MANHEIM, Pa. – Five members of the Ursinus College wrestling team were named Scholar All-Americans by the National Wrestling Coaches Association, the organization announced this week.
Ray Calderaio, Jason Carter, Ben Maack, Gary Nagle, and Jason Zollers all received the prestigious honor, which typically requires both a 3.20 cumulative GPA and an array of accomplishments on the mat. This year, the Division III Leadership Group made the decision that athletes unable to compete would still be eligible for Scholar All-America status.
The five Scholar All-Americans are the most by the Bears since boasting nine in 2017.
A Mathematics major, Calderaio enjoyed a stellar junior season in 2019-20. He finished 17-13 overall, setting a career-high for wins in a season, and placed third at the Centennial Conference championships before winning a match at the NCAA Mideast Regional. Calderaio was named to the CC Academic Honor Roll this winter.
Carter, a Health & Exercise Physiology major, is an NWCA Scholar All-American for the second consecutive year. Last season, the transfer from Camden County College piled up a 27-13 overall mark, reaching the CC title bout at 197 and placing fourth at regionals, falling just one match shy of NCAA qualification.
Majoring in biochemistry and molecular biology (BCMB), Maack has been a consistent contributor during his time with the program. He was 21-9 with 10 pins as a rookie and rebounded from an injury-plagued sophomore year to become one of the top heavyweights in the Centennial a year ago. Maack finished 19-12 with eight pins as a junior, reaching the conference final and grabbing a victory at regionals.
Nagle, an applied economics major, has made a major impact in his first two seasons of competition, winning 42 bouts at 174. During the 2019-20 campaign, Nagle ranked second on the team in total points (121) as well as third in victories (26) and pins (9). He earned a place at four different tournaments and won a match at the Mideast Regional championships. Nagle was a Centennial Conference Academic Honor Roll recipient this past winter.
Zollers, also an Academic Honor Roll qualifier, is a Health & Exercise Physiology major. He was a regular at 165 for the Bears in the last competition season, starting for the team and winning a match at the CC championships as well as regionals.