MANHEIM, Pa. – On Friday afternoon, the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) announced their Scholar All-American Awards. Among the list of 464 honorees, nine Falcons were selected.
Asa Brunk (141 lbs.),
Austin Brass (174 lbs.),
Jacob Cunningham (149 lbs.),
Sawyer Dereszynski (197 lbs.),
Clay Gainer (157 lbs.),
Caiden Heller (133 lbs.),
Dalton Monger (149 lbs.),
Ryder Slayton (184 lbs.), and
Levi Snyder (149 lbs.) represented Messiah on the list.
Asa Brunk (141 lbs.)
Asa Brunk finished 28-14 in his graduate season with the Falcons, with 11 falls, 72 takedowns, and 25 nearfalls on the year. The Education major has a 4.00 GPA in his Master's program.
Austin Brass (174 lbs.)
Austin Brass had quite the run in his junior campaign, finishing third in the region and earning a trip to Nationals. Brass finished the season 37-12 with a team high 120 takedowns, 25 nearfalls, and four falls while finishing second on the team with 165.5 team points. The History major has a 3.64 cumulative GPA.
Jacob Cunningham (149 lbs.)
Jacob Cunningham had a successful campaign at 149 lbs., finishing 21-11 with 73 takedowns, 18 nearfalls, and three falls. The Criminal Justice sophomore holds a cumulative GPA of 3.20.
Sawyer Dereszynski (197 lbs.)
Sawyer Dereszynski capped off his career at Messiah with a 28-17 record in his senior season with a trip to the National Tournament. The Applied Health Science major finished the year with 38 takedowns, a team high 32 nearfalls, and 13 falls and holds a 3.25 cumulative GPA.
Clay Gainer (157 lbs.)
Clay Gainer had a successful junior campaign, finishing with a record of 34-12. He collected 64 takedowns, 22 nearfalls, and four falls. The Applied Health Science major has a cumulative GPA of 3.36.
Caiden Heller (133 lbs.)
Caiden Heller finished the year with an overall record of 25-18, picking up 59 takedowns with nine nearfalls and 11 falls. The junior Civil Engineering major holds a cumulative GPA of 3.37.
Dalton Monger (149 lbs.)
Dalton Monger finished his sophomore season 31-14. He collected 35 takedowns, six nearfalls and a team high 23 falls. The Education major has a 3.37 cumulative GPA.
Ryder Slayton (184 lbs.)
Ryder Slayton capped off his Messiah career with another successful campaign, earning his second straight trip to the National Tournament. Slayton finished with a season record of 40-9, collecting 63 takedowns and 17 nearfalls. The Mechanical Engineering major led the Falcons with 169 team points and has a 3.19 cumulative GPA.
Levi Snyder (149 lbs.)
In a season cut short by injury,
Levi Snyder finished with a record of 26-9 with 83 takedowns, 13 nearfalls, and five falls. The sophomore Accounting major holds a cumulative GPA of 3.59.
The Falcons have had at least one Scholar All-American every year since 1998.
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