Wrestling earns nine NWCA Scholar All-American honors

Wrestling earns nine NWCA Scholar All-American honors
April 11, 2023

By Wes Mayberry

| NWCA NCAA Division III Top 30 Scholar Team All-America | NWCA NCAA Division III Scholar All-Americans |

ADA — Nine Ohio Northern student-athletes were named NCAA Division III Scholar All-Americans by the National Wrestling Coaches Association for 2022-23.

Seniors Ben DePrest (Louisville, Ky./Saint Xavier) and Chase Sumner (Ada) and sophomores Adam Myers (Springfield/Shawnee), Cael Vanderhorst (Covington), Colin Mellott (Wapakoneta), Gavin Layman (Chesterton, Ind.), Jacob Reed (Lancaster), Jayden Jones (Ashland), Teagan Hendricks (Jamestown/Greenview) were among 369 individuals from 88 institutions receiving awards.

Ohio Northern finished eighth overall in the nationwide team standings, posting a teamwide GPA of 3.667.

DePrest is now a three-time NWCA Scholar All-American. He was named Academic All-OAC with a 26-15 record at 197 pounds this season and owns a career record of 63-38 with 35 pins.

Another three-time NWCA Scholar All-American, Sumner went 40-6 at 149 pounds this season and was named to the All-OAC Second Team en route to earning All-American honors with a fifth-place finish at the NCAA Championships. He also won the ONU Invitational. In four seasons at Northern, Sumner is 98-18 with 43 pins and 20 major decisions.

Myers, Vanderhorst, Reed and Hendricks all earned NWCA Scholar All-American honors for the second straight season.

Myers was an Academic All-OAC selection this season, which saw him post a 22-11 record at 174 pounds. He now has a career mark of 39-21 with 13 pins.

Vanderhorst was 20-9 with nine pins at 149 pounds this season, improving his career record to 45-15. He has 14 career pins.

Reed was 44-1 with 19 pins and 11 major decisions at 141 pounds in 2023, earning All-American honors for the second straight season with a third-place finish at the NCAA Championships. He won the Mount Union Invitational, ONU Invitational, Wilkes (Pa.) Open and NCAA Central Regionals and was named the OAC Wrestler of the Year as a member of the All-OAC First Team. He was named OAC Wrestler of the Week three times and was an Academic All-OAC selection.

In two seasons at ONU, Reed boasts an 87-6 record with 32 pins and 19 major decisions.

Hendricks was an Academic All-OAC selection this season, finishing 29-13 with 11 pins at 157 pounds. In two years at ONU, he is 53-26 overall with 20 pins.

Mellott, Layman and Jones are all first-time NWCA Scholar All-Americans.

Mellott won the ONU Invitational and was named Academic All-OAC, finishing with a record of 26-6. He is 44-28 in his ONU career.

Layman joined Sumner and Reed in qualifying for the NCAA Championships this season. An All-OAC First Team and Academic All-OAC selection, Layman went 34-8 with 12 pins at 184 pounds in 2023. He is 60-32 overall in two seasons at ONU.

Jones was 22-10 with 11 pins at 157 pounds this season. He owns a career mark of 38-21 with 16 pins.

The Polar Bears finished 20-3 in dual meets and were second in the OAC with a 6-1 record in 2022-23, finishing the season ranked No. 13 in the NWCA Tournament Poll and No. 16 in the NWCA Dual Poll under 35th-year head coach Ron Beaschler.