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2004 NWCA All-Academic Teams

 

 

 

The National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) commands the absolute belief that intercollegiate athletics is an integral part of the educational mission. Wrestling has established a clear and undeniable track record of developing student-athletes with a high degree of integrity, discipline, and perseverance. Each year the NWCA honors its top student-athletes for their athletic and academic achievement. It is with great honor and pleasure that we recognize the student-athletes and teams who have achieved 2004 NWCA All-Academic status in NCAA Divisions I, II and III.

 

In Division I, Sacred Heart University captured team honors for the third consecutive year with a 3.406 GPA. The Pioneers were closely followed by Duquesne University, which finished second with a 3.4. This marks the third consecutive year that Duquesne finished second. Columbia University finished in third at 3.25 followed by Stanford at 3.23 and Brown University finished fifth at 3.23. The average grade point average of the top-30 teams was 3.031. The complete Division All-Academic team can be viewed by visiting www.nwcaonline.com/top30.cfm.

 

The Division I individual team was headlined by NCAA Champions Matt Gentry of Stanford University and Greg Jones of West Virginia University. Central Michigan led all universities with five wrestlers on the team. This year’s All-Academic team was one of the deepest ever as the team was composed of wrestlers from 39 universities, 62 NCAA qualifiers, and 29 All-Americans. The average GPA of the team was a 3.449. The complete Division I All-Academic Team can be viewed by visiting www.nwcaonline.com/individual.cfm.

 

The state of Nebraska was well represented on the Division II All-Academic team as Nebraska-Kearney, Chadron State and Nebraska-Omaha rounded out the top three teams. The University of Nebraska at Kearney’s team grade point average of 3.519 is the highest recorded in the 11 years of the team. Chadron State recorded a 3.396 while UNO had a 3.359. UNO also was the bigger winner on the mat as they captured the NCAA Division II Championship in 2004. West Liberty State with a 3.25 and Colorado School of Mines with a 3.240 rounded out the top five. The average team GPA of the top 15 teams was a 3.1996.

 

NCAA Champions Travis Koppenhafer ( Adams State), Tom Meester ( Augustana College) and Jeff Sylvester (Nebraska-Kearney) were named to the individual first team. The 2003-2004 Division II All-Academic Team consists of 108 student-athletes from 26 universities and colleges. Twenty-seven athletes, who were named to the first or second team also earned All-American honors on the mat in 2004. The University of Nebraska at Omaha placed ten members on the first and second teams. Central Missouri State University placed six members, and the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown and the University of Nebraska at Kearney each placed five members. The full Division II All-Academic Team can be found at www.nwcaonline.com/divii.cfm.

 

With a stunning 3.703 team GPA, Milwaukee School of Engineering was the Division III team champion for the third consecutive year. The team’s GPA was 3.73 -- the highest ever recorded by a team in the eight years that the coaches association has presented this award. Finishing second behind the Raiders was Messiah College with a 3.42 followed by Augsburg College at 3.390. Augsburg College also achieved on the mat finishing second at the NCAA Division III National Championships. Rounding out the top five teams was University of Chicago 3.370 and John Carroll University at 3.281. The average GPA of the top 20 teams was 3.2589. The Division III individual team was lead by NCAA Champion Mark Sturm of Wartburg College at 174lbs and contained 14 NCAA All-Americans. The full Division III All-Academic team can be viewed by visiting www.nwcaonline.com/diii.cfm.

 

“The NWCA would like to congratulate the coaches and individuals who have achieved a high level of success in the academic and athletic arena. Our nation’s top collegiate wrestlers have demonstrated a commitment to excellence in the classroom and on the wrestling mat. The wrestling community is extremely proud of the achievements by our elite student-athletes”, commented NWCA President Jack Maughan.

 

 

 

 

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