Bucknell University Athletics
Four Bison Wrestlers Earn EIWA All-Academic Awards
4/13/2016 4:35:00 PM | Wrestling
LEWISBURG, Pa. – The Bucknell wrestling team had a grade-point average above 3.20 last semester and on Wednesday four members of the squad earned EIWA All-Academic Awards. Rustin Barrick (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Mechanicsburg), Victor Lopez (Poway, Calif./Poway), Paul Petrov (Cedar Lake, Ind./Hanover Central) and Tom Sleigh (DuBois, Pa./DuBois Area) were the four Bison recognized.
In order to earn an EIWA All-Academic Award, a student-athlete must have achieved a cumulative GPA of 3.20 and won 60 percent of his matches or been an EIWA placewinner. Student-athletes with a cumulative GPA of 3.00 who qualified for the NCAA Championships through the EIWA were also eligible for EIWA All-Academic Awards.
A history major, Barrick posted a 27-12 record this year, including 15-2 in duals. He finished in fourth place in the 174-pound bracket at the EIWA Championships to earn his first career NCAA berth in his final campaign. A two-year team captain, Barrick won a season-high 13 consecutive bouts from early December to mid-February and concluded his Bison career with a 60-46 record while competing at three different weights in successive seasons.
Lopez was one of just two Bison along with Petrov to reach the 30-win plateau this season as he was 30-14 with six pins and a team-high eight major decisions. A junior 149-pounder, Lopez finished in fourth place at the EIWA Championships to earn his first career berth to the NCAA Championships. At NCAAs, Lopez collected a pair of wins. A team captain who has three straight 20-win seasons, Lopez, an economics major, is a three-time EIWA placewinner, finishing eighth in 2014 and fourth each of the last two years.
A two-time NWCA All-Academic Team member, Petrov is a senior 125-pounder who completed his career ranked sixth in program history in wins (109). A three-time NCAA qualifier, Petrov is a four-time EIWA placewinner who placed a career-best second this year. Petrov is a three-year team captain who was 28-5 in his career in EIWA duals. He led the team in victories this winter with a 31-7 record. Petrov is an accounting and financial management major.
A two-time NCAA qualifier, Sleigh is a 184-pound sophomore who posted a 28-10 record this year. He finished in seventh place at the EIWA Championships and went on to go 2-2 at the NCAA Championships, equaling Lopez for most NCAA wins by a Bucknell wrestler this year. Sleigh owns a 58-28 career record and was among the nation's leaders with seven wins by tech fall this year. His major is undeclared.
Bucknell was 12-6, 6-3 EIWA in duals this year, equaling the second-most victories in program history. A school-record-tying six Bison earned NCAA berths.
