The Wolverines continue to have success in their athletics this year, but this time it’s what the wrestlers of the school are doing off the mat that is catching the attention of the Western Wrestling Conference and coaches alike.
In early May, the National Wrestling Coaches Association announced that Utah Valley University wrestling squad had the fourth highest GPA in the nation at 3.27, beating out the likes of Stanford, Princeton, and Brown University. This marked the highest rank UVU had received in this category, going back to the 2008-2009 season when they placed sixth on the same list.
This marked the fourth time UVU had scored in the top 10. Josh Wilson, who qualified earlier in the season for the NCAA championship tournament, also qualified for the 2011-12 NWCA All-Academic Division I Team, sporting a 3.62 GPA in accounting.
One month later, 15 wrestlers on the UVU wrestling squad made the WWC All-Academic Squad with Wilson and Avery Garner landing on the All-Academic Team.
According to the WWC release, “the All-Academic Team features 14 wrestlers who balanced school work and time on the mat to meet the sixth-year league’s highest academic standards.”
The remaining13 wrestlers on the squad made the Coaches Honor Roll. Some notables who made the Coaches Honor Roll include brothers Chase and Kyle Cuthbertson who both averaged over a 3.50 GPA. Freshman Jarod Maynes completed his first year with a perfect 4.0 GPA. 174-pounder Sam Graham also scored over a 3.80 GPA his freshman year. All four of these wrestlers are majoring in business management.
UVU is having success on the mat as well as sophomore Adam Fager traveled all the way to Akron, OH along with nine other teammates to participate in the 2012 ASICS University Nationals and ended up placing sixth in his weight division. Fager started his day beating his first four opponents only to lose to reigning National Champion from Kent State, Dustin Kilgore. Head coach Greg Williams was impressed and satisfied with Fager’s performance.
“It was a good tournament for Adam,” Williams said. “It’s exciting that he placed at this level of a tournament and he and all nine of our guys will go back and work on what they learned from being here.”
UVU looks to transfer their off-the-mat success onto the mat. This past season, UVU was 0-5 against ranked wrestling programs, including No. 2 Penn State when they came to visit Utah Valley. Their overall experience on the team will increase as all their freshman now have one year under their belt, and great GPA’s to brag about.
