MANHEIM, Pa. (March 12) – The Waynesburg University wrestling team was recently honored by the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) for its academic success following the conclusion of the 2012 season.
 
The Yellow Jackets were honored as one of only 25 teams in all of NCAA Division III to earn a 2011-12 NWCA Division III Scholar Team Award. To qualify for the award, a team's top 10 students' GPA's are averaged together. At least six of the 10 athletes chosen must have competed in the NCAA qualifying tournament, and the other athletes must have competed in at least 50 percent of the team's scheduled contests. Waynesburg checked in with the 15^th highest GPA in Division III (3.32).
 
Four different Jackets were also honored as NWCA Division III Scholar All-Americans. Junior 125-pounder Alex Crown, senior 157-pounder Garett Johnston, junior 184-pounder Cody Catalina and sophomore Anthony Bonaventura all snagged the award. Crown, Johnston and Catalina were also mentioned in the D3wrestle.com national rankings at multiple times this year, while Crown and Johnston scored their third and second Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) individual titles, respectively.
 
For a complete look at this year's NWCA Division III Scholar Team Award winners, click here. To see all of the 2011-12 NWCA Division III Scholar All-Americans, click here. Along with their academic accolades, the Jackets also enjoyed another successful year on the mats. They posted their third winning record (10-8) in four years under head coach Ron Headlee, placed third at the NCAA Division III Midwest Regional tournament, picked up four individual PAC titles and scored four PAC Wrestler of the Week honors.