May 18, 2005
In just two years on the Columbia wrestling team, Jeff Sato has established a pattern of excellence second to none. The Lions' co-captain finished third in the EIWA Championships this winter, earning his second straight trip to the NCAA Championships.
He picked up yet another significant honor this week when the National Wrestling Coaches Association announced its academic honorees. Sato was chosen for the NWCA Division I All-Academic Team, one of only six Ivy League and 11 EIWA wrestlers so honored. The biology major has compiled a 3.23 GPA.
The classroom efforts of Sato and his teammates helped Columbia to earn sixth place on the NWCA All-Academic Top 30, with a combined 3.1069 GPA.
"Jeff is an example of the type of person we have been able to attract to Columbia," said the Lions' fifth-year head coach, Brendan Buckley. "We honor student-athletes who excel both on the mat and in the academic community. Jeff personifies the true student-athlete."
Sato, a junior from Pismo Beach, California, won 31 of 41 bouts this season, extending his two-year career record to 60-24. Competing at 125 pounds, he finished second in two tournaments, including the New York State Championships, and third in three others. His 31 wins led all Columbia wrestlers, as the Lions posted an 8-4 record and finished fourth in the EIWA Championships, their best finish since 1931.
Columbia's sixth-place in the NWCA All-Academic Top 30 represents its fourth straight year among the nation's wrestling academic elite. The Lions were 10th in 2001-02, 13th in 2002-03, and third in 2003-04.
The top 15:
1. Brown, 3.2762
2. Princeton, 3.2125
3. Stanford, 3.1758
4. Duquesne, 3.1522
5. Central Michigan, 3.1267
6. COLUMBIA, 3.1069
7. Sacred Heart, 3.1055
8. George Mason, 3.0875
9. West Virginia, 3.0750
10. Cornell, 3.0742
11. Michigan, 3.0523
12. Maryland, 3.0498
13. Slippery Rock, 3.0488
14. Oklahoma State, 3.0260
15. Northwestern, 3.0243
