Seven wrestlers recognized as NHSCA Academic All-Americans

Seven Connecticut wrestlers have been recognized as members of the National High School Coaches Association (NHSCA) Academic All-American team.

It’s the 26th year that the NHSCA has honored athletes from across the country. There were 134 athletes from 36 states selected for the team in 13 different sports.

The Connecticut wrestlers who were honored include Morgan sophomore Louis Bradley, Southington junior William Carr and Jacob Vecchio; Southington seniors Jason Brault and Jacob Cardozo; Platt High senior Ryan Green and South Windsor senior Daniel Sullivan.

“This year’s Academic All Americans are the epitome of what a student-athlete is. Not only do they excel on the playing field, mat, court, pool, and track, but they also excel in the classroom,” said Bobby Ferraro, NHSCA CEO. “These student-athletes are leaders in and out of the classroom and are the future leaders of tomorrow. We are proud to deem them Academic All Americans.”

This year Georgia led the way with 14 Academic All Americans in all sports, followed by Massachusetts with 12, Texas with 11 and Tennessee with 9. The student-athletes averaged a 3.9 GPA, with 45 students coming in with a 4.0 or better.

• Under coach Thomas Bradley at Morgan, Louis Bradley won the Class S championship at 132 pounds and finished the year with a 37-3 record. He has a 3.7 GPA and finished second in Class S as a freshman.

Southington, under coach Derek Dion, had four Academic All-American selections.

• Carr has a 4.0 GPA and won the Class LL title at 170 pounds. He was fourth in Class LL as a sophomore.
• Vecchio has a 4.0 GPA and finished sixth in Class LL at 220 pounds. He was third in Class LL as a sophomore.
• Brault has a 4.0 GPA and finished third in Class LL at 138 pounds. He was fifth in Class LL as a junior.
• Cardozo has a 3.7 GPA and won the Class LL championship at 145 pounds this winter. He also took fifth at the State Open. Cardozo finished fourth in Class LL as a junior and sophomore.

Wrestling for head coach Bryan McCarty, Greene finished fourth in Class M at 182 pounds and was 31-12 this season. Greene has a GPA of 4.0 and is ranked No. 15 in his class. He finished with a career record of 72-24 and will attend Western New England University to study accounting.

Wrestling for head coach Jude Knapp, Sullivan was a three-time Class L medalist, finishing fourth in Class L this year as a senior. Sullivan has a 3.9 GPA and is ranked the top five percent of his class. In his senior season, Sullivan went 39-10 and posted a career record of 111-39.