May 8, 2012
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IOWA CITY, Iowa — University of Iowa wrestlers Matt McDonough and Bobby Telford have been named to the 2012 National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) Division I All-Academic Team. The NWCA announced its annual awards today.
“Bobby Telford and Matt McDonough both continue to show their dedication to Iowa wrestling in the classroom and on the mat,” said Iowa head coach Tom Brands. “They’re both terrific student-athletes that embrace the challenge and this award is indicative of their commitment to this school and the Hawkeye wrestling program.”
The academic team is made up of 87 total athletes, including five NCAA Champions, three NCAA runner-ups, 23 All-Americans and 77 NCAA Qualifiers.
McDonough, a health and human physiology major, won the 125-pound title at the Big Ten and NCAA Championships this season. He finished the year with a 28-match winning streak and posted a 36-1 overall record that included a team-best 12 pins. He strung together four straight wins at the conference tournament to earn his second Big Ten title in as many seasons, and he recorded a pair of pins and two major decisions en route to his second national title. His 4-1 win in the NCAA finals was his 100th career victory. A native of Marion, Iowa, McDonough owns a 100-4 career record and has the fourth best career winning percentage (.962) in school history.
Telford earned All-America honors in his first varsity season. The redshirt freshman placed fifth at the NCAA Championships and was the Big Ten runner-up at 285 pounds. He posted a 29-9 overall record and finished the season with nine pins, the second-highest total on the team. He won the 285-pound title at the Lindenwood Open, and placed second at the Midlands Championships and Grand View Open. A native of Hockessin, Del., Telford is an open major.
Sixteen Hawkeyes in program history have received the NWCA individual academic honor. Both McDonough and Telford were also among the school-record 12 wrestlers to earn Academic All-Big Ten honors in 2012.