University of Minnesota Athletics
THREE GOLDEN GOPHER WRESTLERS NAMED NWCA ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICANS
5/4/2001 12:00:00 AM | Athletics
Elzen, a junior from Eyota, Minn., maintained a GPA of 3.32, studying in health and wellness. A third-place finisher at 197 pounds at the 2001 NCAA Championships, Elzen went 30-3 on the season, placed third at Big Tens and earned his first All-America honor at the national meet with his podium finish.
Pike, a senior from Brownsdale, Minn., earned a spot on the First Team with a 3.28 GPA while studying in technical education. He captured fourth place at 165 pounds at this year's national tournament, earning his second All-America honor. On the year, Pike went 35-8 overall and finished in third place at the 2001 Big Ten Championships.
Lawrence, a senior from Sandpoint, Idaho, was selected to the Honorable Mention Team with a 3.10 GPA in finance/rhetoric. Minnesota's starter at 133 pounds, Lawrence earned his first All-America honor at the 2001 NCAA Championships with his eigth-place finish. He compiled an overall record of 27-10 on the year.
The individual Academic-All-American team features wrestlers from 32 universities, 44 NCAA qualifiers and 17 All-Americans. "The results of the 2001 NWCA Academic All-American Rankings simply validates the NWCA's belief that many of our nation's top collegiate wrestlers are committed to a relentless pursuit of academic excellence," said Mike Moyer, Executive Director of the NWCA. "Many of these wrestlers will undoubtedly follow their predecessors' footsteps in becoming tomorrow's leaders."
NWCA Academic All-Americans First Team Name School GPA Major Wrestling Honors Owen Elzen Minnesota 3.32 Health & Wellness 3rd NCAA Joseph Heskett Iowa State 3.14 Speech Communication 2nd NCAA Matthew Lackey Illinois 3.27 Sports Management 3rd NCAA John Lockhart Illinois 3.45 Kinesiology NCAA Champion Mark Munoz Okla. State 3.41 Health Promotions NCAA Champion Erick Olson Michigan 3.05 Physical Education 3rd NCAA Brad Pike Minnesota 3.28 Technical Education 4th NCAA Shane Roller Okla. State 3.21 Psychology 3rd NCAA Bryan Snyder Nebraska 3.21 Sociology 2nd NCAA Jody Strittmatter Iowa 3.28 Biology 2nd NCAA Adam Tirapelle Illinois 3.02 Kinesiology NCAA Champion Second Team Name School GPA Major Wrestling Honors Witt Durden Oklahoma 3.03 Mathematics 3rd NCAA Zachary Breitenbach N.C. State 4.0 Computer Science NCAA Qualifier Patrick Diaz James Madison 4.0 International Business NCAA Qualifier Michael Fickell Penn 3.2 Finance 5th NCAA Jordan Webster Central Mich. 3.86 Undecided NCAA Qualifier Matthew Picarsic Harvard 3.93 Economics NCAA Qualifier Greg Schaefer Indiana 3.77 Education NCAA Qualifier Paul Hynek Northern Iowa 3.11 Mathematics 6th NCAA Brett Faustman Central Mich. 3.65 Management Info. NCAA Qualifier Anthony Reynolds Sacred Heart 3.70 Chemistry/Mathematics 3rd ECWA Honorable Mention Name School GPA Major Wrestling Honors Dan Bednar Ohio 3.48 Chemical Engineering NCAA Qualifier Albert Boucher Cleveland State 3.28 Biology Education NCAA Qualifier Adam Britt VMI 3.32 Civil Engineering NCAA Qualifier Scott Brubaker James Madison 3.56 Finance 4th CAA Anthony Coleman Cleveland State 3.48 Undecided Coyte Cooper Indiana 3.42 Physical Education NCAA Qualifier Fikret Darzanoff Seton Hall 3.28 Criminal Justice 2nd ECWA Joseph DeGain Michigan 3.28 Physical Education NCAA Qualifier David Dietrich Drexel 3.64 Education NCAA Qualifier Kevin El-Hayek Harvard 3.35 Biology 3rd EIWA Jon Fasana Portland State 3.54 Civil Engineering NCAA Qualifier Erick Glass Duquesne 3.36 Engineering NCAA Qualifier Jon Gross The Citadel 3.52 Political Science 3rd Southern Kyle Hansen Northern Iowa 3.11 Construction Mgmt. 8th NCAA Ryan Kehler West Virginia 3.53 Physical Education NCAA Qualifier Jeffrey Knupp Penn State 3.5 Chemical Engineering NCAA Qualifier Steve Kodish James Madison 3.27 Kinesiology 2nd CAA Brett Lawrence Minnesota 3.1 Finance 8th NCAA Rocco Mansueto Cleveland State 3.44 Psychology NCAA Qualifier Ty Matthews Indiana 3.38 Biology NCAA Qualifier Peter Mielnik Penn State 3.44 Admin. of Justice NCAA Qualifier Ty Morgan Central Mich. 3.56 Business NCAA Qualifier Eric Owen Northern Ill. 3.64 Biological Sciences NCAA Qualifier Patrick Owen Michigan 3.44 Pre-Business NCAA Qualifier Dennis Papadatos Hofstra 3.31 Health Education NCAA Qualifier Steve Pregiato Boston College 3.28 Accounting 3rd ECWA Jeffrey Ratliff Ohio State 3.32 Undecided NCAA Qualifier Shawn Reynolds Sacred Heart 3.36 Sport Science Nathan Rickman James Madison 3.62 Science & Technology 2nd CAA Robert Rohn Lehigh 3.53 Accounting NCAA Qualifier Eric Schmiesing Hofstra 3.13 Economics 7th NCAA Brad Vering Nebraska 3.09 Accounting/Business 7th NCAA Francis Volpe Harvard 3.56 Economics NCAA Qualifier Byron Warner Cornell 3.31 Engineering 3rd EIWA Keith Weber Northern Iowa 3.36 Biology 3rd West Regional
