Kent State University was honored by the National Wrestling Coaches Association for having the fifth highest team grade point average in the nation. Additionally, seniors Mack McGuire (Upper St. Clair, Pennsylvania) and Tyler Buckwalter (Mill Hall, Pennsylvania) and redshirt freshman Kyle Conel (Ashtabula, Ohio) were named to the NWCA All-Academic Team.
Carrying a 3.325 cumulative grade point average, the Golden Flashes recorded their highest academic ranking in program history. Kent State was the only team to finish in the top 20 at the NCAA Championships and in the top five among the NWCA's academic rankings.
"We had a great senior class that played a huge role in proving that you can be successful academically and in wrestling," says Head Coach Jim Andrassy. "Several years ago, we put a stronger emphasis on recruiting smart, young men who make good decisions on the mat, in the classroom and in life. And with the help of a great academic support staff, our guys have lived up to those high standards."
|
Rank |
Team |
GPA |
|
1. |
Harvard |
3.412 |
|
2. |
Sacred Heart |
3.384 |
|
3. |
Brown |
3.360 |
|
4. |
Duke |
3.348 |
|
5. |
Kent State |
3.325 |
The 2015-16 season marked the third straight year Kent State cracked the NWCA's Top 20, becoming just one of nine teams to accomplish that feat.
"We're in some very good company," Andrassy says of three Ivy League schools in the top six spots. "Along with Penn State, we are the only teams in that Top 10 with at least five NCAA qualifiers. And Penn State and Cornell are the only ones in that Top 20 to finish higher than us at the national tournament. When you look at everything we accomplished across the board, this was a really special season."
This semester, Kent State also placed nine wrestlers on the Academic All-Mid-American Conference Team and had four student-athletes named MAC Distinguished Scholar Athletes. Both were the most among the MAC's nine wrestling institutions.
McGuire, Buckwalter and Conel were among Kent State's five NCAA qualifiers this season and were each named MAC Distinguished Scholar Athletes. It was McGuire's third consecutive appearance on the team.
The NWCA rankings factor in grades and total credit hours earned for each team's lineup at their NCAA conference qualifier, plus two additional wrestlers who spent time in the lineup.
For individuals to earn All-Academic Team status, they must have at least a 3.2 cumulative GPA, been an NCAA qualifier or won 60 percent of his total schedule, or been an NCAA All-American with at least a 3.0 GPA.
Kent State concluded its season with a 16th place finish at the NCAA Championships and two All-Americans. The Golden Flashes' eight straight years with at least one All-American is the 10th longest active streak in the nation.
