BOONE, N.C. — App State had a league-best 22 wrestling student-athletes make the 2020-21 Southern Conference Academic Honor Roll that was released Thursday.
That total contributed to the Mountaineers posting a semester GPA over 3.0 as a team during a year in which they set a school record with seven NCAA Championships qualifiers, including five who earned a top-20 seed and one All-American in
Jonathan Millner (149 pounds). With five conference champions in 2021, the Mountaineers tied NC State and Arizona State for the lead in Division I wrestling.
The honor roll members were highlighted by two wrestlers,
Kobe Early and
Brett Mordecai, who made the list for Commissioner's Medals that are awarded to student-athletes who attain a GPA of 3.8 or higher throughout the year.
In addition to Early and Mordecai, the other honor roll members for 2020-21 were, in alphabetical order:
Tommy Askey,
Dawson Bates,
Barrett Blakely,
Jackson Boles,
Anthony Brito,
Michael Burchell,
Paul Carson,
Sean Carter,
Mason Fiscella,
Thomas Flitz,
Will Formato,
Heath Gonyer,
Tyler Kellison,
Jonathan Millner,
Ethan Oakley,
Tristan Pugh,
Ramon Rodriguez,
Codi Russell,
Caleb Smith and
Joshua Spurlin.
The Honor Roll consists of student-athletes who achieve a 3.0 minimum GPA for the academic year while being a member of the final squad list during their sport's traditional season.
Earlier this week, App State had five student-athletes named to the Academic All-Conference team.
With the Mountaineers posting the second-highest total in the league, head coach
JohnMark Bentley's program was represented on the list by Brito, Burchell, Flitz, Formato and Smith.
To be eligible, student-athletes had to carry at least a 3.3 cumulative GPA at the conclusion of the spring semester and meet participation requirements during the 2020-21 season. Additionally, the student-athletes must have successfully completed at least three semesters at their institutions, making true freshmen and first-year transfers ineligible for inclusion.
