Photo by: All Pro Photography/Dale Sparks
Trio of Mountaineers Named to Academic All-Big 12 Teams
February 28, 2018 12:53 PM | Wrestling
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Three members of the West Virginia University wrestling team have been named to the 2018 Academic All-Big 12 Wrestling Teams, as announced by the league office on Wednesday.
Redshirt freshman Hunter Jones (business) and sophomore Ryan Lopez (management) were named to the Academic All-Big 12 First Team, while redshirt freshman Matthew Schmitt (business) garnered second team accolades.
"Our coaching and administrative staff works very hard to help our Mountaineers succeed academically, and I'm so proud of these young men," said fourth-year coach Sammie Henson. "[Assistant director, student-athlete development] Samantha [Spurlock] has worked hard all year, and her commitment to making our program a success in the classroom is second-to-none. It's not easy being a student-athlete, but these are the type of athletes we want to recruit. You must be able to balance academic and athletic demands and find success in both areas, and these young men continue to set the standard for our team."
First-team members consist of those who have maintained a 3.20 or better grade point average (GPA), while second-team selections hold a 3.00 to 3.19 GPA.
To qualify, student-athletes must maintain a 3.00 GPA or higher either cumulative or the two previous semesters and must have participated in 20 percent of their team's scheduled contests. Freshmen and transfers are not eligible in their first year of academic residence. Senior student-athletes who have participated for a minimum of two years and meet all the criteria except percent of participation also are eligible.
The team features 19 student-athletes from conference member institutions Iowa State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and West Virginia, while student-athletes from the league's affiliate members in the sport – Air Force, Northern Colorado, North Dakota State, South Dakota State, Utah Valley and Wyoming – total 68 selections.
Sixty-three student-athletes made the first team, while 25 selections make up the second team.
West Virginia embarks on its postseason this weekend, as the Mountaineers travel to Tulsa, Oklahoma, for the 2018 Big 12 Wrestling Championship. The two-day tournament will take place on March 3-4 at the BOK Center.
Action starts Saturday with preliminary and quarterfinal rounds set for a noon ET start. The semifinals and consolation quarterfinals will take place at 6 p.m. ET that evening. The consolation semifinals, as well as the third- and fifth-place matches will start at 1 p.m. ET Sunday, with the championship matches set for 7 p.m. ET.
The championship will be streamed live to subscribers by FloWrestling, with live stats on FloArena.
For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVUWrestling on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Redshirt freshman Hunter Jones (business) and sophomore Ryan Lopez (management) were named to the Academic All-Big 12 First Team, while redshirt freshman Matthew Schmitt (business) garnered second team accolades.
"Our coaching and administrative staff works very hard to help our Mountaineers succeed academically, and I'm so proud of these young men," said fourth-year coach Sammie Henson. "[Assistant director, student-athlete development] Samantha [Spurlock] has worked hard all year, and her commitment to making our program a success in the classroom is second-to-none. It's not easy being a student-athlete, but these are the type of athletes we want to recruit. You must be able to balance academic and athletic demands and find success in both areas, and these young men continue to set the standard for our team."
First-team members consist of those who have maintained a 3.20 or better grade point average (GPA), while second-team selections hold a 3.00 to 3.19 GPA.
To qualify, student-athletes must maintain a 3.00 GPA or higher either cumulative or the two previous semesters and must have participated in 20 percent of their team's scheduled contests. Freshmen and transfers are not eligible in their first year of academic residence. Senior student-athletes who have participated for a minimum of two years and meet all the criteria except percent of participation also are eligible.
The team features 19 student-athletes from conference member institutions Iowa State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and West Virginia, while student-athletes from the league's affiliate members in the sport – Air Force, Northern Colorado, North Dakota State, South Dakota State, Utah Valley and Wyoming – total 68 selections.
Sixty-three student-athletes made the first team, while 25 selections make up the second team.
West Virginia embarks on its postseason this weekend, as the Mountaineers travel to Tulsa, Oklahoma, for the 2018 Big 12 Wrestling Championship. The two-day tournament will take place on March 3-4 at the BOK Center.
Action starts Saturday with preliminary and quarterfinal rounds set for a noon ET start. The semifinals and consolation quarterfinals will take place at 6 p.m. ET that evening. The consolation semifinals, as well as the third- and fifth-place matches will start at 1 p.m. ET Sunday, with the championship matches set for 7 p.m. ET.
The championship will be streamed live to subscribers by FloWrestling, with live stats on FloArena.
For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVUWrestling on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
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