MANHEIM, Pa. – A total of five Southwest Minnesota State University wrestling student-athletes have been named to the National Wrestling Coaches Association All-Academic team for the 2017-18 season.

Mustangs named to this year’s team include junior Cortez Arredondo (West St. Paul, Minn.), junior Zach Beaumaster (Big Lake, Minn.), senior Trent Butcher (Chaska, Minn.), senior Taylor Curtis (Underwood, Iowa) and junior Griffin Osing (Blakesburg, Iowa).

In order for a student-athlete to be nominated to the Division II All-Academic Team, he must have a minimum 3.2 cumulative grade point average on a 4.0 scale, with that benchmark at 3.0 for those who qualified for the 2018 NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships. The athlete must also be in at least a second full year at his school, and have competed in a minimum of six dates of competition.

“What we’ve seen across all levels of wrestling is the importance of the student part of the term student-athlete,” NWCA Executive Director Mike Moyer said. “Coaches around the country understand the importance to the health of our sport isn’t just putting out good wrestlers and winning championships, but providing an environment where we foster growth in the classroom and in turn, develop the next generation of teachers and coaches to continue that mindset.”

With more than 300 individuals and 51 teams represented, it was the largest collective group of Division II athletes and teams ever named to the team.

“Each college and university brings a special set of academic challenges to our educational system,” said Moyer. “What we’ve seen from our annual All-Academic teams is that among student-athletes, wrestlers are excelling in the classroom, and that’s not only great for their respective schools, but it’s also great for our respective sport as we continue to add new program after new program and emphasize the quality of student-athlete these schools can bring to their campuses,” said Moyer.

Southwest Minnesota State finished the 2017-18 season with a 7-8 dual record, while Arrendondo qualified for the NCAA Championships with a second place finish in the NCAA Super Regional.

Content courtesy

of SMSU Athletic

Communications