Wrestling: Nation’s Ninth Ranked Academic Team
May 11, 2005 02:08 PM | General
By Tim Goodenow for MSNsportsNET.com
May 11, 2005
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| Jones | Lebe |
West Virginia held a team grade point average (GPA) of 3.075, good for ninth in the nation among all Division I programs. This marks the fourth consecutive season that the Mountaineers have finished in the top 20 at the NCAA tournament as well academically.
“This is a great accomplishment for our program and illustrates what we try to achieve both academically and athletically,” said head coach Craig Turnbull. “The guys in this program have worked extremely hard to compete as a top 10 program while being dedicated in the classroom.”
The team’s GPA is compiled by averaging the 10 starters of their qualifying tournament, along with two other wrestlers who saw action in at least one varsity match during the season.
Jones and Lebe were among 64 wrestlers honored by the NWCA, both named to the NWCA All-Academic Team for the second straight year.
Jones, a sport behavior major, became just the 39th wrestler in NCAA history to win three national titles. Jones also became only the 20th wrestler in NCAA history to win multiple national titles at different weight classes. The Slickville, Pa., native won as a freshman at 174 pounds and added two more at 184 pounds in his final two seasons. Jones was dominant in winning his third national title going 5-0 and being named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Wrestler. He is the first and only EWL grappler to earn that honor and finished the season with another undefeated season at 25-0. Jones closed out his career as WVU’s all-time wins leader with a 126-4 mark.
Lebe, a physical education teaching major, became the 20th wrestler in school history to earn All-America honors. He guaranteed himself All-America status by knocking off Stanford’s Matt Gentry, the defending national champion at 157 pounds, with a thrilling 5-3 decision in sudden victory. The Jeannette, Pa., native closed out a memorable season with a win over Chris Horning of Clarion to finish seventh at the NCAAs. Lebe’s 37 wins this season are the most by a WVU grappler since All-American Mike Mason finished 39-6 in 1998. His 37 wins are good enough for second most all-time by a West Virginia junior.
“On behalf of the NWCA Board of Directors I would like to congratulate the student-athletes and coaches who are being honored with 2005 NWCA All-Academic recognition,” said NWCA President Ron Beaschler in a released statement. “This achievement is a testament to the hard work and dedication that the athletes have exhibited in the wrestling room and classroom.”
The NWCA commands the absolute belief that intercollegiate athletics is an integral part of the educational mission. Wrestling has established a clear and undeniable track record of developing student-athletes with a high degree of integrity, discipline and perseverance.
