Fairfax, Va.—George Mason wrestler
Talha Farooq has been selected as the recipient of the George Mason OrthoVirginia Student Achiever Award, an honor that recognizes outstanding student-athletes for their efforts in the classroom and out in the community.
George Mason Director of Athletics
Brad Edwards, along with team physician Dr. Frank Pettrone presented the award to the redshirt-junior during a time-out at the George Mason men's basketball game against George Washington earlier today.
"Talha's consistent work ethic and focus in the classroom and on the mat are what makes him stand-out to our staff and our entire team," Head Coach
Frank Beasley said. "It is that focus and hard work that has taken Talha to this excellent achievement and it is well deserved!"
Talha is pursuing an accelerated Master's in criminology. He earned the 2019 Mason Wrestling Team Academic Award and was recognized as a 2020 Peter N. Stearns Provost Scholar Athlete, the highest academic distinction for a student-athlete at George Mason.
The Arlington, Va., native is active in community service. He volunteers at the Prince William County Juvenile Detention Center, working directly with troubled youth, as well as helping students at the NOVA Wrestling Club with homework and wrestling. He also spends time with All One (AL1), an organization that partners with local neighborhoods to keep the local communities clean.
As a student-athlete, he has served on the Student-Athlete Advisory Council and participated in study abroad programs where he has represented Mason overseas.
OrthoVirginia Student Achiever "Definition:
The OrthoVirginia Student Achiever Award has been put into place to recognize outstanding student-athletes not just for their athletic performances. The student-athlete can be recognized for anything that they have done that exceptional outside their playing field… whether it be community service, leadership on campus, consistent performance in the classroom, incredible attitude, recovering from a long injury, an improvement on the field, etc.
