PELLA— A record eight members of the Central College men's wrestling team were honored as National Wrestling Coaches Association Scholar All-Americans Thursday.
           
To qualify for the award, a wrestler must maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.2 or higher. The wrestler also had to place in the top eight at an NCAA Division III regional or win 66 percent of their matches.
           
The group is headlined by senior Sam West (197 pounds, Burlington, Notre Dame HS), who was honored for third year in a row. He was also just named the NCAA's Elite-Scholar Athlete at the NCAA Division III Wrestling Championships.
           
Sophomores Bryson Spaulding (149 pounds, Villa Park, Ill., IC Catholic Prep) and Carter West (125 pounds, Burlington, Notre Dame HS) were also repeat honorees from last season. Abe Bushong (freshman, Pleasant Hill, Southeast Polk HS), Nathan Rosas (senior, 184 pounds, Harvard, Ill.), Curtis Schott (junior, Coggon, North Linn HS), Christian Stanek (junior, 157 pounds, Cedar Rapids, Xavier HS) and Nicholas Trujillo (freshman, Benicia, Calif.) all made their debut on the list.
           
Central's previous high for NWCA Scholar All-Americans was seven in both 2019 and 2021.
           
The Dutch finished its season 14-5 and third in the American Rivers Conference. The Dutch finished fourth at the NCAA Division III Region VI Championships and 10th at the NCAA Division III Championships.