Fairfax, Va.-- The George Mason University wrestling program was honored by the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) for their academic success. The NWCA announced its annual 2021 Scholar All-American Top 30 Teams and Individual honorees with George Mason finishing in the Top 5 among the 60 wrestling Division I programs.
 
The Patriots sophomore Josh Jones was named NWCA Division I Scholar All-American. 
 
"Josh has been very consistent both on the mat and in the classroom," said Patriots' Head Coach Frank Beasley.  "He is committed to achieving at the highest levels and leads by example on and off the mat.  This is a well-deserved honor."
 
The Hellertown, Pa. native, finished sixth at 125 pounds at the MAC Championships. He earned a 7-2 record during the shortened regular season.

In the team race, George Mason finished fifth with a 3.48 GPA, the highest in program history since finishing eighth in 2005. The mark is the second best in the 15-team Mid-American Conference, with five other MAC teams in the top 30. Long Island University finished atop the field with a 3.5584 GPA followed by #2 North Dakota State University (3.5440) and #3 Cleveland State University (3.5331) and #4 Stanford University (3.5010).
 
"We are extremely proud of the commitment that our team has put into being complete student-athletes," Beasley said.  "The young men in our program are tackling some of the most challenging majors at the University and thriving.  To finish in the top ten in the country in team GPA two years in a row is special at such an incredible University."
 
To qualify for the All-Academic team, a wrestler must have at least a 3.2 cumulative GPA, and either been an NCAA qualifier or won 60 percent of his total schedule - and must have competed in at least 60 percent of said schedule. The other way to qualify for the All-Academic team is to have a 3.0 GPA and NCAA All-America status.