STANFORD, Calif. – Led by first-team selections Nathan Butler, Paul Fox and Brian Rossi, 11 Stanford wrestlers were named to the Pac-12 All-Academic teams, Commissioner Larry Scott announced today.
Butler, a computer science major from Leavenworth, Kansas, is a repeat first team selection for the Cardinal. The redshirt sophomore is a two-time NCAA qualifier, having gone 2-2 at the 2016 NCAA Championships in New York City’s Madison Square Garden. A 2015 Pac-12 champion, the heavyweight holds a 56-18 career record at Stanford.
Fox (149 pounds) and Rossi (125 pounds), both redshirt freshmen, were also named to the Pac-12 All-Academic first team. Both are being recognized for the first time in their careers. Fox was 22-7 before suffering a season-ending knee injury versus Duke on Jan. 16. Rossi went 13-10 wrestling at both 125 and 133 pounds for the Cardinal.
Stanford had six student-athletes selected to the second team, led by redshirt senior Michael Sojka. A civil and environmental engineering major, Sojka picks up his third career academic honors. He was a first team selection in 2013 and a member of the second team in 2014.
Redshirt sophomores Connor Schram (science, technology & society) and Keaton Subjeck (computer science) have been selected to the second team for the second straight season. The pair were NCAA qualifiers in 2016 with Schram earning his first career All-America honors with an eighth-place finish in NYC at 125 pounds. Redshirt junior Peter Galli (science, technology & society) is also being recognized for the second time in his career, collecting honorable mention honors in 2014.
Garnering second-team honors for the first time are sophomore Mason Pengilly (undeclared) and redshirt freshman Walker Dempsey (undeclared). Earning honorable mention for the Cardinal are redshirt junior Jim Wilson, a 2015 NCAA All-American, and redshirt sophomore Tommy Pawelski.
Stanford’s 11 total selections were the most by any team in the conference. Cal Poly was the next highest with five honorees, while CSU Bakersfield had four.
To be eligible for selection to the academic team, a student-athlete must have a minimum 3.0 overall grade-point average and be a significant contributor to his team. True freshmen are not eligible.