- $3,000 will be awarded to the sport with the highest percentage of alumni-athlete giving
- $1,000 will be awarded to the sport with the most improved percentage of giving from the previous fiscal year
- $1,000 will be awarded to the sport with the highest percentage of young alumni giving. We consider a young alum a graduate of the past three years (2010, 2011, 2012).

This challenge will end on June 30, 2013, so give today and support wrestling today!

You can make your gift over the phone by calling
703-993-3218 or online at give.gmu.edu.

You can also donate by calling the Patriot Club directly at 703-993-3215.
or click here to donate.

Current Leaders:

Highest Overall Giving Percentage: Men’s Tennis
Most Improved Giving Percentage: Cheerleading
Highest Percent of Young Alumni Giving: Wrestling

The class consists of nine student-athletes: Tyler Askey (Newnan, Ga.), Greg Bacci (Devon, Pa.), TJ Miller (Medford, N.J.), Emilio Martinez (Platteville, Colo.), Drew Hull (Gasport, N.Y.), Andrew Atkinson (Lynchburg, Va.), Addison Knepshield (Ford City, Pa.), Richie Robertson (Maple Heights, Ohio), Will Rupp (Alexandria, Va.) and Alex Uhre (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.). UVa also has added a transfer from Penn State, heavyweight Collin Campbell (Roxboro, N.C.).

“Once again I am really excited about what my staff and I were able to do with this class,” Virginia head coachSteve Garland said. “My assistants always work hard on this front, and this class is evidence of their labor. This high recruiting ranking most importantly honors a group of kids that have worked really hard and deserve this type of praise. We are looking forward to working with this group and helping them through the next phase of their life.”

Askey (165/174 pounds) was a four-time Georgia state champion. He also was a high school national champion and took second at the Flowrestling nationals.

Bacci (165) was a national Prep All-American multiple times.

Miller (149) was a New Jersey State Champion and four-time state place winner (3rd, 1st, 3rd, 3rd). He also was a Beast of the East champion.

Martinez (125/133) was a two-time Colorado state champion. He also won a high school national championship as a sophomore.

Hull (157) was a New York state champion and also took second as a junior.

Hailing from nearby Liberty Christian Academy, Atkinson (141/149) was a three-time prep national All-American who also took third place at the Super 32. He also was a Virginia state champion.

Knepshield (184) was a national prep All-American, taking third this year. He also was an NHSCA Senior National All American at Blair Academy, which was the No. 1-ranked team in America this year.

Robertson (174/184) was a two-time Ohio state placewinner, taking second and third.

Rupp (197) was a Virginia state champion in 2013, winning the 220-pound title.

Uhre (125) was a Florida State Champion while at St. Thomas Aquinas High School.

Campbell (HWT) Multiple State Champion in high school, top 5 nationally ranked HWT coming out of Roxboro, NC

Baseball/softball and squash were the other sports recommended.

The announcement came at the IOC’s meeting in St. Petersburg, Russia.

The EB selected the three sports by secret ballot from a list that also included karate, roller sports, sport climbing, wakeboarding and wushu. The voting took place after 30-minute presentations by the eight International Federations.

The full IOC membership will meet for the 125th Session in Buenos Aires, Argentina from Sept. 7-10 and will vote on which of the three sports to add to the Games in 2020.

“The Executive Board received excellent presentations today from eight International Federations,” said IOC President Jacques Rogge. “It was never going to be an easy decision but I feel my colleagues on the Board made a good decision in selecting baseball/softball, squash and wrestling to be put forward in Buenos Aires. I wish the three shortlisted sports the best of luck in the run-up to the vote in September and would like to thank the other sports for their hard work and dedication.”

Virginia placed eight of its wrestlers on the 2012-13 NWCA All-Academic Team – twice as many as any other program in the nation. As a team, Virginia recorded the fifth-highest grade-point average of any Division I wrestling program, finishing with a cumulative team GPA of 3.239.

“We are so thrilled that our guys are being recognized for their hard work in the classroom,” Virginia head coachSteve Garland said. “Our team has been striving for academic excellence for a long time so to see it all come together like this is very rewarding. All of the guys on this list have given every bit of themselves for our University and our University should be proud. The mission when they got here was simple – to become a better version of yourself by the time you leave. Well, mission accomplished.”

Stephen Doty (R-Jr., St. Louis, Mo.), Jon Fausey (R-Jr., Dalmatia, Pa.), Jedd Moore (R-Sr., Mount Vernon, Ohio),Mike Salopek (R-Sr., North Huntingdon, Pa.), Matt Snyder (R-Sr., Lewistown, Pa.), Joe Spisak (R-So., Cleveland, Ohio), Nick Sulzer (R-So., Cleveland, Ohio) and Derek Valenti (R-Sr., Newton, N.J.) all were honored on the team.

Snyder had the second-highest grade-point average of any wrestling student-athlete in the nation, boasting a 3.95 cumulating GPA. Moore and Sulzer each were All-Americans at the 2013 NCAA Championships, while all eight UVa honorees also qualified for NCAAs this season.

“The NWCA All-Academic Team and Individual Team is one of the best acknowledgements that we can give to our coaches and athletes at the end of a physically grueling season,” said NWCA Executive Director Mike Moyer. “These young men have proved that they are not only talented competitors but are leaders in the classroom as well. The NWCA Board of Directors and staff look forward to watching these student-athletes continue their success at the collegiate level and eventually as the leaders of the future once they earn their college degrees.”

Division I Wrestling – Top 5 GPA
1. Harvard, 3.418
2. Nebraska, 3.3208
3. Stanford, 3.252
4. Indiana, 3.241
5. Virginia, 3.239

Cadet Greco-Roman Outstanding Wrestler – Joey Prata (VA Team Predator)
Cadet Freestyle Outstanding Wrestler – Creed Lump (Virginia Elite WC)
Junior Greco-Roman Outstanding Wrestler – Coy Ozias (Virginia Elite WC)
Junior Freestyle Outstanding Wrestler – Jack Bass (Guston WC)

Cadet Greco-Roman “Joe Pyanoe” Sportsmanship Award – JD Gregory (VA Team Predator)
Cadet Freestyle “Joe Pyanoe” Sportsmanship Award – JD Gregory (VA Team Predator)
Junior Greco-Roman “Joe Pyanoe” Sportsmanship Award – Cam Timok (VA Team Predator)
Junior Freestyle “Joe Pyanoe” Sportsmanship Award – Zach Martinez (Forge Raptor)

Complete results can be found at TrackWrestling.com
Cadet and Junior Freestyle results can be found here.
Cadet and Junior Greco-Roman results can be found here.
Kids Freestyle results can be found here.
Kids Greco-Roman results can be found here.

Michael Lerner, former American University wrestler and Principal at custom builder Meridian Homes is the event sponsor.

We will have mixer food and a cash bar. All from the wrestling community are welcome. A $10 donation at the door to cover costs of the food. There may not be a better environment or place to meet up with friends.

Bring a good attitude , and plenty of business cards to network and expand your business network.

Please spread the good word to your network.

The Greater Washington Wrestling Business Network is a local chapter and now part of the newly created Wrestlers In Business Network. We have gone national!!!

USA Wrestling and FILA are asking the wrestling community worldwide to assist in an important poll about which sport should be in the Olympic Games.

Inside the Rings, a leading Olympic website, is asking a simple question. Which sport do you think the IOC should vote to include on the Olympic programme for 2020?

Wrestling is up against the other seven sports who are seeking provisional Olympic status at the May International Olympic Committee meeting in St. Petersburg, Russia.

IT IS IMPORTANT FOR WRESTLING TO WIN THIS POLL. PLEASE TAKE TIME TO GO TO THIS WEBSITE AND VOTE!!!

Please go to this link to vote:
http://www.insidethegames.biz/polls/71-which-sport-do-you-think-the-ioc-should-vote-to-include-on-the-olympic-programme-for-2020

Please be patient if the website does not respond on your first try. There is a large volume of votes coming from all over the world. We ask that you make sure to vote TODAY.

Wrestling is currently leading but squash is catching up. PLEASE VOTE RIGHT NOW AND HELP WRESTLING REMAIN IN THE OLYMPICS.

The 2012 ACC Offensive Player of the Year, Miller set single-season school records with 20 goals and 47 points this season. The conference leader in goals and points, Miller was a 2012 NSCAA first-team All-American and became the first Cavalier to be named a finalist for the Hermann Trophy, the nation’s top individual women’s soccer award.

The Rockville, Md., native ended her season on a school-record eight-game goal-scoring streak and was named first-team All-ACC for the second consecutive season as well as being selected to the ACC All-Tournament team when Virginia won the 2012 ACC Championship. Miller ended her career with 45 goals and 109 points, both ranking second in school history. She was selected 10th overall by the Washington Spirit of the National Women’s Soccer League and is currently playing her rookie season with the club.

Jenkins has led the Virginia men’s tennis team to the most successful era in school history. Over the past four years, the Atlanta, Ga., native and four-time All-ACC selection has guided the Cavaliers to four ACC Championships, three ITA National Team Indoor Championships and two NCAA runner-up finishes. The 2012 ACC Player of the Year, Jenkins has posted 132 career singles wins (third in school history) and 101 career doubles wins (10th in school history) heading into this year’s NCAA Championships. He has participated in the NCAA Singles Championship and NCAA Doubles Championship in each of the last three seasons, earning All-American honors in singles and doubles in both 2012 and 2013.

In November, Jenkins won the ITA National Intercollegiate Indoor Championship singles title, becoming the fifth Cavalier to win one of college tennis’ three major individual tournaments. Last month, Jenkins climbed to the No. 1 spot in both the ITA singles and doubles rankings, becoming just the third player in the last decade to be simultaneously No. 1 in singles and doubles while playing for the nation’s top-ranked team, joining former Cavalier Somdev Devvarman(2008) and Georgia’s John Isner (2007).

Keith VanDerBeek, former associate athletics director for business operations, earned the Bus Male Memorial Service Award for his years of service to the athletics department. VanDerBeek retired from UVa on March 1 after 28 years of service. He planned, organized, directed and evaluated the business operations of all UVa athletics department activities. VanDerBeek also managed the business operations staff, information systems and operating budget. VanDerBeek also served as the department’s liaison to the University’s audit, budget, financial administration and procurement offices.

Matt Snyder (Lewistown, Pa.) of the wrestling team and Sarah Cowburn (Worcestershire, England) of the women’s rowing team received Virginia’s ACC Scholar-Athlete Awards. Softball player Melanie Mitchell (White Plains, Md.) earned the Susan J. Grossman Memorial Award in recognition of outstanding service to student-athletes and contributions to the Student-Athlete Mentor Program.

Phoebe Willis (Fredericksburg, Va.) of the field hockey team earned the Ernest H. Ern, Jr., Award for outstanding contributions to student life at Virginia, while teammate Elly Buckley (Scarborough Perth, Australia) was the recipient of the Ralph Sampson Scholarship Award. Joe Spisak (Boiling Springs, Pa.) of the wrestling team received the Virginia Athletics Department’s Distinguished Student-Athlete Scholarship Award.

Kate Norbo(Roanoke, Va.) of the women’s soccer team received the Jettie Hill Memorial Award as the fourth-year female student-athlete with the highest scholastic average through her four years at Virginia, while Taylor Gilland (Chapel Hill, N.C.) of the men’s track and field and cross country programs garnered the Gus Tebell Memorial Award as the fourth-year male student-athlete with the highest scholastic average through his four years at Virginia.

Jared King (Radford, Va.) of the baseball team received the Craig Fielder Memorial Award for overcoming adversity and Simone Egwu (Odenton, Md.) of the women’s basketball team earned the Life Skills Scholarship Award.

Johnny Carpenter (Great Falls, Va.) of the men’s basketball team was the recipient of the Bob Goodman Memorial Award for his service to Virginia athletics as a team manager and Emily Cleveland (Woodbridge, Va.) of the baseball, football and wrestling programs received the Tim Abbott Memorial Award presented to the student assistant trainer most dedicated to and possessing empathy for the student-athletes.

Virginia’s ACC Top VI Award recipients included Simone Egwu (Odenton, Md., women’s basketball), Matt Fortin (West Chester, Pa., football), Melanie Mitchell (White Plains, Md., softball), Matt Murray (Saratoga, Calif., men’s swimming and diving), Matt Snyder (Lewistown, Pa., wrestling) and Phoebe Willis (Fredericksburg, Va., field hockey).

Team Awards  

Baseball – Billy Word Memorial Award – TBA
Basketball (m) - Sidney Young Memorial Award – Jontel Evans
Basketball (w) - Coaches Award for Excellence – Ataira Franklin
Cross Country (m) - Coaches Award for Excellence – Thomas Porter
Cross Country (w) - Coaches Award for Excellence – Catherine White
Field Hockey - Coaches Award for Excellence – Paige Selenski & Michelle Vittese
Football - John Acree Memorial Award – Jake Snyder
Golf (m) - F. Dixon Brooke Memorial Award – Denny McCarthy
Golf (w) - William C. Eacho Memorial Award – Brittany Altomare
Lacrosse (m) – Henry Gaver Memorial Award – Chris LaPierre
Lacrosse (w) – Coaches Award for Excellence – Morgan Stephens
Rowing - Coaches Award for Excellence – Kristine O’Brien
Soccer (m) - Stanley Lerner Memorial Award – Eric Bird
Soccer (w) - Coaches Award for Excellence – Caroline Miller
Softball - Coaches Award for Excellence – TBA
Swimming & Diving (m) - Brooke Maury Memorial Award – Taylor Grey
Swimming & Diving (w) - Diane Montgomery Greene Memorial Award – Lauren Perdue
Tennis (m) - Norton Pritchett Memorial Award – TBA
Tennis (w) - Coaches Award for Excellence – TBA
Track & Field (m) - Henry Cummings Memorial Award – Payton Hazzard
Track & Field (w) - Z Society – The Lou Onesty Memorial Award – Jordan Lavender
Volleyball - Coaches Award for Excellence – Morgan Blair
Wrestling - David Senft Memorial Award – Jedd Moore