On April 9, five Husky athletes from the wrestling squad were announced to have made the 2019-2020 Mid-American Conference (MAC) All-Academic Team by the league office. This is yet another example of Bloomsburg athletes showing prowess both on and off the field; these athletes exemplify what it means to be a student athlete.

The athletes who achieved this award were sophomore Alex Carida from Hackettstown, N.j., redshirt sophomore Jarrett Walters from Danville, P.a., redshirt senior Trevor Allard from Mexico, N.y., senior Kyle Murphy from Bridgewater, N.j., and senior Nate Newberry from Biglerville, P.a.

The requirements for earning a spot on the MAC All-Academic Team include earning at least a 3.20 cumulative grade-point average (GPA) and to have been an active participant in at least half of the regular season meets. Students that are freshman or junior college transfers that are in their first year of season will not be eligible for this achievement. Accomplishments from the student’s athletic and academic careers of their most current season are taken into consideration for this award.

This year there were 49 wrestlers from 15 colleges that won the MAC All-Academic Team this year. Bloomsburg’s five winners tied for the third-highest total in the conference with Missouri. The schools which had the most winners of this award were Central Michigan and George Mason. Both of these schools sent six athletes.

Allard and Carida were having exceptional seasons until the COVID-19 pandemic. Both had been scheduled to compete in the 2020 NCAA Division I in Minneapolis. Weighing in at 184 pounds, Allard finished his year with an overall record of 24-4. He was a mere four wins away from becoming number 19 in Bloomsburg’s program history of wrestlers with 100 wins. Carida, weighing a total of 157 pounds, had won the true sixth-place match, securing the conference’s final spot. His overall record for the 2019-2020 season was 17-2.

Allard’s talents extended into the classroom where he sported an impressive GPA of 3.91. He is working towards a master’s degree in business administration. Boasting a 3.71 GPA, Carida is working on his degree in supply chain management.

The talents of Murphy, Walters, and Newberry all had tremendous 2019-2020 seasons, each of them had earned double-digit wins for the Huskies.

Murphy is an early childhood education and special education major and has a GPA of 3.28. Walters boasts a GPA of 3.73 and is working on his degree in history. Newberry’s GPA is 3.54 and he is majoring in economics and finance.

Each of these Husky athletes proudly demonstrate what it means to be student athletes. To be excellent both on and off the field is both a challenge and a privilege that shows what it means to be a Husky. It is a great tragedy that these seniors were not able to compete in their postseason, which they had worked so hard for. The effects of this virus continue to be devastating as they have affected every aspect of people’s lives. These Huskies can keep their heads up high though, as they were model students who achieved greatness both on and off the court.