2016 NCAA Division II National Runner-up Travis McKillop (184 lbs.) and 2016 National Qualifiers John Blankenship (174 lbs.) and D.J. Sims (285 lbs.) earned a spot on the 2015-16 National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) Division II All-Academic Wrestling First-Team when this year teams were released…. (Full NWCA Release)

The 2015-2016 Division II All-Academic Wrestling Team consists of 192 student-athletes from 42 universities and colleges.  Thirty-three members were named to the first team, 52 members to the second team, and 107 were named as honorable mention. Mercyhurst University placed four members on the first team, while both St. Cloud State University and University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown each placed three on the first team. Nine student-athletes were named to the team for the fourth time.  They were Ryan Bauer and Brett LaBudda from University of Nebraska at Kearney, Austin Harris and Corbin Bennetts from Western State Colorado University, Matt Paulus from Upper Iowa University, Stuart Nadeau from the University of North Carolina at Pembroke, Christian Loges from Maryville University, Brandt Welcher from the University of Wisconsin–Parkside, and Clint Poster from St. Cloud State University. Poster is the only member of the team to earn first team honors all four years.
 
Three wrestlers currently are carrying 4.0 grade point averages. They are Lucas Gilmore from Newberry College, Walker Barfield from Coker College, and Ryan Morris from Gannon University.
 
McKillop, a four-time All-American with seventh, third and a pair of runner-up finishes, is also a three-time First-Team NWCA All-Academic selection.  As a senior in 2015-16, McKillop was a two-time Super Region I Wrestlers of the Week choice and the Division II National Wrestler of the Week on December 9.  He was also tabbed the PSAC Wrestler of the Week on December 7 after winning the championship and being named PSAC Championships Outstanding Wrestler.  McKillop has a 3.09 GPA in Biology.
 
Blankenship, an Honorable Mention NWCA All-Academic Team selection as a red-shirt freshman in 2014, garnered spots on the First Team the last two seasons.  Blankenship placed sixth at the National Tournament in 2015 to become an All-American and qualified for the National Tournament in 2016.  He has a 3.56 overall GPA in Engineering.
 
Sims, a sophomore two-time National Qualifier, is a First-Team NWCA All-Academic Team selection in 2016 and was an Second-Team choice a year ago.  He placed second at the 2015 PSAC Championship to earn a spot on the All-PSAC Team, and third at the Super Region I Tournament to qualify for nationals.  Sims currently has a 3.31 GPA in Business.
 
Western State Colorado University recorded the highest team grade point average (GPA) in the Twenty-third Annual Division II All-Academic Wrestling Team competition and has won the Academic National Championship.  This is the first time that Western State Colorado University has achieved this honor, and their GPA is the highest ever recorded. Twelve other NCAA II schools have also won the National Championship.  They include the University of Wisconsin-Parkside, Fort Hays State University, the University of Mary, Colorado School of Mines, Truman State University, West Liberty University, Minnesota State University, Mankato, California Baptist University, the University of Nebraska at Omaha, the University of Nebraska at Kearney, and University of Indianapolis. Eight of the top twenty teams came from the Central Region, five came from the Midwest Region, four came from the West Region, and three came from the East Region. The Team GPA is calculated by averaging the cumulative grade point averages of ten wrestlers from each team of which eight of those wrestlers must have competed in their team's NCAA II National Qualifying Tournament.
 
In order for a student-athlete to be nominated to the Division II All-Academic Team, he needed to have a minimum 3.00 cumulative grade point average on a 4.0 scale.  He must also be in at least his second full year at his school, be a varsity  member on his team or a key reserve, demonstrate a degree of skill and have a minimum of two letters of recommendation (academic advisor and coach) submitted on his behalf.