May 11, 2005
FAIRFAX, Va. - The National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) announced Tuesday (May 10) its NWCA Top 30 Division I All-Academic Teams and George Mason made the elite list, ranking eighth overall and marking its first top 10 finish.
This is the second consecutive season Mason's joined the all-academic rankings, jumping ahead nine spots and making a significant improvement from last year's 17th-place showing. Other teams in the top 10 include Brown, Princeton, Stanford and Columbia.
Among the approximately 89 Division I wrestling programs, the Patriots' eighth-place rating was the second highest among schools that compete in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA). Sacred Heart, which also competes in the CAA, was the NWCA's top academic program with a team grade-point-average (GPA) of 3.1055. Mason's team GPA of 3.0875 is an improvement from last year's 2.9657 cumulative mark and is ahead of such programs as Cornell, Michigan, Harvard, Virginia, UPenn and CAA runner-up Rider.
"This is a well deserved honor for our program," expressed head coach Brian Shaffer, who just completed his tenth season at Mason. "We have a great group of student-athletes who are always striving to be the best in everything they do. To be ranked among the nation's elite is quite an achievement and something that the university and local community can be very proud of. With most of them returning next year, we expect to continue this success both on and off the mat."
George Mason's David Emison (Stafford, Va./North Stafford) also received scholarly honors as one of 64 student-athletes selected to the NWCA Division I All-Academic Team, earning a 3.27 GPA. Emison, a sophomore, has yet to declare a major.
A two-year starter at 133 pounds, Emison concluded the 2004-05 season leading the team in overall victories, posting a 27-11 mark. He placed fourth at the CAA Championships and finished the year 5-2 in CAA dual matches and 11-3 in overall dual meets. Nineteen of Emison's 27 victories were via pin fall (4), technical fall or major decision. He led the Patriots in technical fall and major decision wins with 10 and five, respectively.
To be eligible for the NWCA Top 30 Division I All-Academic Team, schools must submit the cumulative GPA's of the 10 starters that participated in their respective tournament championships along with two alternates. Individual academic honors are given to those student-athletes who are either NCAA qualifiers and have achieved a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or individuals who won a minimum of sixty percent of their matches and achieved a cumulative GPA of 3.2 or above.
