The AU wrestling team has achieved the highest grade-point average in Division I for the second year in a row, according to a statement from the AU Athletic Department.
The team had two wrestlers finish in the top 10 at the 2009 championships, but that was not their only honor of the year. A combined GPA of 3.28 was the highest marks of any program in the nation according to the National Wrestling Coaches Association. Their marks were better than Harvard, Stanford, Duke and Davidson, which were ranked two through five, respectively. AU is the only team in the nation to earn NWCA All-American Team honors and finish in the top 30 at the national championships in each of the last four years.
Only three years after Josh Glenn won the school its first national championship, AU continues to win and sign ESPN.com top recruits. Not only are they able to sign top recruits, but at the same time keep up with the school's academic requirements.
"We are very proud in our team's ability to maintain such a high level of excellence both in the classroom and on the mat," Coach Mark Cody said in a press release. "It is a testament to the hard work and dedication that our student-athletes put into their studies and the sport year-round."
Along with the team's winning academic accolades, senior Andrew Silber and junior Mike Cannon were both named to the All-Academic Team. They are the programs 10th and 11th honors in the last five years. Cannon, a three-time Academic All-American, is a business major and holds a 3.31 GPA. Silber, a student in SPA, maintains a 3.27 GPA.
The NWCA gets their rankings by averaging the GPA of 12 student-athletes from each team, and 10 of them must have competed at their conference qualifier.
An individual earns Academic All-American Status by having at least a 3.2 cumulative GPA, been an NCAA qualifier or won 60 percent of their total schedule, or been an NCAA All-American with at least a 3.0 GPA.
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