STANFORD, Calif. - Fifth-year senior Paul Fox has been selected the Pac-12 Wrestling Scholar-Athlete of the Year for 2018-19, 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.
Fox, who hails from Gilroy, becomes the sixth Cardinal to be named Pac-12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year for wrestling, and the third straight (Peter Galli, 2017; Nathan Butler; 2018). He carries a 3.41 grade point average as a science, technology and society major. A three-time Pac-12 All-Academic pick and a three-time NWCA Academic All-America selection, Fox became Stanford's 20th NCAA All-American in 2017 (157 pounds) with a seventh-place finish in St. Louis. Fox has posted a 20-8 record this season and took top honors at the Reno Tournament of Champions. His career record stands at 94-40 - just seven wins away from breaking into the program's career top-10.
Fox and the Cardinal will compete at the Pac-12 Wrestling Championships on Saturday at Arizona State's Wells Fargo Arena. The early rounds of competition will be carried via live-stream on Pac-12 Now and Pac-12.com starting at 10 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 Pac-12 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. The award was first established during the 2007-08 academic year.
Also Nominated: Christian Pagdilao, Arizona State (3.44, Science of Health Care Delivery); Sean Nickell, CSU Bakersfield (3.06, Computer Science).