Gopher Wrestling has done very well on the Academic front this year as 7 wrestlers were named all B1G in March and now several wrestlers have received some other awards for academic excellence! I have posted some articles below that discuss the honors received by Wrestling and other Gopher sports.
Good work Gopher Wrestlers...not just brawn, but brains too!!
NWCA Honors Gophers for Academics
The National Wrestling Coaches' Association announced its All-Academic teams and individuals on Monday, with the Gophers appearing on both lists
Michael Kroells has been both an All-American and an NWCA All-Academic honoree each of the past two seasons.
Gophersports.com
May 9, 2016
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.
Six Gophers Tabbed Academic All-District
Six student-athletes have been recognized as CoSIDA Academic All-District award recipients
Gophersports.com
May 12, 2016
CoSIDA release
MINNEAPOLIS – Six Golden Gopher student-athletes have been recognized as CoSIDA Academic All-District award recipients, it was announced on Thursday. Hannah Brandt (women's hockey), Jessica Flakne (rowing), Michael Kroells (wrestling), Lindsay Mable (women's gymnastics), Brett Pfarr (wrestling), and Lee Stecklein (women's hockey) were tabbed as at-large first team honorees.
The University of Minnesota now has 21 total Academic All-District honorees this year. These six honorees are now eligible for Academic All-America accolades in June and will look to join Brandon Lingen (Football) and Paige Tapp (Volleyball) as 2015-16 CoSIDA Academic All-America honorees.
Hannah Brandt earns her second CoSIDA Academic All-District nod after taking home All-District and Academic All-America honors last season. Brandt led the Gopher women's hockey team to the program's seventh national title in 2016. She was honored as a Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award finalist for the fourth-straight season along with receiving AHCA/CCM First Team All-American, All-USCHO, and All-WCHA honors. The Vadnais Heights, Minn., native is a three-time WCHA Scholar Athlete and WCHA All-Academic Team honoree and will graduate with a degree in health and wellness through the University of Minnesota's Inter-College Program.
Jessica Flakne is a varsity team captain and has recorded two first-place finishes and five second-place finishes this season, competing in five regattas. A three-time Big Ten Conference Distinguished Scholar and Academic All-Big Ten honoree, she was twice selected as a CRCA Scholar-Athlete. The Maple Plain, Minn., native was also selected to the Capital One Academic All-District At-Large Team in 2015.
Michael Kroells is a repeat Academic All-District honoree, earning the recognition for the second time and continuing to maintain a near-perfect GPA as he works toward an aerospace engineering degree. In addition to his academic honors, which also include multiple awards from the Big Ten and the National Wrestling Coaches’ Association, Kroells is coming off his most successful season on the mat for the Gophers. He placed seventh in the NCAA tournament last spring, securing his second All-America season and becoming the 51st multiple-time All-American in program history. Kroells set several new career-highs last season, including wins (35) and major decisions (eight).
This season, Lindsay Mable closed her collegiate athletics career with a bang. The Aurora, Colo., native earned the AAI Award, which is considered the Heisman Trophy in gymnastics. Mable was also named back-to-back Big Ten Gymnast of the Year. She boasts 18 career All-America accolades, including seven this season and won the All-Around and Beam individual titles at the Big Ten Championships. Mable is a three-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree and was named the female recipient of the Big Ten Wayne Duke Postgraduate Award. Over the course of her career at Minnesota, Mable accrued 96 individual event titles and 26 All-Around titles.
Brett Pfarr bumped up from wrestling at 184 pounds as a redshirt sophomore to 197 last season, but the jump in his performance dwarfed a mere 13-pound change. Pfarr spent much of the season ranked in the top-five at his weight nationally, finishing the season with a third-place performance at the NCAA Championships to earn his first career All-America honor. On his way to the podium, Pfarr won 40 matches, becoming the first Gopher to reach that mark in nearly a decade, and finished undefeated in dual competition, including all of his conference matches. Pfarr, who grew up on a farm in southwest Minnesota, maintains a 3.78 GPA in agriculture and food business management.
Lee Stecklein earns her first CoSIDA Academic All-District nod this season. The Roseville, Minn., native is a two-time WCHA Scholar-Athlete and WCHA All-Academic Team honoree along with being a two-time AHCA/CCM Second Team All-American and All-WCHA First Team selection. She served as a co-captain with Brandt this season, leading the Gophers to their second-straight and seventh overall NCAA title. Stecklein posted a career-high 30 points, scoring eight goals and adding 22 assists. The junior is studying Entrepreneurial Management in the Carlson School of Management.
Gopher Student-Athletes Recognized on 2015-16 CoSIDA Academic All-District Teams
Paige Tapp (Volleyball)*
Hannah Tapp (Volleyball)
Katie Schau (Volleyball)
Briean Boddy-Calhoun (Football)
Jon Christenson (Football)
Brandon Lingen (Football)*
Rashida Beal (Soccer)
Rachel McCloskey (Soccer)
Josee Stiever (Soccer)
Taylor Stainbrook (Soccer)
Joanna Hedstrom (Women's Basketball)
Shayne Mullaney (Women's Basketball)
Carlie Wagner (Women's Basketball)
Matt Fiedler (Baseball)
Sam Macken (Softball)
Hannah Brandt (Women's Hockey)
Jessica Flakne (Rowing)
Michael Kroells (Wrestling)
Lindsay Mable (Women's Gymnastics)
Brett Pfarr (Wrestling)
Lee Stecklein (Women's Hockey)
*Also honored as CoSIDA Academic All-America selections.
Gophers Earn Academic All-B1G Laurels
The Big Ten Conference has recognized 69 student-athletes from the University of Minnesota as Academic All-Big Ten honorees.
Gophersports.com
March 23, 2016
MINNEAPOLIS (GopherSports.com) – The Big Ten Conference has recognized 69 student-athletes from the University of Minnesota as Academic All-Big Ten honorees, the league announced on Wednesday afternoon.
In total, the Big Ten honored 778 student-athletes who compete in winter sports across the conference. Of the representatives chosen from the Gophers, eight programs were recognized for their academic success. Men’s hockey paced the department with 14 representatives while men’s swimming & diving (13), women’s swimming & diving (12) and men’s gymnastics (10) touted double-digit honorees. Women’s gymnastics and wrestling placed seven honorees each while women’s basketball (four) and men’s basketball (two) rounded out the list.
To be eligible for Academic All-Big Ten selection, students must be letterwinners who are in at least their second academic year at their institution and carry a cumulative grade-point average of 3.0 or higher.
Women’s Basketball (4)
Mikayla Bailey
Joanna Hedstrom
Shayne Mullaney
Carlie Wagner
Women’s Gymnastics (7)
Bailey Abernathy
Rachel Haines
Madeline Hanley
Bailie Holst
Lindsay Mable
Kaitlin Rahon
Rachel Rowland
Women’s Swimming & Diving (12)
Ellen Bloom
Rae Bullinger
Beth Etterman
Samantha Harding
Katelyn Holmquist
Danielle Nack
Abigail Raatz
Jessica Ramberg
Lexi Tenenbaum
Lauren Votava
Brooke Zeiger
Yu Zhou
Men’s Basketball (2)
Joey King
Mike Lukashewich
Men’s Gymnastics (10)
Luke Aldrich
Ryan Bergman
Daniel DiBenedetto
Tristan Duran
Joel Gagnon
Jack Kramer
Zach Liebler
Yaroslav Pochinka
Shashank Yallamraju
Men’s Hockey (14)
Jake Bischoff
Leon Bristedt
Taylor Cammarata
Ryan Collins
Hudson Fasching
Jack Glover
Steve Johnson
Justin Kloos
Nick Lehr
Vinni Lettieri
A.J. Michaelson
Connor Reilly
Ryan Reilly
Nick Seeler
Men’s Swimming & Diving (13)
Matt Barnard
Viktor Bjoerk
Ben Bravence
Noah Busch
John Bushman
Ian Gordon
Jan Hansen
Jakub Maly
Conner McHugh
Ryan Miksch
Nick Orf
Jon Thielen
Dylan Zoe
Wrestling (7)
Will Balow
Jordan Kingsley
Micahel Kroells
Josh Mora
Bret Pfarr
Chris Pfarr
Nick Wanzek
Good work Gopher Wrestlers...not just brawn, but brains too!!
NWCA Honors Gophers for Academics
The National Wrestling Coaches' Association announced its All-Academic teams and individuals on Monday, with the Gophers appearing on both lists
Michael Kroells has been both an All-American and an NWCA All-Academic honoree each of the past two seasons.
Gophersports.com
May 9, 2016
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.
Six Gophers Tabbed Academic All-District
Six student-athletes have been recognized as CoSIDA Academic All-District award recipients
Gophersports.com
May 12, 2016
CoSIDA release
MINNEAPOLIS – Six Golden Gopher student-athletes have been recognized as CoSIDA Academic All-District award recipients, it was announced on Thursday. Hannah Brandt (women's hockey), Jessica Flakne (rowing), Michael Kroells (wrestling), Lindsay Mable (women's gymnastics), Brett Pfarr (wrestling), and Lee Stecklein (women's hockey) were tabbed as at-large first team honorees.
The University of Minnesota now has 21 total Academic All-District honorees this year. These six honorees are now eligible for Academic All-America accolades in June and will look to join Brandon Lingen (Football) and Paige Tapp (Volleyball) as 2015-16 CoSIDA Academic All-America honorees.
Hannah Brandt earns her second CoSIDA Academic All-District nod after taking home All-District and Academic All-America honors last season. Brandt led the Gopher women's hockey team to the program's seventh national title in 2016. She was honored as a Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award finalist for the fourth-straight season along with receiving AHCA/CCM First Team All-American, All-USCHO, and All-WCHA honors. The Vadnais Heights, Minn., native is a three-time WCHA Scholar Athlete and WCHA All-Academic Team honoree and will graduate with a degree in health and wellness through the University of Minnesota's Inter-College Program.
Jessica Flakne is a varsity team captain and has recorded two first-place finishes and five second-place finishes this season, competing in five regattas. A three-time Big Ten Conference Distinguished Scholar and Academic All-Big Ten honoree, she was twice selected as a CRCA Scholar-Athlete. The Maple Plain, Minn., native was also selected to the Capital One Academic All-District At-Large Team in 2015.
Michael Kroells is a repeat Academic All-District honoree, earning the recognition for the second time and continuing to maintain a near-perfect GPA as he works toward an aerospace engineering degree. In addition to his academic honors, which also include multiple awards from the Big Ten and the National Wrestling Coaches’ Association, Kroells is coming off his most successful season on the mat for the Gophers. He placed seventh in the NCAA tournament last spring, securing his second All-America season and becoming the 51st multiple-time All-American in program history. Kroells set several new career-highs last season, including wins (35) and major decisions (eight).
This season, Lindsay Mable closed her collegiate athletics career with a bang. The Aurora, Colo., native earned the AAI Award, which is considered the Heisman Trophy in gymnastics. Mable was also named back-to-back Big Ten Gymnast of the Year. She boasts 18 career All-America accolades, including seven this season and won the All-Around and Beam individual titles at the Big Ten Championships. Mable is a three-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree and was named the female recipient of the Big Ten Wayne Duke Postgraduate Award. Over the course of her career at Minnesota, Mable accrued 96 individual event titles and 26 All-Around titles.
Brett Pfarr bumped up from wrestling at 184 pounds as a redshirt sophomore to 197 last season, but the jump in his performance dwarfed a mere 13-pound change. Pfarr spent much of the season ranked in the top-five at his weight nationally, finishing the season with a third-place performance at the NCAA Championships to earn his first career All-America honor. On his way to the podium, Pfarr won 40 matches, becoming the first Gopher to reach that mark in nearly a decade, and finished undefeated in dual competition, including all of his conference matches. Pfarr, who grew up on a farm in southwest Minnesota, maintains a 3.78 GPA in agriculture and food business management.
Lee Stecklein earns her first CoSIDA Academic All-District nod this season. The Roseville, Minn., native is a two-time WCHA Scholar-Athlete and WCHA All-Academic Team honoree along with being a two-time AHCA/CCM Second Team All-American and All-WCHA First Team selection. She served as a co-captain with Brandt this season, leading the Gophers to their second-straight and seventh overall NCAA title. Stecklein posted a career-high 30 points, scoring eight goals and adding 22 assists. The junior is studying Entrepreneurial Management in the Carlson School of Management.
Gopher Student-Athletes Recognized on 2015-16 CoSIDA Academic All-District Teams
Paige Tapp (Volleyball)*
Hannah Tapp (Volleyball)
Katie Schau (Volleyball)
Briean Boddy-Calhoun (Football)
Jon Christenson (Football)
Brandon Lingen (Football)*
Rashida Beal (Soccer)
Rachel McCloskey (Soccer)
Josee Stiever (Soccer)
Taylor Stainbrook (Soccer)
Joanna Hedstrom (Women's Basketball)
Shayne Mullaney (Women's Basketball)
Carlie Wagner (Women's Basketball)
Matt Fiedler (Baseball)
Sam Macken (Softball)
Hannah Brandt (Women's Hockey)
Jessica Flakne (Rowing)
Michael Kroells (Wrestling)
Lindsay Mable (Women's Gymnastics)
Brett Pfarr (Wrestling)
Lee Stecklein (Women's Hockey)
*Also honored as CoSIDA Academic All-America selections.
Gophers Earn Academic All-B1G Laurels
The Big Ten Conference has recognized 69 student-athletes from the University of Minnesota as Academic All-Big Ten honorees.
Gophersports.com
March 23, 2016
MINNEAPOLIS (GopherSports.com) – The Big Ten Conference has recognized 69 student-athletes from the University of Minnesota as Academic All-Big Ten honorees, the league announced on Wednesday afternoon.
In total, the Big Ten honored 778 student-athletes who compete in winter sports across the conference. Of the representatives chosen from the Gophers, eight programs were recognized for their academic success. Men’s hockey paced the department with 14 representatives while men’s swimming & diving (13), women’s swimming & diving (12) and men’s gymnastics (10) touted double-digit honorees. Women’s gymnastics and wrestling placed seven honorees each while women’s basketball (four) and men’s basketball (two) rounded out the list.
To be eligible for Academic All-Big Ten selection, students must be letterwinners who are in at least their second academic year at their institution and carry a cumulative grade-point average of 3.0 or higher.
Women’s Basketball (4)
Mikayla Bailey
Joanna Hedstrom
Shayne Mullaney
Carlie Wagner
Women’s Gymnastics (7)
Bailey Abernathy
Rachel Haines
Madeline Hanley
Bailie Holst
Lindsay Mable
Kaitlin Rahon
Rachel Rowland
Women’s Swimming & Diving (12)
Ellen Bloom
Rae Bullinger
Beth Etterman
Samantha Harding
Katelyn Holmquist
Danielle Nack
Abigail Raatz
Jessica Ramberg
Lexi Tenenbaum
Lauren Votava
Brooke Zeiger
Yu Zhou
Men’s Basketball (2)
Joey King
Mike Lukashewich
Men’s Gymnastics (10)
Luke Aldrich
Ryan Bergman
Daniel DiBenedetto
Tristan Duran
Joel Gagnon
Jack Kramer
Zach Liebler
Yaroslav Pochinka
Shashank Yallamraju
Men’s Hockey (14)
Jake Bischoff
Leon Bristedt
Taylor Cammarata
Ryan Collins
Hudson Fasching
Jack Glover
Steve Johnson
Justin Kloos
Nick Lehr
Vinni Lettieri
A.J. Michaelson
Connor Reilly
Ryan Reilly
Nick Seeler
Men’s Swimming & Diving (13)
Matt Barnard
Viktor Bjoerk
Ben Bravence
Noah Busch
John Bushman
Ian Gordon
Jan Hansen
Jakub Maly
Conner McHugh
Ryan Miksch
Nick Orf
Jon Thielen
Dylan Zoe
Wrestling (7)
Will Balow
Jordan Kingsley
Micahel Kroells
Josh Mora
Bret Pfarr
Chris Pfarr
Nick Wanzek
