Three South Dakota State wrestlers were honored Tuesday as members of the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District At-Large Team. The award recognizes the nation’s top student-athletes for their combined performances in the athletic realm and in the classroom.
All three Jackrabbit wrestlers named to the team were individual qualifiers for this past winter’s NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships. The honorees included:
OAXTEPEC, Mexico – South Dakota State University wrestler Cade DeVos won gold in the 74-kilogram weight class of the junior men’s freestyle division at the Cadet and Junior Pan American Championships over the weekend.
DeVos, who will return to the Jackrabbit wrestling program for his sophomore season this fall, won all four of his matches by double-digit margins. He opened with a 16-5 victory over Wilfredo Lopez of Panama, followed by 12-2 quarterfinal victory against Orislandy Perdomo Brooks of Cuba. In both his semifinal win over Guatemala’s Malhcon Pineda Cunil and Patrik Leder of Canada, DeVos posted 12-1 victories.
The Junior Pan Am Championships serve as a qualifier for the Junior Pan American Games. The top eight wrestlers in each of the six Olympic weights earn bids to the Junior Pan Am Games in Cali, Colombia, in December.