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May 4, 2001 - Three members of the 2001 NCAA Champion University of Minnesota wrestling team, Owen Elzen, Brad Pike and Brett Lawrence, have been named to the 2001 National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) Academic All-American Team. Elzen and Pike were each named to the First Team while Lawrence garnered Honorable Mention Team honors.
Elzen, a junior from Eyota, Minn., maintained a GPA of 3.32, studying in health and wellness. A third-place finisher at 197 pounds at the 2001 NCAA Championships, Elzen went 30-3 on the season, placed third at Big Tens and earned his first All-America honor at the national meet with his podium finish.
Pike, a senior from Brownsdale, Minn., earned a spot on the First Team with a 3.28 GPA while studying in technical education. He captured fourth place at 165 pounds at this year's national tournament, earning his second All-America honor. On the year, Pike went 35-8 overall and finished in third place at the 2001 Big Ten Championships.
Lawrence, a senior from Sandpoint, Idaho, was selected to the Honorable Mention Team with a 3.10 GPA in finance/rhetoric. Minnesota's starter at 133 pounds, Lawrence earned his first All-America honor at the 2001 NCAA Championships with his eigth-place finish. He compiled an overall record of 27-10 on the year.
The individual Academic-All-American team features wrestlers from 32 universities, 44 NCAA qualifiers and 17 All-Americans. "The results of the 2001 NWCA Academic All-American Rankings simply validates the NWCA's belief that many of our nation's top collegiate wrestlers are committed to a relentless pursuit of academic excellence," said Mike Moyer, Executive Director of the NWCA. "Many of these wrestlers will undoubtedly follow their predecessor' footsteps in becoming tomorrow's leaders."
NWCA Academic All-Americans
|
First Team |
||||
|
Name |
School |
GPA |
Major |
Wrestling Honors |
|
Owen Elzen |
Minnesota |
3.32 |
Health & Wellness |
3rd NCAA |
|
Joseph Heskett |
Iowa State |
3.14 |
Speech Communication |
2nd NCAA |
|
Matthew Lackey |
Illinois |
3.27 |
Sports Management |
3rd NCAA |
|
John Lockhart |
Illinois |
3.45 |
Kinesiology |
NCAA Champion |
|
Mark Munoz |
Okla. State |
3.41 |
Health Promotions |
NCAA Champion |
|
Erick Olson |
Michigan |
3.05 |
Physical Education |
3rd NCAA |
|
Brad Pike |
Minnesota |
3.28 |
Technical Education |
4th NCAA |
|
Shane Roller |
Okla. State |
3.21 |
Psychology |
3rd NCAA |
|
Bryan Snyder |
Nebraska |
3.21 |
Sociology |
2nd NCAA |
|
Jody Strittmatter |
Iowa |
3.28 |
Biology |
2nd NCAA |
|
Adam Tirapelle |
Illinois |
3.02 |
Kinesiology |
NCAA Champion |
|
Second Team |
||||
|
Name |
School |
GPA |
Major |
Wrestling Honors |
|
Witt Durden |
Oklahoma |
3.03 |
Mathematics |
3rd NCAA |
|
Zachary Breitenbach |
N.C. State |
4.0 |
Computer Science |
NCAA Qualifier |
|
Patrick Diaz |
James Madison |
4.0 |
International Business |
NCAA Qualifier |
|
Michael Fickell |
Penn |
3.2 |
Finance |
5th NCAA |
|
Jordan Webster |
Central Mich. |
3.86 |
Undecided |
NCAA Qualifier |
|
Matthew Picarsic |
Harvard |
3.93 |
Economics |
NCAA Qualifier |
|
Greg Schaefer |
Indiana |
3.77 |
Education |
NCAA Qualifier |
|
Paul Hynek |
Northern Iowa |
3.11 |
Mathematics |
6th NCAA |
|
Brett Faustman |
Central Mich. |
3.65 |
Management Info. |
NCAA Qualifier |
|
Anthony Reynolds |
Sacred Heart |
3.70 |
Chemistry/Mathematics |
3rd ECWA |
|
Honorable Mention |
||||
|
Name |
School |
GPA |
Major |
Wrestling Honors |
|
Dan Bednar |
Ohio |
3.48 |
Chemical Engineering |
NCAA Qualifier |
|
Albert Boucher |
Cleveland State |
3.28 |
Biology Education |
NCAA Qualifier |
|
Adam Britt |
VMI |
3.32 |
Civil Engineering |
NCAA Qualifier |
|
Scott Brubaker |
James Madison |
3.56 |
Finance |
4th CAA |
|
Anthony Coleman |
Cleveland State |
3.48 |
Undecided |
|
|
Coyte Cooper |
Indiana |
3.42 |
Physical Education |
NCAA Qualifier |
|
Fikret Darzanoff |
Seton Hall |
3.28 |
Criminal Justice |
2nd ECWA |
|
Joseph DeGain |
Michigan |
3.28 |
Physical Education |
NCAA Qualifier |
|
David Dietrich |
Drexel |
3.64 |
Education |
NCAA Qualifier |
|
Kevin El-Hayek |
Harvard |
3.35 |
Biology |
3rd EIWA |
|
Jon Fasana |
Portland State |
3.54 |
Civil Engineering |
NCAA Qualifier |
|
Erick Glass |
Duquesne |
3.36 |
Engineering |
NCAA Qualifier |
|
Jon Gross |
The Citadel |
3.52 |
Political Science |
3rd Southern |
|
Kyle Hansen |
Northern Iowa |
3.11 |
Construction Mgmt. |
8th NCAA |
|
Ryan Kehler |
West Virginia |
3.53 |
Physical Education |
NCAA Qualifier |
|
Jeffrey Knupp |
Penn State |
3.5 |
Chemical Engineering |
NCAA Qualifier |
|
Steve Kodish |
James Madison |
3.27 |
Kinesiology |
2nd CAA |
|
Brett Lawrence |
Minnesota |
3.1 |
Finance |
8th NCAA |
|
Rocco Mansueto |
Cleveland State |
3.44 |
Psychology |
NCAA Qualifier |
|
Ty Matthews |
Indiana |
3.38 |
Biology |
NCAA Qualifier |
|
Peter Mielnik |
Penn State |
3.44 |
Admin. of Justice |
NCAA Qualifier |
|
Ty Morgan |
Central Mich. |
3.56 |
Business |
NCAA Qualifier |
|
Eric Owen |
Northern Ill. |
3.64 |
Biological Sciences |
NCAA Qualifier |
|
Patrick Owen |
Michigan |
3.44 |
Pre-Business |
NCAA Qualifier |
|
Dennis Papadatos |
Hofstra |
3.31 |
Health Education |
NCAA Qualifier |
|
Steve Pregiato |
Boston College |
3.28 |
Accounting |
3rd ECWA |
|
Jeffrey Ratliff |
Ohio State |
3.32 |
Undecided |
NCAA Qualifier |
|
Shawn Reynolds |
Sacred Heart |
3.36 |
Sport Science |
|
|
Nathan Rickman |
James Madison |
3.62 |
Science & Technology |
2nd CAA |
|
Robert Rohn |
Lehigh |
3.53 |
Accounting |
NCAA Qualifier |
|
Eric Schmiesing |
Hofstra |
3.13 |
Economics |
7th NCAA |
|
Brad Vering |
Nebraska |
3.09 |
Accounting/Business |
7th NCAA |
|
Francis Volpe |
Harvard |
3.56 |
Economics |
NCAA Qualifier |
|
Byron Warner |
Cornell |
3.31 |
Engineering |
3rd EIWA |
|
Keith Weber |
Northern Iowa |
3.36 |
Biology |
3rd West Regional |