The NWCA annually recognizes student-athletes who excel both on the mat and in the classroom. Earlier this year, the NWCA released its Top 30 All-Academic teams and it's individual All-Academic Team.
“We believe it's important for the coaches, administrators and everyone within the wrestling community to know the value of the work wrestlers put into their school work,†said NWCA Executive Director. “Often the toughest transition our student-athletes endure is their freshman year where they're taking college-level classes, many are away from home for the first time and they get thrown into competition at the Division I level right away. Retention after the freshman year is vital to the success of our programs and these athletes personify what it means to be a student-athlete at the Division I level."
Two Division I All-Americans lead the charge for this year's True Freshman All-Academic Team -- 197-pound NCAA runner-up Kyle Snyder of Ohio State and 141-pound All-American Kevin Jack of North Carolina State.
Snyder, a Maryland native, reached the finals before falling to Iowa State's Kyven Gadson, but since, Snyder has excelled in freestyle, making the U.S. World Team at 213 pounds. He'll compete at the World Championships in Las Vegas in early September. Snyder is majoring in Sports Industry.
Jack, a Connecticut native, stormed into the NCAA semifinals as an unseeded wrestler. He knocked off Iowa's Josh Dziewa, North Carolina's Joey Ward and Virginia Tech's Devin Carter in back-to-back-to-back matches. He fell to eventual four-time NCAA champion Logan Stieber of Ohio State in the semifinals and ultimately finished in fifth place. Jack's major is undeclared.
Two additional NCAA qualifiers were also represented: Lehigh's Scott Parker and Michigan's Garrett Sutton. Parker, a Pennsylvania native majoring in business, went 1-2 at the NCAA Division I Championships at 125 pounds last season and finished the year with a 19-11 mark.
Sutton, who came into the starting lineup late in the season and qualified at 165 pounds, is undeclared. He placed sixth in the Big Ten Conference. He was 17-11 this season.
N.C. State was the only team with two wrestlers represented, as 133-pounder Bryce Meredith was also named to the True Freshman All-Academic team. Like Jack, he too is still undeclared. Meredith finished the season at 15-7.
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