Pac-12 Wrestling Scholar-Athlete of the Year Named

SAN FRANCISCO - CSU BAKERSFIELD's Ian Nickell was named the Pac-12 Wrestling Scholar-Athlete of the Year for the 2015-16 season, the Conference office announced on Thursday. The award, which is presented in each of the 23 sports the Pac-12 sponsors, was established to honor collegiate student-athletes that are standouts both academically and in their sports discipline.

For the second time in three years a wrestler from CSU Bakersfield has taken home the Pac-12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year honor. Nickell and Dalton Kelley in 2014 were the Roadrunners' two honorees. Nickell serves as a CSU Bakersfield team captain and is nearing the 100-career win plateau as he has a 95-42 record heading into the Pac-12 Championships on Saturday. He ranks 17th in school history in career victories. A three-time Pac-12 placewinner, Nickell qualified for the 2015 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships at 141 pounds. Off the mat, Nickell is a three-time first team Academic All-Conference selection for CSU Bakersfield. He has been named to the NWCA Individual All-Academic Team three times. He is pursuing a degree in petroleum engineering and boasts a 3.91 GPA.

Nickell and his fellow Roadrunners will compete at the Pac-12 Wrestling Championships on Saturday in Tempe, hosted by Arizona State. The competition will be broadcast live on the Pac-12 Network, starting at 5 p.m. PT. Tickets to attend the event can be purchased here.

In order to be eligible for the Pac-12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year award, student-athletes must be a senior (in athletics eligibility) on track to receive a degree, have a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or higher, participate in at least 50% of the scheduled contests in the sport and have a minimum of one year in residence at the institution. Each Pac-12 institution may nominate one individual per sport, and the winners are selected by a committee of Pac-12 staff members at the conclusion of each sport’s regular season. The athletic accomplishments of the nominees are a consideration in the voting for the award.

A Scholar-Athlete of the Year will be named in each of the Pac-12’s 23 sponsored sports: baseball, men’s basketball, women’s basketball, beach volleyball, men’s cross country, women’s cross country, football, men’s golf, women’s golf, women’s gymnastics, men’s rowing, women’s rowing, men’s soccer, women’s soccer, softball, men’s swimming & diving, women’s swimming & diving, men’s tennis, women’s tennis, men’s track & field, women’s track & field, women’s volleyball, and wrestling.

Also Nominated: Blake Stauffer, ASU; Seth Thomas, OSU, Michael Sojka, STAN.