Ephs 1st in NWCA Academic Rankings/4 win individual honors

At the recent NCAA Division III Wrestling Championships in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) announced that the Williams College Ephs had finished first in the ranking of National Scholar-All-American Wrestling Teams.

A team's GPA is determined based on 10 starters provided at least six of the 10 are regional starters (at NEWA Championships). To be included in the list of 10 wrestlers, each wrestler must have completed in over 50% of the team's matches in the season.

Top Ten NWCA Schools
1.   Williams College -- 3.528
2.   Olivet College -- 3.497
3.   Coe College -- 3.4813
4.   New York University -- 3.477
5.   Messiah College -- 3.465
6.   Heidelberg College -- 3.453
7.   UW – LaCrosse -- 3.443
8.   Case Western Reserve -- 3.438
9.   Wartburg College -- 3.387
10.  Univ. of Chicago -- 3.3793    
 
The four Ephs who earned individual National Scholar All-American honors for 2008 include:

Ethan Cohen - 125 Pounds
Dylan Rittenburg - 141 Pounds
Carl Breitenstein - 157 Pounds
Nate Shippee - 184 Pounds

Criteria for selection of individuals for National Scholar All-American Honors:

Minimum cumulative GPA of 3.20 or a GPA over 3.20 for the last 2 semesters and meet at least one of the one of the standards listed below:

1.  National Qualifier with better than a .500 record

2.  Regional Place winner with a better than .500 record, competing in 50 percent of team's dates

3.  Better than a  .670 record, competing in over 67% of team's competition dates