UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team (16-0, 9-0 B1G, B1G Champions, NCAA Champions) continues to haul in postseason accolades with the announcement of the 2016 CoSIDA Academic All-America Division I At-Large team.
(Photo of Nico Megaludis. Photo courtesy of Penn State Athletics)
Two Penn State national champions, senior Nico Megaludis (Murrysville, Pa.) and sophomore Zain Retherford (Benton, Pa.), were both honored among the nation’s top student-athletes. Megaludis was honored on the First Team CoSIDA Academic All-America Division I At-Large Team while Retherford was honored on the Second Team. Both were first team CoSIDA Academic All-Region Division I At-Large honorees, which placed them on the ballot for the national honor.
Megaludis became a three-time NWCA All-Academic honoree this year. Megaludis ended his year with a 5-0 run through the NCAA tournament and posted a final record of 32-3 this year. He closes out his Penn State career 11th on Penn State’s all-time wins list with a 119-19 career record. A four-time All-American, Megaludis placed second, second, third and first as a Nittany Lion. Megaludis becomes Penn State’s 31st NCAA Champion (becoming the 24th individual to do so), and Sanderson’s ninth NCAA champion at Penn State. Megaludis is now tied for second on Penn State’s all-time NCAA tournament wins list with 18. He was also a NWCA First Team National All-Academic selection. Megaludis posted a 3.51 grade point average and graduated with a degree in Finance.
Retherford earned his first NWCA All-Academic honor as well. Retherford ended a perfect season with a 5-0 run through NCAAs, including a major, a technical fall and three pins. He ends his sophomore year, a two-time All-American and NCAA Champion, with a 33-0 overall record, 67-3 for his career. He had 15 pins this season alone, tied for seventh on Penn State’s all-time single season falls list. Retherford was the 2016 Big Ten Wrestler of the Year and was named the 2016 NCAA Most Dominant Wrestler of the Year. He was also a NWCA First Team National All-Academic selection. Retherford posted a 3.72 grade point average and is Finance major.
Megaludis and Retherford’s awards bring Penn State’s all-time total CoSIDA Academic All-America honors to 193, which is fourth highest among all Division I institutions.
The Nittany Lions recently completed a 2015-16 season that saw head coach Cael Sanderson’s squad win its fifth NCAA National Championship in the last six years, its fifth Big Ten title in the last six years, a share of the 2016 Big Ten Regular Season (dual meet) Championship, the NWCA National Dual Meet Series title, and its sixth straight Southern Scuffle crown. The team went 16-0, 9-0 in Big Ten duals.
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