The NWCA released their annual All-Academic Team, which was comprised of 118 student-athletes, including 28 who were All-Americans on the mat. Leading the way for Iowa programs was Iowa State University, which put three wrestlers on the list. Both Iowa and Northern Iowa placed a pair of wrestlers on the list as well.
Iowa State placed two All-Americans on the list including NCAA champion Kyven Gadson. This past season the Iowa State senior capped off his third straight All-American season by being arguably the most dominant wrestler at the NCAA tournament. Gadson led the way among all point scores on the way to his 197 title and was among the five NCAA champions who made the All-Academic team. Gadson was also named IA Wrestle’s College Wrestler of the Year. Gadson is currently pursuing a Masters in Higher Education, Learning, and Leadership.
Joining his teammate was two-time All-American Mike Moreno. After placing in the top eight his sophomore and junior seasons at 165 pounds, Mike just missed out on the stand in his final campaign. Recently we got to talk about Mike’s decision to continue his wrestling career by choosing to train at the Cyclone Wrestling Club. In the interview Moreno told us that he still has a year remaining before he obtains his Master degree, which he is getting in Higher Education and Administration.
The final Cyclone on the list was Mike’s younger brother, Gabe Moreno. Gabe was a NCAA qualifier for the Cyclones at 149 pounds, a weight class higher than the previous season. The younger Moreno is currently working toward a psychology degree.
Iowa saw NCAA qualifier Josh Dziewa and All-American Nathan Burak named to the All-Academic Team. Dziewa was a fifth year senior and despite being the fifth seed at the NCAA tournament, he did not place. Dziewa has been known for his academic prowess, being named to four conference academic teams. Dziewa’s field of study is Leisure Studies.
Burak finished on the podium for the second consecutive season for the runner-up Hawkeyes. Burak is getting his degree in Health and Human Physiology.
Making the team for Northern Iowa was junior Jarrett Jensen and sophomore Curt Maas both of which are currently working towards degrees in Biology. This past season Jensen really came into his own this year manning the 157 pound weight class, picking up a huge upset over Ian Miller in the Kent State dual on the way to a 21-13 record. Maas was originally a 165 pound wrestler, but bumped up to 174 pounds for a portion of the year. Maas finished the season at 19-12.