UVU Wrestlers Sixth-Best GPA; Three Scholar All-Americans

MANHEIM, Penn. — The National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) named its 2021-22 Division I Top 30 Scholar All-American Teams and Utah Valley University wrestling finished sixth in the nation with a 3.47 team GPA. A trio of Wolverines were also tabbed NWCA Scholar All-Americans in Evan Bockman, Haiden Drury, and Taylor LaMont.

This year marks the 13th time in the past 14 seasons that UVU has earned a spot on the NWCA Division I Top 30 Scholar All-American Teams list. It also marks the fifth-straight year that Utah Valley has been ranked in the top 10.

"We are proud of the effort our wrestlers are putting into their studies. We take the term Student-Athlete seriously and our team's performance reflects that," head UVU coach Greg Williams said. "There is a level of buy-in and pride this team possesses and we are very proud of our squad for achieving such a high level of academic prowess."

By registering the sixth-best GPA in the nation, the Wolverines also had the second-best GPA of any Big 12 Conference institution. Fellow wrestling affiliate North Dakota State led the Big 12 by finishing fourth with a 3.54 GPA, while fellow Big 12 institutions South Dakota State (7th, 3.46), Northern Colorado (9th, 3.45), and Northern Iowa (19th, 3.40) also made the cut. Long Island University recorded the nation's best GPA for the second straight season with a 3.62 GPA.

This year marks the fourth time that the three-time NCAA qualifier and 2021 All-American LaMont (MS: Marriage and Family Therapy) has earned the prestigious honor. It also marks the first time for both Bockman (History) and Drury (Business Management). All three grapplers were NCAA qualifiers for the Wolverines this season.

"On behalf of the NWCA Board of Directors, it is my honor to recognize these exceptional athletes and teams," NWCA Executive Director Mike Moyer said. "Wrestling takes much focus and sacrifice, and we are proud to honor these wrestlers for their obvious commitment to their academic pursuits!"

For the individual awards, NC State and Wisconsin led the list of honorees with eight Scholar All-American selections while Rutgers, Ohio State, Illinois, Iowa, and Michigan each had seven award winners. In all, the Scholar list includes 188 National Qualifiers, 56 All-Americans, 13 National Finalists, and six National Champions.

A total of 289 Division I wrestling student-athletes representing 74 institutions received the esteemed honor.

To be considered for the NWCA Scholar All-American squad, individuals must have qualified for the NCAA Championships or won more than 60% of their matches on the season as well as maintained above a 3.2 GPA in the classroom (above a 3.0 GPA if crowned an All-American).