Lehigh University Athletics
Mountain Hawks once again garner NWCA academic honors
5/21/2013 1:33:00 PM | Men's Wrestling
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – In addition to another successful season on the mats, the Lehigh wrestling program was recognized for its work in the classroom as the National Wrestling Coaches Association announced its All-Academic Individuals and top 30 teams late Monday. The Mountain Hawks tied for sixth in the country with a 3.23 team GPA, while seniors Robert Hamlin and Shane Welsh and junior Joey Napoli were named to the individual All-Academic Team.
The individual All-Academic Team has qualifying standards based on grade point average and season record/accomplishments. Hamlin was named to the All-Academic Team for the third straight year while Welsh was recognized for the second straight year. Napoli makes his second appearance on the team after previously being honored in 2011.
Hamlin became Lehigh's 16th three-time All-American with his runner-up finish at 184 at the NCAA Championships in Des Moines, Iowa. A two-time finalist and two-time EIWA Champion, Hamlin finished his career with a 107-22 record, the seventh-most wins in school history. Hamlin was a Capital One third team at-large Academic All-American in 2012 and graduated Monday with a 3.40 grade point average in Materials Science and Engineering.
Welsh graduated with a 3.28 GPA in Lehigh's rigorous chemical engineering program. A team captain, Welsh went 18-5 in his senior 
season. The 2012 EIWA Champion at 149, Welsh's senior season was derailed by an injury suffered in his first match at the EIWA tournament. He earned an at-large berth to the NCAA Championships but was unable to compete.
season. The 2012 EIWA Champion at 149, Welsh's senior season was derailed by an injury suffered in his first match at the EIWA tournament. He earned an at-large berth to the NCAA Championships but was unable to compete.After deferring his eligibility in 2011-12, Napoli returned with a strong junior campaign on the mats and in the classroom. Napoli went 18-4, capturing an EIWA title at 157. Napoli was ranked in the top five nationally for most of the season, and was the No. 3 seed at the NCAA Championships. Academically, Napoli boasts a 3.30 GPA in mechanical engineering.
This year's Individual All-Academic Team featured 82 total athletes, four NCAA Champions, four NCAA Runner-Ups, 21 All-Americans and 72 NCAA Qualifiers. Lehigh was one of eight schools to have three or more wrestlers named to the squad.
Lehigh finished in the top ten of the NWCA's All-Academic Teams list for the second straight season after finishing ninth in 2012. Six of the EIWA's 16 member schools cracked the top 30. Harvard topped the team rankings at 3.418, followed by Nebraska, Stanford, Indiana, and Virginia. The Mountain Hawks tied Brown for sixth place on the list.
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