Noblesville wrestling ties for first in IHSWCA Academic Challenge

The Noblesville wrestling team showed everyone that it’s tough and talented when it won the sectional championship at the end of January at Elwood.
The Millers are also pretty smart, too. That’s something the public might not be aware of, but it will be now. Noblesville finished in a tie for first place in the inaugural Indiana High School Wrestling Coaches Association Academic Challenge, which was announced earlier this week.
The Academic Challenge takes all 32 sectional championship teams and adds together the cumulative grade-point average of all 14 student-athletes that participated in the sectional. The IHSWCA then averages together all of the wrestlers’ GPAs on a 4.0 scale. The Millers and Columbus East both had GPAs of 3.40, and are thus co-champions.
“It’s awesome,” said Noblesville coach Michael Weimer. He called the challenge victory “a great accomplishment” for the Millers program.
“I preach being a student-athlete,” said Weimer. “You have to have your grades first before you can compete. Our team, they live by that.”
“It’s another great way to showcase our sport,” said Weimer. “It’s a combative sport and it’s physical, it’s tough.” But the coach said there are also “very smart kids that do it.”
The announcement of the IHSWCA Academic Challenge coincided with the release of the organization’s Academic All-State list, which the IHSWCA posted on Twitter Sunday evening. Six Noblesville wrestlers are on the list, as well as many others from Hamilton County as well.
A list of the Hamilton County wrestlers that made the Academic All-State list now follows. Athletes are listed by their grade-point average. You can see the full list by clicking this link.

First Team Seniors (GPAs of 3.75 and up)
Dakota Arvin, Westfield, 4.19
Gabriel Scott, Westfield, 4.13
Ian Watson, Westfield, 4.07
Harel Halevi, Carmel, 4.06
Haley Jones, Hamilton Heights, 4.05
Robert Major, Carmel, 4.02
Roni Ledzema, Carmel, 3.93
Tim Alexander, Noblesville, 3.90
Jacob Shafer, Carmel, 3.76

First Team Juniors
Austin McClure, Westfield, 4.20
Jayla Logan, Hamilton Heights, 4.17
Bryce Murray, Noblesville, 4.01
Lucas Farling, Carmel, 3.85
Cooper Frahm, Noblesville, 3.84
Jacob Etchison, Noblesville, 3.83
Alec McLaren, Westfield, 3.83
Zachary Strueder, Fishers, 3.82
Curtis Kearschner, Fishers, 3.77

Honorable Mention Seniors (GPAs of 3.25 to 3.74)
Luu Nguyen, Fishers, 3.70
Axel Aleman, Sheridan, 3.63
Cameron Hovey, Sheridan, 3.59
Cooper Mansfield, Hamilton Heights, 3.52
Joey Kitko, Noblesville, 3.47
William Kepler, Carmel, 3.43
Haley Mattingly, Carmel, 3.42
Mekhi Simmons, Carmel, 3.33
Devonte Henson, Hamilton Heights, 3.27

Honorable Mention Juniors
Thadeus O’Neil, Westfield, 3.73
Cesar Sierra, Noblesville, 3.71
Cora Cain, Hamilton Heights, 3.71
Eitan Halevi, Carmel, 3.63
Noah Ehrie, Sheridan, 3.53
Jackson Anderson, Westfield, 3.49
James Carroll, Fishers, 3.37
John Lienemann, Hamilton Heights, 3.32