University of Minnesota Athletics
NWCA Honors Gophers for Academics
5/9/2016 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Gopher Wrestling brought home some additional academic hardware on Monday when the National Wrestling Coaches' Association (NWCA) released its All-Academic teams and individuals.
A pair of Gophers, juniors Brett Pfarr and Michael Kroells, were among the 116 wrestlers nationwide to be honored as All-Academic by the NWCA. As a team, Minnesota again made the NWCA's Top 30 list for best team GPAs in the country.
Pfarr wrapped up a breakout 2015-16 season with a third-place finish at 197 pounds in New York City. He set new career highs in virtually every statistical category last year as he built up a 40-4 record. His 40 wins were the most by any Gopher in the past nine seasons, while his 18 major decisions were the most by any Minnesota wrestler in more than two decades. Pfarr is an Agricultural and Food Business Management major who has earned Academic All-Big Ten recognition three times as well.
Kroells, an Aerospace Engineering major, took seventh at this year's NCAAs to earn his second career All-America finish. His efforts at this year's tournament made Kroells the 51st multiple-time All-American in program history. Like Pfarr, Kroells achieved several career-best totals on the mat this season, most notably in season wins (35). Kroells' academic accomplishments are well-documented, as a three-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree and a CoSIDA Academic All-District recipient last season.
Pfarr and Kroells were two of 36 All-Americans from last spring's NCAA Championships recognized for their academic achievements by the NWCA. Both were also NWCA All-Academic last season.
As a team, Minnesota landed 12th nationally -- and second in the Big Ten -- in the NWCA's rankings. The Gophers are routinely among the top teams in the country in the NWCA's annual academic standings.
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