Three Norse Named NWCA Scholar All-Americans
March 12, 2008
Three members of the Luther College wrestling team were named to the 2008 National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) Division III Scholar All-America Team.
To be eligible for this honor, an athlete must have a grade point average of 3.2 or higher on a scale of 4.0, for the previous full academic year prior to the national tournament. The nominee must have been in residence at his current institution for at least one full year.
Senior Travis Grawin (Elroy, Wis./Royall) and junior Nic Barclay (Apple Valley, Minn.) were presented this award for the first time. Junior Alec Bonander (Larchwood, Iowa/West Lyon) was a repeat honoree, earning this award for the second time in as many seasons.
All three wrestlers were national qualifiers. Grawin and Bonander were All-Americans placing fourth and fifth respectively at 141 and 197.
Luther has had an outstanding tradition of academic excellence. With the addition of this year's awards, 35 Scholar All-America honors have been earned by Norse wrestlers, 27 since Head Dave Mitchell took over the program in 1996-97. A two-time academic All-American himself, coach Mitch stresses the importance of excellence both in the classroom and on the mat.
The NWCA also announced the top-25 scholar teams. Luther was ranked 16th with a cumulative grade point average of 3.27.
To earn this outstanding honor, a coach must submit 10 wrestlers, six of which had to compete in the national qualifying tournament - IIAC Championships. The other four can come from none national qualifying tournament members of the team, but must have competed in at least half of a school's total scheduled competitions of NCAA sanctioned events.
