March 16, 2005

Wrestling Places 15 on Academic Team

Lopers Have 4th^d Highest Team GPA 

            Kearney, NE - The Nebraska-Kearney wrestling team has placed a school-record 15 individuals on the 2005 Division II Wrestling Coaches Association All-Academic team.

            The top team GPA's were also released yesterday.

            Of the 15 Lopers to make the team, seniors Adam Keiswetter (Kearney), Aaron Dalton (Fremont) and Jered Jorgensen (North Platte) are the first UNK wrestlers to earn All-Academic honors all four years.

            Additionally, junior Todd Shank (Ovid, Colo.) earns the honor for the third straight year, as do seniors Bryce Abbey (Goodland, Kans.) and Jake Froscheiser (Lincoln.).

            Team wise, UNK ranked fourth nationally with a 3.333 GPA. UNO, which won its second straight national title this year, had the nation's top team GPA at a 3.38.

            West Liberty State College of West Virginia (3.35) and Chadron State (3.336) were second and third, respectively.

            Abbey and Keiswetter earn first-team honors, as did junior Jeff Sylvester (Lyman) and redshirt freshman Tervel Dlagnev (Arlington, Texas).

            Making the second team were Dalton, Jorgensen, sophomores Caleb Young (Perry, Okla.) and Matt True (Mitchell) and redshirt freshman Jeff Rutledge (Lincoln).

            Earning honorable mention honors were Shank, Froscheiser, junior Josh Tolin (Casper, Wyo.), redshirt freshmen Brandon Brill (Kearney), Dan Dallemolle (Kotzebue, Alaska) and Brett Hille (Ransom, Kans.) 

            The team GPA is calculated by averaging the cumulative grade point averages of ten wrestlers of which eight must have competed at regionals.

            To be nominated for the All-Academic team, a student-athlete must have a minimum of a 3.00 cumulative GPA, be in his second full year at his school, be a varsity team member or key reserve, demonstrate a degree of skill and have two letters of recommendation submitted on his behalf.

            UNK recently had its sixth Top 10 finish at the NCAA Championships since 1998 and has won five of the past six RMAC/West Region titles.