Two-Time NCAA Champion Heads 18-Man All-ACC Academic Wrestling Team

GREENSBORO, N.C. (theACC.com) – NC State senior Nick Gwiazdowski, who finished second in this year’s NCAA Wrestling Championships after winning national titles in 2014 and 2015, has been named the 2016 Atlantic Coast Conference Wrestling Scholar-Athlete of the Year and heads up the sport’s All-ACC Academic Team, announced Tuesday by Commissioner John Swofford.

Gwiazdowski, majoring in Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management, from Delanson, N.Y., finished second nationally in this year’s NCAA Wrestling Championship, dropping an overtime decision, after winning the national championship at 285 pounds in 2014 and 2015.

One of the most dominant wrestlers in ACC history, he is only the second to reach the NCAA finals in three consecutive years and is a two-time member of the league’s All-ACC Academic Team. He is also a four-time All-American honoree.

Prior to losing to Olympian Kyle Snyder of Ohio State in the NCAA finals, Gwiazdowski had won an ACC-record 88 consecutive matches, a streak which began in January of 2014.

Gwiazdowski is the first NC State wrestler to be named ACC Wrestling Scholar-Athlete of the Year.

“Nick being named the 2016 ACC Scholar-Athlete of the year is one of the highest honors for him and for our program,” said NC State head coach Pat Popolizio. “The ACC is such a competitive conference with a number of outstanding student-athletes, I can’t think of any better way for Nick to close out his college career by receiving such a prestigious award for all of his hard work in the classroom."

The ACC Scholar-Athlete of the Year awards were established in September 2007 to be awarded annually to the top junior or senior student-athlete in their respective sports. Candidates for the awards must have maintained a 3.0 grade point average for their career as well as a 3.0 for each of the last two semesters.
To be eligible for All-ACC Academic Team consideration, a student-athlete must have earned a minimum 3.00 grade point average for the previous semester and maintained a minimum 3.00 cumulative average during his academic career.

A total of eight members of this year’s 18-man All-ACC Academic Wrestling have been named to the team multiple times and are led by North Carolina senior Alex Utley (184), who is a four-time All-ACC Academic honoree, having also been selected in 2012, 2013 and 2014, before missing the 2015 season due to injury.

NC State’s Pete Renda (184) was named to the All-ACC Academic Wrestling team for the third time, while Gwiazdowski, Virginia Tech’s Jared Haught (197) and a quartet of wrestlers from Duke—Trey Adamson (184), Connor Bass (157), Jake Faust (165) and Conner Hartmann—were named for the second time.

Six members of the All-ACC Academic team also earned All-Americas honors and in Gwiazdowski, Renda, Hartmann, and three from Virginia Tech in Solomon Chishko, David McFadden and Jared Haught.

Gwiazdowski (285), Hartmann (197) and Zavatsky 184) were ACC champions, and they were joined on the All-ACC wrestling team by Chishko (141), Renda (184) and Haught (197).

Virginia led all schools with five student-athletes on the 2015 All-ACC Wrestling Academic Team. Virginia Tech and Duke each had four honorees, while NC State and North Carolina had two apiece and Pitt had one selection.

**Trey Adamson           Duke                    Sr.-R    184    Evolutionary Anthropology              Riverton, Utah
Andrew Atkinson           Virginia                Jr.        157    Kinesiology                                          Lynchburg, Va.
**Connor Bass              Duke                     Jr.        157    Economics                                           Yorkville, Ill.
Solomon Chishko          Virginia Tech       Fr.       141    PTW                                                       Jeannette, Pa.
**Jake Faust                   Duke                    So.-R   165    Sociology                                              Bellville, Ohio
Patrick Gillen                  Virginia                Gr.       285    Higher Education                               Shelton, Conn.
**Nick Gwiazdowski      NC State              Jr.-R    285    Parks, Recreation & Tourism Mgt.   Delanson, N.Y.
***Conner Hartmann   Duke                    Sr.-R   197    Economics                                           Port Orchard, Wash.
**Jared Haught              Virginia Tech       Fr.-R   197    University Studies                              Parkersburg, W.Va.
Robert Henderson         North Carolina   Sr.-R   157    Economics                                           New Florence, Pa.
David McFadden            Virginia Tech       Fr.      165    University Studies                              West Milford, N.J.
Zach Nye                         Virginia                 Sr.      197    Higher Education                               Enola, Pa.
Garrett Peppelman       Virginia                 Fr.-R   165    Commerce                                          Harrisburg, Pa.
***Peter Renda             NC State               So.      174    Business Administration                  Topton, Pa.
****Alex Utley               North Carolina    Sr.-R   184    War & Peace, War & Defense          Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio
Chris Yankowich            Virginia                 Sr.-R   149    Media Studies                                    Norristown, Pa.
Nick Zanetta                   Pitt                        So.-R   141    Business Information Systems      Pittsburgh, Pa.
Zach Zavatsky                Virginia Tech        Fr.-R   184    PSD                                                     Latrobe, Pa.
** - Two-time honoree
*** - Three-time honoree
**** - Four-time honoree

ACC Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Nick Gwiazdowski

ACC Wrestling Scholar-Athletes
2007-08—Hudson Taylor, Maryland
2008-09—John Barone, Duke
2009-10—Hudson Taylor, Maryland
2010-11—Kyle John, Maryland
2011-12—Matt Snyder, Virginia
2012-13—Matt Snyder, Virginia
2013-14—Devin Carter, Virginia Tech
2014-15—Tyler Wilps, Pitt
2015-16—Nick Gwiazdowski, NC State