Zach Ferris Named CoSIDA College Division Academic All-America Team Member of the Year
Cloud County Community College sophomore wrestling student-athlete Zach Ferris has been named the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) College Division Academic All-American Team Member of the Year, as announced by CoSIDA on Tuesday, June 14th.
In addition to being named College Division Academic All-American Team Member of the Year, Ferris is one of seven student-athletes to be named to the CoSIDA College Division Academic All-America Team.
The College Division includes two-year institutions, Canadian institutions, and any United States four-year institutions that are not affiliated with the NCAA or NAIA, saw all seven student-athletes named to the Academic All-America team come from two-year institutions with Ferris the lone representative from the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference. Five of the seven selections for the Academic All-America team were football student-athletes, while four of the seven had a 4.00-grade point average. Other schools represented on the 2022 CoSIDA College Division Men's Academic All-America team include Northwest Mississippi Community College, Butte College, Monroe College, and Northeast Mississippi Community College.
A sophomore from Chapman, Kan., Ferris became Cloud County's first two-time All-American after finishing third at 197 pounds at the 2022 NJCAA National Championships in Council Bluffs, Iowa, on March 5th. He capped off his career with the Thunderbirds with an undefeated 2021 season on his way to the NJCAA 197-pound National Title, an overall record of 40-6, and school records for national tournament wins (nine) and career win percentage (.869). A business major, Ferris received his associate's degree this past May with a flawless 4.00 GPA and will continue his academic and athletic career at NCAA Division II New Mexico Highlands University under former T-Bird head coach Cody Cole.
To be eligible for the CoSIDA Academic All-America At-Large College Division Team, student-athletes must have been at their current institution for a minimum of one year (two semesters) and carry a minimum 3.3 GPA while being a key starter or reserve on their athletic team. A total of 58 nominations were made for the 2022 CoSIDA Men's College Division Academic All-America Team.