demonstrate a degree of skill and have a minimum of two letters of recommendation submitted on their behalf.
“The NWCA takes pride in honoring these student-athletes each year for their accomplishments both on and off the mat. Each one of these 160 young men earning this honor have fought hard to accomplish their goals as collegiate athletes,” said Mike Moyer, NWCA Executive Director. “We look forward to watching them as they leave their college careers and make names for themselves both in wrestling and in the corporate world.”
The NWCA All-Academic Wrestling Team is lead by The University of Indianapolis, which recorded the highest team grade point average (GPA) in the 18th Annual Division II All-Academic Wrestling Team selection and has won the Academic National Championship. This is the first time that the school has achieved this honor.
The only school that has won both the NCAA Wrestling Championship and NWCA All-Academic Team in the same year is the Nebraska-Omaha; in 2005 they hosted the NCAA II National Championships and won both titles.
The Team GPA is calculated by averaging the cumulative grade point averages of ten wrestlers from each team of which eight of those wrestlers must have competed in their team's NCAA II National Qualifying Tournament.
The National Wrestling Coaches Association, established in 1928, is a non-profit organization for the advancement of all levels of the sport of wrestling with primary emphasis on developing coaches who work in academic environments. The membership embraces all people interested in amateur wrestling.
The three core competencies of the NWCA are: Coaching Development, student-athlete welfare, and promotion of wrestling.
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