Nine Flashes Earn Academic All-MAC Honors
3/28/2016 4:56:00 PM | Wrestling
CLEVELAND - Kent State set a new standard Monday, placing nine student-athletes on the 2016 Academic All-Mid-American Conference Wrestling Team. The Golden Flashes accounted for a MAC-best 32 percent of the 28 total wrestlers announced by the conference office.
"As a coach, there is nothing more rewarding than knowing your guys are going to be successful after graduation," Head Coach Jim Andrassy said. "And you know these guys will succeed because they work hard at everything they do."
Seniors Tyler Buckwalter (Mill Hall, Pa.) and Mack McGuire (Upper St. Clair, Pa.) each claimed academic all-conference honors for the third consecutive year. Buckwalter has received numerous academic accolades throughout his career and was recently nominated for the NCAA's Elite 90 Award.
Del Vinas (Twinsburg, Ohio), Mike Vollant (Erie, Pa.), Stephen Suglio (Richfield, Ohio) and Chance Driscoll (Aurora, Ohio) each earned their second career Academic All-MAC nod.
First-time honorees for the Flashes included Devin Nye (Springfield, Ohio), Kyle Conel (Ashtabula, Ohio) and Anthony Tutolo (Concord, Ohio). All nine members will be eligible for MAC Distinguished Scholar Athlete honors.
Buckwalter, McGuire and Conel were among three of Kent State's five representatives at the 2016 NCAA Championships.
The Flashes are coming off their best team grade point average (Fall 2015) in program history.
The Academic All-MAC honor is for a student-athlete who has excelled in athletics and academics. To qualify, a student must have at least a 3.20 cumulative grade point average and have participated in at least 50 percent of the contests for that particular sport. First-year students and junior college transfers in their first year of residence are not eligible for the award.
Kent State's eight straight years with at least one All-American is the 10th longest active streak in the nation.
Players Mentioned
