GREENSBORO, N.C. (theACC.com) – Duke 149-pound senior Mitch Finesilver has been named the 2018-19 Atlantic Coast Conference Wrestling Scholar-Athlete of the Year and heads up the sport’s All-ACC Academic Team announced on Wednesday.
In addition to claiming All-America honors with a fourth-place finish at the NCAA Championships and capturing the ACC title in his weight class, Finesilver was a recipient of an ACC Postgraduate Scholarship and earned a spot on Duke’s fall semester Dean’s List with Distinction. The evolutionary anthropology major from Greenwood Village, Colorado is also a member of the 2018-19 NWCA Division I Scholar All-America Team.
Finesilver finished his career ranked eighth in victories with 95 and became the Blue Devils’ fourth All-American in program history. His 33 wins in 2018-19 rank sixth on the program’s single-season charts. He was recently voted Duke’s Male Senior Athlete of the Year.
Each of the ACC’s six wrestling programs are represented on the 20-member 2018-19 All-ACC Academic Wrestling Team, including a number of repeat honorees.
Senior Zack Zavatsky represents Virginia Tech on the All-ACC Academic Wrestling Team for the fourth consecutive year. Duke’s Josh Finesilver and Matt Finesilver, NC State’s Daniel Bullard, Sean Fausz and Hayden Hidlay and Pitt’s LJ Bentley were each recognized for the second year in a row.
This year’s All-ACC Academic Wrestling Team includes four conference champions in Pitt’s Micky Phillippi (133 pounds), Duke’s Mitch Finesilver (149), NC State’s Hidlay (157) and Virginia Tech’s Zavatsky (184).
Duke’s Zach Finesilver joined his three brothers on the All-ACC Academic team. The family quartet set a collegiate wrestling “first” as each qualified for the NCAA Championship each of the past two seasons.
In addition to Duke’s Ben Anderson and each of the Finesilver brothers, NC State’s Bullard, Fausz and Hidlay, Virginia’s Will Schany, and Virginia Tech’s Zavatsky, Tom Sleigh and Billy Miller were also recognized as NWCA Division I Scholar All-Americans.
The ACC Scholar-Athlete of the Year awards were established in September of 2007 to be awarded annually to the top junior or senior student-athlete in their respective sports. Candidates for the awards must have maintained a 3.0 grade point average for their careers, as well as a 3.0 for each of the last two semesters.
Minimum academic requirements for selection to the All-ACC Academic Team are a 3.0 grade point average for the previous semester and a 3.0 cumulative average during one’s academic career. Athletic achievements during the most recent season are also considered in selecting the All-ACC Academic Team.
The ACC Honor Roll, which recognizes all conference student-athletes with a grade point average of 3.0 for the current academic year, will be released in July.
2018-19 All-ACC Academic Wrestling Team
Ben Anderson, So., Duke
Josh Finesilver, So., Duke
Matt Finesilver, So. Duke
Mitch Finesilver, Sr., Duke
Zach Finesilver, Sr., Duke
Gary Wayne Harding, Jr., North Carolina
Joe Heilmann, Fr., North Carolina
Brandon Whitman, Fr., North Carolina
Daniel Bullard, So., NC State
Thomas Bullard, So., NC State
Sean Fausz, Sr., NC State
Hayden Hidlay, So., NC State
LJ Bentley, Sr., Pitt
Micky Phillippi, Fr., Pitt
Will Schany, Sr., Virginia
Louie Hayes, R-So., Virginia
Billy Miller, Sr., Virginia Tech
Korbin Myers, Jr., Virginia Tech
Tom Sleigh, Sr., Virginia Tech
Zack Zavatsky, Sr., Virginia Tech