April 16, 2003
TEMPE, Ariz. - Three Arizona State wrestlers have been selected to the Pac-10 Conference's First-Team All-Academic team, the conference announced Wednesday. Seniors Rocky Smart (Pleasant Grove, Utah) and Curtis Owen (Poulson, Mont.) and junior Nick Frost (Tucson, Ariz.) each earned a spot on the first team for their academic achievements in the classroom.
Owen capped his career with his first Pac-10 Championship title at 174 pounds before proceeding to the NCAA Championships. At the national meet, he wrestled eight matches in three days to return home with his first All-America honor after placing fourth. A Maroon and Gold Scholar-Athlete, Owen built a 4.00 GPA in psychology while competing for the Sun Devils. He is the only conference selection to maintain a perfect grade point average this year.
Smart, who will graduate in early May with a degree in history, was selected to the academic team with a 3.51 GPA. The conference's third-place finisher at 157 pounds, Smart had to battle with injuries all year on his way to a 10-6 record and a spot in the NCAA Championships where he fell one win shy of earning All-American honors. His second academic selection, Smart was a second-team selection last year.
Frost, a computer systems engineering major with a 3.39 GPA, earned his second conference academic honor after being named to the second team a year ago. On the mat, the Maroon and Gold Scholar-Athlete won his first Pac-10 Championship at 165 in dominating fashion before advancing to the NCAA Championships. Frost will return to the Sun Devil lineup next as one of the cornerstones as the team looks to repeat as conference champions.
2003 Pac-10 All-Academic Honorees
First Team
Zac Enoch (Sr., Portland State) 3.53 in Mathematics
Nick Frost (Jr., Arizona State) 3.39 in Computer Systems Engineering
Jason Harless (Jr., Oregon) 3.73 in General Sciences
Casey Kotter (Sr., Portland State) 3.80 in Business Administration
Risto Marttinen (So., CS Fullerton) 3.86 in Kinesiology
Curtis Owen (Sr., Arizona State) 4.00 in Psychology
Pat Owens (Jr., Boise State) 3.81 in Physical Education
Jed Pennell (Jr., Oregon) 3.82 in Exercise and Sport Science
Rocky Smart (Sr., Arizona State) 3.51 in History
Curt Willener (Jr., Oregon) 3.60 in Business Administration
Second Team
Jesse Brock (Jr., Boise State) 3.17 in Civil Engineering
Brian Busby (So., CS Bakersfield) 3.53 in Natural Sciences
Matt Gentry (So., Stanford) 3.48 in Human Biology
Brett Gordon (Jr., CS Fullerton) 3.51 in Business Administration
Luke Larwin (So., Oregon) 3.51 in Environmental Science
Harold Penson (Sr., Stanford) 3.27 in Economics
Paul Rademacher (Jr., Oregon) 3.26 in Exercise and Sport Science
Collin Robertson (Sr., Boise State) 3.10 in Spanish/Secondary Education
Jon Sharpe (Jr., CS Bakersfield) 3.41 in Business Administration
Ben VomBaur (Sr., Boise State) 3.00 in History/Secondary Education
Honorable Mention: Anthony Baza, RSFr., CS Bakersfield; Chris Carlino, Sr., CS Fullerton; Quinn Collett, Sr., Portland State; Adam Daniel, So., Oregon; Brian Duhrkoop, Jr., Oregon; Casey Horn, Sr., Oregon; Garrett Johnson, So., Stanford; Kevin Jones, Jr., UC Davis; Brad Metzler, So., Stanford; Tony Overstake, Sr., Oregon; Larry Ozowara, RSFr., Stanford; Casey Phelps, RSFr., Boise State; Shawn Rizenthaler, RSFr., Stanford; John Winters, Sr., Oregon