April 6, 2011
STANFORD, Calif. - Junior wrestler Nick Amuchastegui headlines the six Stanford wrestlers who were honored by the Pac-10 when the conference announced its 2011 academic awards today. Amuchastegui was the lone Cardinal on the Pac-10 All-Academic First Team, earning the honor for the third consecutive year.
Senior Dylan Rush, sophomores Timmy Boone and Mike Kent and redshirt freshman Jordan Gray and Kyle Meyer were all named to the second team. Stanford's six selections were the most by any school on the first or second teams.
Amuchastegui, a mechanical engineering major with a 3.98 GPA, became just the second Cardinal wrestler to ever reach the NCAA finals. The Talent, Ore., native finished as the NCAA runner-up at 174 pounds, earning his second consecutive All-America honors. He ended the season with a 31-4 overall record, marking the best record on the team. At the NCAA Championships, the junior was presented with the second-annual NCAA Elite 88 Award, given at the championships to the student-athlete with the highest GPA (he won the inaugural award in 2010). Amuchastegui was also the Pac-10 runner-up at 174 pounds, finishing in the top-2 at the conference tournament for the third straight year.
Rush, a philosophy major with a 3.22 GPA, earns his first academic honor from the Pac-10. The Naalehu, Hawai'i native finished the season with a 7-10 overall record, bringing his two-year career record at Stanford to 12-22. He registered 15 dual points for the team this season at heavyweight and finished sixth at the Pac-10 Championships.
Boone is an international studies major with a 3.13 GPA and earns his first career Pac-10 All-Academic honors. The Poway, Calif., native posted a 16-13 overall record, giving him a 33-22 career mark with the Cardinal. Wrestling at 149 pounds, Boone finished second at the Fullerton Open in November and fourth at the Pac-10 Championships in late February. He finished with year with three falls, two technical falls and three major decision wins.
Kent is being recognized by the conference for the second straight season. He is a public policy major with a 3.35 GPA. A native of Vacaville, Calif., Kent posted an 11-7 record this season at 157 pounds. He placed third at the Fullerton Open and went 2-2 at the Reno Tournament of Champions in mid-December.
Gray is undecided on his major and holds a 3.36 GPA in his second year on The Farm. In his first year in competition, Gray earned the starting spot at 141 pounds. He finished the year with a 9-19 overall record. The Essex Junction, Vt., native ended the year with a fifth-place finish at the conference tournament.
Meyer is also undecided on his major and has a 3.30 GPA. The Monett, Mo., native started the season at 165 pounds, but moved down to 157 pounds in December. He posted a 16-12 overall record, tallying five major decision victories. He placed fifth at the Fullerton Open in November and ended the year fourth at the Pac-10 Championships.
To be eligible for selection to an academic team, a student-athlete must have a minimum 3.0 overall grade-point average and be either a starter or significant contributor.