MANHEIM, Pa. – For the second year in a row, Eastern Oregon University's men's wrestling team has been crowned the NWCA NAIA Scholar Team Champions, finishing atop the national standings with a 3.60 GPA, the highest in the country.
The National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) announced the 2025 NAIA Men's Team Scholar All-America Awards on Tuesday, with Eastern Oregon leading a highly competitive field. The Mountaineers posted a team GPA of 3.6047, edging out Doane University (3.5783), Embry-Riddle University (3.5473), the University of Saint Mary (3.5425), and Graceland University (3.4975) for the top spot.
"Coach Azure and his team exemplify the true spirit of Scholar All-Americans by excelling both on the mat and in the classroom," said NWCA Executive Director Mike Moyer. "Their dedication to academic success while competing at the highest level of NAIA wrestling is remarkable, and we congratulate them on earning this well-deserved honor."
In addition to the team achievement, 13 Mountaineer wrestlers were honored as 2025 NWCA NAIA Men's Scholar All-Americans: Tucker Bonner (Senior, Fire Services Administration), Braden Carson (Junior, Biology), Kai Carson (Sophomore, Biology), Trace Evans (Senior, History), Jackson Eylar (Junior, Health & Human Performance), Luciano Fasulo (Graduate, Communication Studies), Cody Glenn (Senior, Business Administration), Ruben Hernandez (Junior, Business Administration), Darrian Hoobery (Senior, Fire Services Administration), Kyle Knudtson (Senior, Health & Human Performance), Kobe Olson (Senior, Fire Services Administration), Stone Robledo (Junior, Health & Human Performance), and Justin Sawai (Senior, Health & Human Performance).
"I am very proud of our team and the work they put in on and off the mat," said Head Coach Dustyn Azure. "This is a great achievement to earn two academic years in a row. We are very fortunate to have Coach T leading the way as our academic coach. I want to give a special shoutout to him and his efforts to help keep our standards high."
Eastern Oregon's women's wrestling team also posted a strong academic performance, finishing No. 8 nationally with a team GPA of 3.5325. Six Mountaineers earned NWCA Scholar All-America individual honors: Nia Avelino (Freshman, Business Administration), Brooke Cicierski (Graduate, Masters of Clinical Mental Health Counseling), Kirsten Delazerda (Freshman, Chemistry/Biochemistry), Nayeli Flores Roque (Graduate, Masters of Clinical Mental Health Counseling), Laura Meyers (Freshman, Agricultural Sciences), Telsarina Walter (Freshman, Health & Human Performance), and Liv Wieber (Senior, Mathematics).
Eastern Oregon continues to set the national standard for academic excellence in collegiate wrestling, reaffirming the program's commitment to success both in the classroom and on the mat.
