CHATTANOOGA---Five Chattanooga Mocs were listed on the National Wrestling Coaches Association's Scholar All-Americans for 2022-23. The group includes senior Weston Wichman and graduate students Logan Ashton, Jake Boyd, Rocky Jordan and Franco Valdes.
 
"We are proud of our guy's efforts in the classroom," Coach Kyle Ruschell noted. "On and off the mat, you want to see your guys fight. Whether it's match day, in the room competing to start or in the classroom and community.
 
"Do the work to be great."
 
Jordan embodied this most of all as Southern Conference Champion at 174. He, Ashton (125) and Boyd (197) were fixtures in the lineup. Valdes (141) and Wichman (165) battled injury issues throughout the campaign as all five represented the squad at the SoCon Tournament.
 
The quintet led the program to a 3.199 grade point average in the fall semester. It was one of 12 teams to top 3.0 and was above the department's average impressive 3.187 as a group.
 
That 3.199 was the second-best semester on record behind 3.23 during spring 2020. Two new program records were set with 19 on the Dean's List (3.2+) and 23 total earning Athletics Director's Honor Roll (3.0+).
 
Jordan (Post-Bacc), Ashton (MBA) and Boyd (MBA) turned in 4.0s over the fall slate of classwork. Freshman Bryce Keckley (Finance) and sophomore Caleb Waddell (Health & Human Performance) joined them.
 
There were 291 NCAA Division I wrestlers from 73 institutions recognized. It is a weighted award with ties both to work in the classroom and on the mat. The NWCA annually awards collegiate wrestlers with Scholar All-American status provided they met at least one of the following criteria:

• 3.0 cumulative GPA & earned All-America honors in the same academic year.
• 3.2 cumulative GPA & qualify for NCAA Championships in the same academic year.
• 3.5 cumulative GPA & win 60 percent of matches in at least 60 percent of the team's schedule.
• 3.5 cumulative GPA and participate at the conference qualifying tournament.

 
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