STANFORD, Calif. - Fifth-year senior Nathan Butler was named the Pac-12 Wrestling Scholar-Athlete of the Year for the 2017-18 season, the conference office announced today. The award, which is presented in each of the 24 sports the Pac-12 sponsors, was established to honor collegiate student-athletes that are standouts both academically and in their sports discipline.
Butler, who hails from Leavenworth, Kansas, becomes the fifth Cardinal to be named Pac-12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year for wrestling, and the second in as many seasons. He carries a 3.54 GPA as a computer science major and will finish his time on The Farm with a master's in the same field. A three-time NWCA Academic All-America selection, Butler has posted a 23-6 record this season. The Cardinal team captain is ranked nationally at No. 8 (285 pounds) by InterMat and has posted a career record that stands at 102-35. He is just the 10th Stanford wrestler to register 100 career wins.
Butler and his fellow Cardinal will compete at the Pac-12 Wrestling Championships on Sunday at Oregon State's Gill Coliseum. The early rounds of competition will be carried via live-stream on Pac-12 Now and Pac-12.com starting at 10:30 a.m. PT. Pac-12 Networks will cover the championship round live, starting at 6 p.m. PT.
In order to be eligible for the Pac-12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year award, student-athletes must be a senior (in athletics eligibility) on track to receive a degree, have a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or higher, participate in at least 50% of the scheduled contests in the sport and have a minimum of one year in residence at the institution. Each Pac12 institution may nominate one individual per sport, and the winners are selected by a committee of Pac-12 staff members at the conclusion of each sport's regular season. The athletic accomplishments of the nominees are a consideration in the voting for the award.
A Scholar-Athlete of the Year will be named in each of the Pac-12's 24 sponsored sports: baseball, men's basketball, women's basketball, beach volleyball, men's cross country, women's cross country, football, men's golf, women's golf, women's gymnastics, women's lacrosse, men's rowing, women's rowing, men's soccer, women's soccer, softball, men's swimming & diving, women's swimming & diving, men's tennis, women's tennis, men's track & field, women's track & field, women's volleyball, and wrestling.
Also Nominated: Matt Williams, Cal State Bakersfield (3.24, Criminal Justice)