Another Scholar All-American Team Honor

MOORHEAD, Minn. (3/26/13)—For the third time in the past four seasons Concordia earned Scholar All-American Team honors as announced by the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA). The Cobbers had the ninth highest grade point average in all of NCAA Division III.

Concordia, who finished with a 3.42 team GPA, was the highest ranked team of all the NCAA West Region squads and one of only two teams from Minnesota, Iowa and Wisconsin to receive the prestigious honor.  

In order to be named an NWCA Scholar All-American Team a team is judged on the following criteria:  1) the team GPA is calculated as an average of the top 10 students on each team.  2) At least six of the 10 chosen must have competed in the NCAA qualifying tournament, while the other athletes must have competed in at least 50 percent of the teams scheduled contests.

Concordia junior Kyle LeDuc and sophomore Sebastian Gardner also earned NWCA Division III Scholar All-American honors. LeDuc carries a  3.80 grade point average while Gardner has a 3.59 GPA. Both student/athletes are majoring in biology. It marks the second straight season that LeDuc has earned Scholar All-American honors.

The other members of the Cobbers' Scholar All-American included seniors Josten Coleman, Nathan Schmitz and Kevin Fynboh, sophomores Chris Harrison, Jake Krogstad and Yonas Gebreab and freshmen Gabe Foltz and Chase Austvold

The 10 wrestlers helped the Cobbers finish 13th at the NCAA Championship Meet. It is the fourth straight season that Concordia has finished in the top 15 of the nation. CC was also ranked in the top 25 of the nation in the NWCA Division III poll the entire season.   

The top 20 teams to earn Division III Scholar All-America Team honors included:

1. Olivet - 3.67
2. Williams - 3.54
3. Wabash - 3.53
4. Alma - 3.52
5. Johnson & Wales - 3.48
6. Wesleyan - 3.44
7. Messiah - 3.43
7. New York Univ. - 3.43
9. Concordia - 3.42
9. UW-La Crosse - 3.42
11. Johns Hopkins - 3.41
12. Stevens - 3.34
13. Roger Williams - 3.31
14. Wheaton - 3.30
15. SUNY Cortland - 3.29
15. Pacific - 3.29
17. Wash. & Jefferson - 3.27
18. York (Pa.) - 3.26
19. Case Western - 3.25
20. Gettysburg - 3.2