INDIANAPOLIS, In. – The Clarion wrestling team was recognized as one of the top academic programs in the country for the second straight year, with the Golden Eagles ranking in the top 10 percent of NCAA Division I Academic Progress Rate (APR) in the 2018-19 school year.

The APR is an annual scorecard of academic achievement calculated for all Division I sports teams. Teams earning Public Recognition Awards increased to 1,380, up by 52 from the previous academic year, largely due to an increase in squads with perfect scores. APRs for programs in the top 10 percent ranged from 987 to a perfect 1,000. The number of teams posting perfect scores increased to 1,266, an increase of 52 teams from last year.

Clarion is the only Mid-American Conference (MAC) program to rank in the top 10 percent among Division I wrestling programs. They join Columbia, Northwestern, Stanford, Air Force, Navy, Penn and Wisconsin among the nation’s elite academic performers in Division I wrestling. The Golden Eagles ranked in the top 10 percent in last year’s release as well, making them the only school in either the former Eastern Wrestling League (EWL) or the MAC to make the list in the last two years.

Academics have been a cornerstone of the Golden Eagle wrestling program under head coach Keith Ferraro, who just completed his sixth season as head coach. The National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) announced earlier this year that Ty Bagoly, Greg Bulsak and Brock Zacherl were named Scholar All-Americans for 2019-20, extending Clarion’s run of consecutive seasons with multiple selections. Bulsak, Cam Butler and Luke Funck were named Academic All-MAC selections in the team’s first year of competition in the conference as well.