Argo Athletics

UGF Wrestling Coach Schaeffer receives Bob Bubb Excellence Award

GREAT FALLS, MT (Tuesday, May 13, 2008) — University of Great Falls Athletic Director Jim Hall announced today that wrestling coach Caleb Schaeffer has been awarded the Bob Bubb Coaching Excellence Award for 2007-08 by the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA)/NAIA.

Schaeffer was selected for the award based upon the Argonaut program’s outstanding accomplishments in the classroom and on the mat this past season. The Argos were the #1 ranked wrestling program in the NAIA in terms of Team GPA in 2007-08 and finished 4th at the NAIA National Championships in March. They also finished 2nd at the NAIA National Dual meet held in January. Additionally, the program produced 6 NAIA All-Americans this season.

“As any coach will tell you, recognition by one’s peers is the highest form of compliment that can be bestowed upon a coach” noted Hall. “The wrestling coaches of the NAIA have seen the balanced excellence of the wrestling program here at the University of Great Falls under Coach Schaeffer’s leadership. This award is a tremendous honor for Caleb and recognition of his program’s outstanding accomplishments this year.”

Coach Schaeffer modestly deflected the credit to his wrestlers. “They are the ones that do all the work” he stated. “They work hard on the mat and I think they take that same level of intensity and concentration into the classroom. This award is directly related to the kind of student athlete we recruit to the University of Great Falls. They know they are here to accomplish two things; get their degree and win championships, in that order!”

“I am very pleased with the manner in which Caleb is conducting our wrestling program” noted Hall. “He does a terrific job and I am convinced that we have the best wrestling coach in the country right here at the University of Great Falls.”

By: Kevin Scott

University of Great Falls named as the number one team in the nation for Academics; Seven Argo wrestlers were named to the NWCA/NAIA All-Academic Team

GREAT FALLS, MT (Tuesday, May 13, 2008) — The National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA)/NAIA has announced the 2007-08 NWCA/NAIA All-Academic Team and individual award winners. The announcement includes the All-Academic Team made up of 32 individual wrestlers from within the NAIA.

Heading the Team GPA Ranking was the University of Great Falls wrestling program. This year’s #1 national ranking marks the first time the program has reached the top position. The #1 ranking follows a steady climb up the rankings from 6th in 2006 and 4th in 2007. The NWCA only ranks the top 10 teams in each division annually.

“I am very proud of our team being recognized for their academic achievements. It truly shows the quality of students athletes we our recruiting to our university as they excel both on and off the mat,” said UGF head wrestling coach Caleb Schaeffer. Schaeffer went on to praise the university faculty, “This award would never have been possible if not for our faculty. They do a tremendous job of teaching our students and going the extra mile to help them be successful.”

Athletic Director Jim Hall praised the team’s accomplishment. “This is a tremendous accolade for our wrestling program and university” stated Hall. “This academic achievement is the highest honor our team can achieve. Our student athletes have worked diligently toward earning their degrees with excellence and this accomplishment is deserving of our utmost acknowledgement, praise, and celebration.”

In addition to the team rankings, the NWCA also released the list of individual wrestlers making its All-Academic Team. The University of Great Falls again led all schools as 7 Argonaut wrestlers were named among the 32 honorees. Six of the seven Argos (Wayne French, Brendon DeCock, Mike Kummer, Alex Calvi, Forest Bouge, and Brad Fraser) on the list were NAIA All-Americans on the mat as well.

Leading the way for the Argonauts was NAIA National Champion a 184 lbs. Mike Kummer (Reno, NV) with a 3.31 GPA. He was the only NAIA national champion to be included on the All-Academic Team. Also earning honors for the Argos were Brendon DeCock (Huntley, MT) with a 3.40, Malta, MT natives Wayne French and Michael French with a 3.088 and 3.79 respectively, Brad Fraser (Spokane, WA) with a 3.23, Forrest Bouge (Elko, NV) with a 3.03 and Cut Bank, MT native Alex Calvi with a GPA of 3.59.

Hall stated, “Today is a great day for our University as we celebrate the academic achievements of an outstanding group of our students. These awards and accolades are testament to our university’s commitment to educating the whole student. Our wrestling program, under Coach Schaeffer’s leadership, exemplifies everything college athletics is supposed to be about; excellence in the classroom first, then success in competition.” 

Click here to view the article and the full listing of the NWCA/NAIA All-Academic Individual and Team award winners.

SOURCE: InterMat Wrestling: http://www.intermatwrestle.com

By: Kevin Scott

Washington point guard added to Argos hoop team

GREAT FALLS, MT (Monday, May 12, 2008) — The University of Great Falls men’s basketball team has announced the signing of a student athlete from Quincy, Washington to an NAIA/Frontier Conference Letter of Intent for the 2008-2009 season.

Landen Lang is a point guard from Ephrata High School in Quincy, Washington. He averaged 6.0 points and 4.5 assists per game this past season on his high school team. He was a member of the 2008 Washington Class 2A State Championship Team at Ephrata High School and helped lead his team to a 25-2 overall record.

"Landen will be a great addition to our program because of his ability at the point guard position to run an efficient offense and knock down shots," said UGF men's basketball coach Steve Silsby.

By: Kevin Scott

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