MANHEIM, Pa. - Three American University wrestlers have earned distinction as National Wrestling Coaches Association Scholar All-Americans, and the Eagles rank second in team grade-point average for a second year in a row. 

Kizhan Clarke earns his second NWCA Scholar All-American honor, while Gage Curry and Sal Profaci are receiving the distinction for the first time. All three would have represented AU at the NCAA Championships had they not been canceled. The Scholar-All-American awards went to 175 individuals overall, representing 63 institutions.

Collectively, AU earned a 3.55 GPA, second only to Drexel 3.59. This marks the 14th time in the last 15 seasons the Eagles have been among the top 10 GPAs nationally, and the second year in a row ranking second overall.
 
Clarke, a redshirt junior and justice & law major, has a 3.63 GPA and was recently named All-America Honorable Mention by the NWCA. He finished fourth at the 2020 EIWA Championships, would have made his first NCAA appearance this year. He finished the season with 36 wins to rank third all-time at AU for wins in a single season, and was ranked as high as seventh in the nation at 149 pounds.

Curry is a film and media arts major who placed fourth at the EIWA Championships to qualify to compete at the NCAA Championships for the third time in as many seasons of eligibility. He went 30-9 this season and finished as the 20th-ranked wrestler in the nation at 125 pounds. 

Profaci, in his final season of eligibility and only season at AU after transferring from Michigan, went 26-9 overall and earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Championships. He was 11-0 in major decisions to lead AU and rank in a tie for third all-time in program history for a single season. 

"On behalf of the NWCA and our Board of Directors, we are ecstatic to honor the amazing academic achievement demonstrated by this year's Scholar All-American teams and individuals," said NWCA Executive Director Mike Moyer. "NCAA Division I institutions continue to demonstrate their commitment to academics."

For more information on AU Wrestling, follow the team on Twitter @AU_Wrestling, Instagram @au_wrestling and Facebook @AU.Wrestling.