MANHEIM, PA. – Eight RIT wrestlers helped the Tigers to the fourth-best national team Grade Point Average as 2021-22 Scholar All-America honorees for NCAA Division III, the National Wrestling Coaches Association announced Friday.

Junior Colby Giroux (184 pounds), sophomore Michael Glynn III (149 pounds), freshman Josh Harkless (197 pounds), senior Christopher Horton (141 pounds), junior Calik Kennedy (285 pounds), junior Austin Lamb (165 pounds), junior Nathan Parker (184 pounds), and senior Zach Stedeford (174 pounds) were all named as 2021-22 Scholar All-Americans.

"Finishing with the fourth highest GPA in the country is a terrific honor and one that our team takes great pride in. The fact that they achieved that level of academic excellence while placing fourth in the National Duals and seventh in the 2022 National Championships represents our team's commitment to performance and development in the both the academic and athletic arenas." RIT head wrestling coach Jason Bovenzi said.

"The commitment to being true student athletes is a part of the culture here at RIT. Christopher Horton is a four-time Scholar All American. Austin Lamb and Zach Stedeford are both three-time Scholar All Americans. I am very proud of the academic accomplishments of our wrestlers. The academic rigor at RIT is substantial. That coupled with the demands of what it takes to maintain the competitive consistency to perform at a high enough level to achieve this honor sets these eight student athletes apart." 

It was the second time RIT finished in the top-four nationally during 2021-22, with the first coming after competing in the NWCA National Duals. The announcement comes less than three weeks after a record 25 members of the RIT wrestling team were named to the 2021-22 Empire Collegiate Wrestling Conference All-Academic Team. 

In the team race, only three teams finished ahead of RIT's 3.786 GPA, and included Augsburg University (3.879 GPA), Stevens Institute of Technology (3.845 GPA), and the University of Chicago (3.807 GPA). Overall, individual honorees for NCAA Division III went to 325 individuals representing 87 institutions.

"On behalf of the NWCA Board of Directors, It is my honor to recognize these exceptional athletes and teams," NWCA Executive Director Mike Moyer said. "Wrestling takes much focus and sacrifice and we are proud to honor these wrestlers for their obvious commitment to their academic pursuits!"

A complete list of all honorees can be found here.