Seven Central wrestlers earn academic distinction
Central Dutch Athletics
PELLA — Setting a new program standard, the Central College wrestling team had seven members earn National Wrestling Coaches Association Scholar All-American status the NWCA announced Thursday.
Junior Nathan Fritz (174 pounds, Sigourney) is the only two-time honoree in the bunch. Seniors Chase Petty (133 pounds, Pella), Jeremy Scheuermann (174 pounds, Jefferson, Greene County HS), Lane Rumelhart (184 pounds, Guthrie Center), Chris Murino (285 pounds, Lockport, Ill., Lockport Township HS), junior Duncan Lee (285 pounds, Newton) and sophomore Griffen McBride (184 pounds, Pleasantville) were all first-time honorees.
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.
Central is one of 11 schools across the division with at least seven honorees.
Fritz (23-7) won tournament titles at the Millikin Open and Central Under Armour Invitational. He finished fourth at the NCAA Division III Lower Midwest Regional, narrowly missing a return trip to the NCAA Division III Championships. An athletic training major, Fritz has a 3.33 GPA.
Qualifying for the NCAA Division III Wrestling Championships for the first time, Petty (18-8)
Placed third at the regional meet. He also had top-three finishes in tournaments at Millikin (Ill.) and MSOE (Wis.). Petty is a social science major with 3.46 GPA
Finishing his career with 44 total wins, Scheuermann (18-6) had a trio of top-three finishes in 2018-19. He maintains a 3.61 GPA as an exercise science major.
Rumelhart (23-8) won eight matches by fall as a senior, placing first at the home tournament and the Pointer Open. He’ll graduate in May with a degree in environmental studies.
Placing at three tournaments this season, Murino (19-9) set a new career high for wins in a season. Majoring in political science and economics, Murino has a 3.45 GPA
The 285-pound bracket champion at the Pointer Open, Lee (19-10) also had top-four finishes at MSOE and the Last Chance invitational. His GPA is 3.37 as a computer science and accounting major.
McBride (26-5) had three tournament championships as well as a seventh-place finish at the NCAA Division III Lower Midwest Regional. McBride is an exercise science major with 3.80 GPA
Petty will compete at the NCAA Division III Wrestling Championships starting Friday morning at 11 a.m. (EST) in Roanoke, Va.
