Posted: Mar 12, 2018

Boyle, Guers & McLinden Named to NWCA All-Academic Team

Western New England trio among 189 Division III honorees

Full List of NWCA All-Academic Qualifiers

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (March 12, 2018) – Senior Tim McLinden (Plaistow, N.H.) and sophomores John Boyle (Rowley, Mass.) and Ryan Guers (Orwigsburg, Pa.) of the Western New England University wrestling team have all been named to the 2017-18 National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) Division III All-Academic Team, the organization announced last Thursday.

McLinden, Boyle and Guers are among 189 student-athletes representing 67 institutions to be recognized for their combined athletic and academic performance. They are the 39th, 40th, and 41st Golden Bears to earn this honor.

McLinden, an electrical engineering major with a 3.75 grade point average, went 26-14 this season and placed fourth in the 133-pound weight class at the NCAA Northeast Regional Championships.

Boyle, also an electrical engineering major with a 3.30 GPA, completed a historic campaign this past weekend at the NCAA Championships in Cleveland, as he earned All-America honors with his fourth-place finish at 184.

Guers, a communication major with a 3.79 GPA, went 10-4 during his sophomore season and placed sixth at 174 pounds at the NCAA Northeast Regional.

In order to be eligible, nominees must have at least a 3.2 GPA (on a 4.0 scale) for the previous full academic year. Transfers and freshmen are eligible if they've been in residence at their current institution beginning in the fall of 2017. On the competition side, wrestlers much be a national qualifier in 2017-18 and have a minimum win percentage of at least .500.

Additionally, wrestlers can also be considered if they placed in the top six at their respective regional tournament, have a win percentage of .500 or better and competed in half of the institution's scheduled competition in NCAA championship events. A wrestler can also be considered if they have a win percentage of .670 or better and competed in half of the institution's scheduled NCAA events.