Wheeling, W. Va. - On Monday, the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) honored some of the top wrestlers both on the mat and the classroom with their 2025 NWCA Scholar All-American Awards. The Wheeling Wrestling team had a big growing year on the mat, and that growth continued in the classroom with a program record six Cardinals honored. Hunter Bittinger, Chris Johnson, Zach Kuneff, Gavin Harper, Caden Canning, and Isaac Valdez were all honored after leading the Cardinal's growth on the mat.
"I am beyond proud of our academic achievements this year," said Brown. "Our guys take their work on and off the mat very seriously. Their hard work has shown and had definitely paid off. They have shown what we want the standard to be for the wrestling program. We have accomplished a lot of goals, hit milestones, and have made incredible progress, but having six academic All-Americans and finishing fourth in the country for team GPA is incredibly special."
In order to earn NWCA Scholar All-American honors, there are three different criteria, with the athlete having to match at least one of the criteria. The athlete must either a.) Be an All-American at the 2025 NCAA DII National Championships and hold a 3.00 GPA, b.) Be a National Qualifier to the 2025 NCAA DII National Championships and have a 3.25 GPA, or c.) Competed in four or more events and hold a 3.5 GPA. All six of the Cardinal honorees qualify under the final piece of that criteria, with each holding a 3.5 GPA or higher while leading the Cardinals on the mat. In total, the NWCA recognized over 400 student-athletes across the NCAA Division II level for their work on the mat and in the classroom.
"The NWCA is proud to recognize these outstanding individuals who embody excellence in both athletics and academics," said NWCA Executive Director Mike Moyer.
Leading this year's list of honorees is the Cardinal's first-ever All-MEC wrestler Gavin Harper, who led the Cardinals on the mat throughout the season. He was the Cardinal's leader in wins, matches, pinfalls, and Major Decisions throughout the season. Harper would be one of four Cardinals to wrestle in third place matches at the 2024 MEC Wrestling Championships, and was the only one who would pick up a win in the match, taking down Frostburg State's Gavin Bage to earn Honorable Mention All-MEC honors. It was the first Cardinal to earn All-MEC honors since the team began wrestling in the MEC in 2020 as he looks to continue being a leader for the 285 pound weight class as his career progresses.
Also on the list were two Cardinal seniors in Caden Canning and Zach Kuneff, who have helped build the program from the ground up. Both wrestlers joined the program back during the 2021-2022 season and were two of five wrestlers on the roster entering the season. Canning had a big year for the Cardinals on the mat, picking up six wins on the season while alternating time between the 141 and 149 pound weight classes. Kuneff would split time with teammate Harper in the 285 lb weight class and finished the year 4-5 across his nine matches on the season. One of those wins came via pinfall, with the rest being decision victories to round out the year. Canning and Kuneff have been foundations of the growing Cardinal program and end their careers setting the program up for success in the future.
Hunter Bittinger, Isaac Valdez, and Chris Johnson are the newcomers to make the list, with all three helping build the foundation for future success for the program. Bittinger was a regular in the 174lb weight class, and finished with four wins during the season, with two of those four wins coming via major decision. Isaac Valdez was the most successful of the group on the mat, finishing with 12 wins while leading the team with eight Major Decisions throughout the season. Rounding out the honorees was Chris Johnson who served as the team's 197lb down the stretch. These three freshman will continue to be pillars for the team as they continue to build a winning program for the future.
Along with breaking the program record for honorees, the Cardinals finished tied for third in the conference for the most honorees. West Liberty and Glenville State led the list of honorees with nine each of the season after the Pioneers took home the 2025 MEC Championship. Wheeling sits in a tie for third with Frostburg State with six honorees, while Fairmont State sits in fifth with two honorees. Rounding out the list was Davis & Elkins and Salem, with each program having one wrestler recognized on the list.
The Wheeling University Wrestling team continues their off-season work as they build towards their continued growth in 2025-2026.
