Grater Named RMAC Academic Wrestler of the Year
Four Tigers Named to RMAC All-Academic Team
April 15, 2010
The Fort Hays State wrestling team had four individuals named to the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference All-Academic Team for the 2009-2010 season. The Tigers received three first team selections and one second team selection this year. Earning first team honors were Danny Grater, Shawn Kuhlman and Blake Malloy. All three were unanimous selections. Earning second team honors was Cody Gillespie. Danny Grater was named the RMAC Academic Wrestler of the Year.
To qualify for the RMAC All-Academic Team, student-athletes must have a GPA of 3.3 or better, be a starter or key reserve, and completed two consecutive semesters or three quarters at their current institution. Graduate students must have earned a 3.30 in their undergrad and graduate classes. RMAC Sports Information Directors at schools that sponsor the sport of wrestling selected First and Second Team Academic All-RMAC.
Danny Grater, a senior from Green, Kan., earned first team honors for the third consecutive year. He was the highest national finisher out of all the wrestlers nominated for the RMAC All-Academic Team, finishing fifth in the 157-pound weight class at the NCAA Division II Championships. Grater finished his career as a two-time All-American and a four-time NWCA All-Academic Team selection. He carries a GPA of 3.55 as a Technology Studies major.
Shawn Kuhlman, a senior from Oakley, Kan., earned RMAC All-Academic Team honors for the third consecutive year. This was his first selection to the first team. Kuhlman qualified for nationals for the first time in his career this year in the 174-pound weight class. Kuhlman, like Grater, finished his career as a four-time NWCA All-Academic Team selection. He earned his bachelor's degree in Health and Human Performance with an undergraduate GPA of 3.79 at FHSU and is currently working towards his master's at FHSU.
Blake Malloy, a senior from Topeka, Kan., earned RMAC All-Academic Team honors for the second time in his career. This was his first selection to the first team. Malloy was a two-time national qualifier for the Tigers, which included this year at 165 pounds. Malloy was a three-time NWCA All-Academic Team selection. Malloy carries a GPA of 3.30 as a Nursing major.
Cody Gillespie, a junior from Amherst, Neb., earned RMAC All-Academic Team honors for the second time in his career. Gillespie was a key reserve for the Tigers at 174 pounds. He is also a three-time NWCA All-Academic Team selection. Gillespie carries a GPA of 3.88 as an Agriculture major.