Hempstead, NY - The Hofstra wrestling team saw eight student-athletes receive Scholar All-America honors from the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA), the most in program history, in an announcement by the organization today. In addition, Hofstra finished the 2020-21 season with the sixth-highest team grade point average in the country.

Redshirt senior Vinny Vespa, senior Charles Small, juniors Holden Heller, Trey Rogers and Dylan Ryder, sophomores Reece Heller and Justin Hoyle, and freshman Joe McGinty were all named as NWCA Scholar All-Americans. As Pre-Medical Studies majors, McGinty and Rogers earned cumulative GPAs of 3.92 and 3.91, respectively. Reece posted a 3.70 GPA as an Undecided-Business major, brother while Holden held a 3.61 GPA as a Finance major. Ryder recorded a 3.56 GPA as a Management major, Vespa posted a 3.46 GPA as a Physical Education & Health major, Hoyle finished with a 3.43 GPA as an Undecided-Business major, and Small holds a 3.24 GPA with a major in Criminology.

One of 10 Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA) institutions to compete during the 2020-21 season, Hofstra accumulated a team GPA of 3.469 to rank sixth in Division I. Long Island University finished with the highest team GPA in the country at 3.558, followed by North Dakota State (3.544) and Cleveland State (3.533). Stanford (3.501) and George Mason (3.482) rounded out the top five.

"It's my honor on behalf of the NWCA and our Board of Directors to recognize this outstanding list of team and individual award winners," said NWCA Executive Director Mike Moyer. "These athletes had to navigate a season full of unknowns and the fact they were able to continue to excel in the classroom is a testament to the attack mentality that wrestlers bring to every aspect of their lives."