Dutch wrestlers receive academic honors
Central College
PELLA — Four Central College wrestlers were recognized as Scholar All-Americans by the National Wrestling Coaches Association for the third year in a row.
A.J. McBroom (senior, Runnells, Iowa/Southeast Polk HS), Zach Moss (senior, Winterset), C.J. Pestano (junior, Torrance, Calif.) and Matt Seabold (senior, Burlington) received the honors, matching the school record set in 2015 and 2016.
To qualify for the award, a wrestler must maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.2 or higher and either place in the top six at the NCAA Division III regional or win more than 67 percent of his matches.
McBroom (13-6) led the Dutch with 10 victories by fall and had a trio of top-three tournament finishes at 184 pounds, including runner-up at the Super 8 Invitational hosted by the University of Wisconsin-Platteville. McBroom carries a 3.66 GPA as an exercise science major.
Moss (24-8) finished sixth at the NCAA Division III Central Regional. He was the individual champion at 174 pounds for the Central’s Under Armour Invitational. An environmental science major with a 3.75 GPA, Moss was previously given the prestigious academic honor in 2015.
Pestano (32-5) placed fourth at 125 pounds at this year’s NCAA Division III Wrestling Championships. He won the title at the Central Regional and was unbeaten against Iowa Conference wrestlers. A physics major with a mathematics minor, Pestano carries a 3.35 GPA and is being honored for the third time.
Seabold (19-6) finished second at the NCAA Division III Central Regional to qualify for the national meet for the third time. He was the individual champion at 197 pounds for the Central’s Under Armour Invitational. He is an exercise science major with a 3.34 GPA and a two-time honoree.
Since 1988, 18 Dutch wrestlers have received the distinction a total of 26 times.
Central College’s NWCA Scholar All-Americans
1988—Chris Hoffman
1989—Chris Hoffman, Shaun Van Vark
1992—Lynn Silver, Brad Kreiner
1996—Brent Dunlap
2001—Jeremy Hendricks
2002—Jeremy Hendricks, Andy Gum
2005—Peter Howard
2010—Reid Imerman
2012—Zach Beekman, Theron Stewart
2013—Theron Stewart
2015—Tyler Lowy, Zach Moss, CJ Pestano, Jay Pike
2016—A.J. Pestano, C.J. Pestano, Jay Pike, Matt Seabold
2017—A.J. McBroom, Zach Moss, C.J. Pestano, Matt Seabold
