BUIES CREEK, N.C. – Campbell's
Jere Heino,
Austin Kraisser,
Andrew Morgan and
Quentin Perez have been named to the 2019-20 Southern Conference Academic All-Conference team for wrestling.
All four posted podium finishes at the 2020 SoCon Championships in March, with Morgan and Perez both claiming conference titles, while Morgan, Perez and Heino all earned All-American recognition following the season.
Heino capped his redshirt senior season at 24-5 overall. The Helsinki, Finland native finished runner-up at the 2020 SoCon tournament, and was set for his third trip to the NCAA Championships in 2020, seeded No. 15 at heavyweight, earning honorable mention All-America honors from the National Wrestling Coaches Association.
Kraisser took third at 174 pounds at the SoCon Championships, his third career podium finish. The redshirt junior also earned the SoCon Pinnacle Award, given to the student-athlete with the highest GPA on the championship winning team. Kraisser went 27-8 overall on the season with a 7-1 dual mark.
A First Team NWCA All-American and No. 8 seed in the NCAA Championships, Morgan claimed the 2020 SoCon title at 184 pounds, the first of his career. Ranking as high as No. 6 in the nation during the season, Morgan qualified for his second straight NCAA appearance at 30-5 overall. The Fountain Valley, Calif. native won 11 straight bouts to end the season.
Another three-time NCAA qualifier and 2020 honorable mention All-American, Perez was seeded No. 13 at 165 in the 2020 tournament. The redshirt senior claimed his second career SoCon tournament title in March, and carried a 26-6 overall record.
To be eligible for the academic all-conference team, student-athletes must carry at least a 3.3 cumulative grade point average at the conclusion of the spring semester. In addition, the student-athletes must have successfully completed at least three semesters at their institutions, making true freshmen and first-year transfers ineligible for inclusion.
The SoCon will announce its 2019-20 academic honor roll on Thursday.
The Camels finished the regular season at 11-2 overall and a perfect 7-0 in SoCon duals, winning its final nine matchups that included all seven conference bouts. The dual title is the first outright regular season title for the Camels in program history, also completing a sweep of its conference opponents for the first time. Additionally, five Camels earned All-American status from the NWCA.
Five Camels claimed individual SoCon championships, helping secure Campbell's second straight and third SoCon tournament championship in four years (2017, 2019, 2020). CU's six NCAA qualifiers tied a school record (2019).
Campbell, ranking as high as No. 12 in the country (InterMat), completed a sweep of the SoCon's regular season with a 35-13 win at Davidson on February 23, claiming its second straight league dual championship.