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Warner and Tourdot Headline MAC's 2014 All-Academic Team

By Virginia Wrestling, 05/01/14, 3:00PM EDT

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CLEVELAND, Ohio - The Mid-American Conference announced Old Dominion University’s Tristan Warner and Matt Tourdot to its 2014 Academic All-MAC Wrestling Team today, as voted by faculty athletic representatives at MAC institutions. A total of ten student-athletes were named to the team.

Also receiving honorable mention status were ODU’s Kevin Beazley and Devin Geoghegan.

In March, Warner was named the sole recipient of the prestigious Elite 89 Award for the 2014 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championship, as he currently holds a 3.97 GPA, while majoring in Communications and Criminal Justice. The Elite 89 is presented to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade-point average participating at the finals site for each of the NCAA’s championships. Warner is Old Dominion University's first ever recipient of the Elite 89 Award.

Matt Tourdot, Old Dominion’s heavyweight, currently possesses an impressive 3.64 cumulative GPA, as a Biology major.

It is evident how serious academics are taken within the program as last year, Steve Martin guided his Old Dominion University wrestling program to the No. 8 highest G.P.A. in the nation; while in 2011, Martin’s Monarchs’ G.P.A. ranked No. 5 out of every wrestling program in the country.

Also highlighting the 2014 Academic All-MAC Wrestling Team are two-time Academic All-MAC selections Ohio senior Jeremy Johnson (2013) and Ohio sophomore Spartak Chino (2013).

First time honorees include: sophomore Vincent Pizzuto of Eastern Michigan; sophomore Tyler Buckwalter of Kent State; sophomore Mack McGuire of Kent State; junior Johnny Eblen of Missouri; redshirt freshman Dylan Peters of Northern Iowa; sophomore Cody Walters of Ohio; junior Matt Tourdot of Old Dominion and junior Tristan Warner of Old Dominion.

The Academic All-MAC honor is for a student-athlete who has excelled in athletics and academics. To qualify, a student-athlete must have at least a 3.20 cumulative GPA and have participated in at least 50 percent of the contests for that particular sport. First-year students and junior college transfers in their first year of residence are not eligible for the award. Outstanding academic and athletic accomplishments for the current season are only considered.

2014 Academic All-MAC Wrestling Team
Vincent Pizzuto, Eastern Michigan, Sophomore, 3.23 GPA, Criminal Justice
Tyler Buckwalter, Kent State, Sophomore, 3.92 GPA, Health & Physical Education
Mack McGuire, Kent State, Sophomore, 3.30 GPA, Speech Pathology
Johnny Eblen, Missouri, Junior, 3.53 GPA, Health Science
Dylan Peters, Northern Iowa, Redshirt Freshman, 3.26 GPA, Biology
Spartak Chino, Ohio, Sophomore, 3.34 GPA, Marketing
Jeremy Johnson, Ohio, Senior, 3.36 GPA, Mid-Moderate Education, Needs, Psychology
Cody Walters, Ohio, Sophomore, 3.27 GPA, Physical Education, Pre Sports Management
Matt Tourdot, Old Dominion, Junior, 3.64 GPA, Biology
Tristan Warner, Old Dominion, Junior, 3.97 GPA, Communications and Criminal Justice

2014 Honorable Mention
Ryan Therrien, Buffalo
Scott Mattingly, Central Michigan
Nicholas Barber, Eastern Michigan
Michael Shaw, Eastern Michigan
T.J. Keklak, Kent State
Billy Chauncey, Northern Illinois
Shaun’Qae McMurtry, Northern Illinois
Jarrett Jensen, Northern Iowa
Kevin Beazley, Old Dominion
​Devin Geoghegan, Old Dominion