Kimbrell Named Pac-10 Wrestling Scholar-Athlete of the Year

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. ? Academic honors continue to roll in for senior wrestler Thomas Kimbrell, who was named the 2009 Pacific-10 Conference Wrestling Scholar-Athlete of the Year, as presented by Toyo Tires?. The award, granted to one student-athlete in each of the Pac-10's 22 sponsored sports, was established to honor collegiate student-athletes who are standouts both academically and athletically.

In order to be eligible for the Pac-10 Scholar-Athlete of the Year award, student-athletes must be a senior in athletics eligibility who is on track to receive a degree, have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher, participate in at least 50% of the scheduled contests in their sport and have a minimum of one year in residence at their institution. Winners are selected by a committee of Pac-10 staff members and receive a commemorative award. In addition, Toyo? donates $1,000 to the scholarship funds of the institution's athletic department of each winner in recognition of their accomplishments.

Kimbrell, a political science major who graduated this spring with a 3.73 GPA, had his most successful season on the mat, placing fifth at the Pac-10 Championships and earning a bid to the NCAA National Championships before finishing the year with a 26-14 record. He was a 2009 first team Pac-10 all-academic selection, his third straight after being named to the second team his freshman year, and was also named to the National Wrestling Coaches Association all-academic team for a second consecutive year.

Kimbrell's effort in the classroom led to academic honors at CSUB, including the 2009 Thomas Watts Peace Foundation Award in Political Science and History, the 2008 President's Award for Best Research Paper, the McNair Scholarship, acceptance into McNair Scholars Program for PhD candidates, second place in the 2008 university-wide student research competition and induction into the Alpha Chi Honors Society in 2007.

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Players Mentioned

Thomas Kimbrell: 133; 5' 8"; Senior

Players Mentioned

Thomas Kimbrell
: 5' 8"; Senior
: 133