Sophomore Jake Kettler and the George Mason Wrestling program were honored by the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) for their academic success. The NWCA has announced its annual Division I All-Academic Top 30 Teams and Individual All-Academic wrestling team for the 2012-13 wrestling season.
Mason had a team Grade Point Average (GPA) of 3.109 to finish 14th overall. The team GPA was determined using a system that includes 12 student-athletes from each program. A total of 10 of these came from the wrestlers that were entries in the NCAA tournament conference qualifier. If teams had less than 10 entries for their respective qualifier, they were allowed to fill those spots with wrestlers that competed in at least one varsity dual during the season.
“One of our team goals this season was to be on the NWCA academic list,” said head coach Joe Russell. “I was proud of the team's effort to achieve this goal. Being successful in the classroom and earning a degree from George Mason University will serve them well long after their wrestling careers come to an end.”
Sophomore Jake Kettler earned a place on the Individual All-Academic Team. There are 82 total athletes, four NCAA Champions, four NCAA Runner-Ups, 21 All-Americans, and 72 NCAA qualifiers that earned that distinction. He is majoring in integrative studies with a cumulative GPA of 3.79.
The Ramsey, Minn, native, finished second at 285 in the CAA Championships after leading the Patriots with a 7-4 record, 22-15 overall with 10 falls for the season. He also qualified for the NCAA Championship.
