The National Wrestling Coaches Association recently announced the honorees for each of their High School All-American Awards programs presented by the United States Marine Corps (USMC). Five St. Andrew’s-Sewanee School wrestlers - Charlie Barron (Chattanooga, TN), Riley Burnette (Monteagle, TN), Iliana Pate (Sewanee), Verena Pate (Sewanee), and Jiaying Yang (Dalian, China) - have been named Scholar All-Americans for demonstrated excellence in the classroom.

“On behalf of the NWCA Board of Directors it is my honor to congratulate this years’ amazing group of honorees,” said Mike Moyer, NWCA Executive Director.

SAS Head Wrestling Coach Dan Monahan notes that not only does the varsity girls wrestling team boast two state-qualifying and Tennessee All-State wrestlers, but five of the six girls on the team are on the High Honors list for outstanding academic performance. The team also boasts a magnum cum laude Latin scholar, two members of the school’s Honor Council, a silver medalist in Spanish, a Proctor, and the president of the school’s Interact Club. “These girls are champions in everything they do,” said Monahan.

The National Wrestling Coaches Association, established in 1928, is a non-profit organization for the advancement of all levels of the sport of wrestling with primary emphasis on developing coaches who work in academic environments. The three core competencies of the NWCA are: Coaching Development, Student-Athlete Welfare, and the Promotion of Wrestling.