Complete NWCA Scholar All-American Team and Individuals (.pdf)
MANHEIM, Pa. – A school-record eight Baldwin Wallace University wrestlers have been named 2019 NCAA Division lll Scholar All-Americans by the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA).
BW carries a team GPA of 3.766, ranking them second out of the top 30 schools in all of Division lll and is tied with Ithaca (N.Y.) College with eight honorees apiece. This is the fifth consecutive year and highest ranking for BW on this list.
The eight Yellow Jackets recognized are All-Ohio Athletic Conference and Academic All-OAC sophomore 149-pounder Stanley Bleich (North Ridgeville/Elyria Catholic), two-time All-OAC and two-time Academic All-OAC junior 125-pounder Dante Ginnetti (Poland/Seminary), sophomore 149-pounder Dalton Leightner (Ravenna/Rootstown), sophomore Academic All-OAC 141-pounder Tanner McHugh (New Ringgold, Pa./Tamaqua), All-American and two-time Academic All-OAC junior 141-pounder Charlie Nash (Norwalk), two-time All-OAC senior 184-pounder Justin Ransom (Madison), three-time Academic All-OAC senior 285-pounder James Ritchie (Carlisle) and two-time Academic All-OAC 149-pounder Nick Sbrocco (Perry).
To be eligible for this recognition, athletes must maintain a 3.2 or higher GPA, have a minimum win percentage of at least .500, and wrestle 50% or more of the team's matches throughout the season.
For Nash, this is his third consecutive award while Bleich and Ginnetti are repeat selections as both earned the honor in 2018. Ritchie garners his second award after being recognized in 2017. Leightner, McHugh, Ransom and Sbrocco all earn the award for the first time.
Nash is an economics major with a 3.59 GPA and is a Dean's List student, a Jacket Scholar, a member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), and an All-American with a fourth-place finish at 133 pounds. He has 82 career wins to rank 22nd in school history.
Bleich, a Deans List Student, is an English and religion double major with a 3.68 GPA. Athletically he has compiled a 61-18 career record with seven pins.
Ginnetti is an accounting major with a 3.97 GPA and a Deans List Student, Jacket Scholar, a member of the Alpha Lambda Delta Honor Society, and a College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA)/Google Cloud Academic All-District 7 at-large selection. He owns an 85-28 career record with a .752 winning percentage to rank him 20th all time.
Ritchie, is a graduate student in business management and holds a 3.92 GPA. He is a Deans List Student, a Jacket Scholar, and a member of the Alpha Lambda and Chi Alpha Sigma Honor Societies. He also earned the 2016-17 BW Academic Excellence Award for the highest GPA on the team and has compiled a 59-36 record with 21 pins.
McHugh is a marketing major who carries a 3.91 GPA and a Deans List Student. In his career, he has three pins, eight major decisions for a 45-22 record.
Sbrocco is a finance and accounting double major with a 3.92 GPA. He is a Deans List student, Jacket Scholar, a member of the Alpha Lambda Delta Honor Society and a member of the Accounting Association. He has a career mark of 46-29 with 10 pins.
Ransom is a Pre-Physical Therapy major and a Deans List student. He has a 73-28 career record at a .723 winning percentage, with nine pins to rank him 29th all time.
Leightner is undecided and earns his first honor as a sophomore and has compiled a 47-22 career record with 21 pins.
Head Coach Jamie Gibbs said, "I am super proud of our guys. This is a great accomplishment and something we strive for in our program."
