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SOU wrestler Huntley honored By Rich Rosenthal For The Tidings Southern Oregon University NAIA champion wrestler Christopher Huntley today added a prestigious academic honor to his long list of collegiate accomplishments. Huntley, who received a bachelor's degree in business earlier this month, is one of only 45 student-athletes from NCAA Div. II, III and NAIA-affiliated institutions to receive the Verizon Academic All-America honors. The Coquille native was one of four wrestlers in an at-large category that also included swimming, ice hockey, crew, tennis, golf, skiing and fencing. The award winners accumulated grade point averages of at least 3.5 on a 4.0 scale, held at least a sophomore academic standing, and were stellar performers in their respective sports. Huntley, a two-time NAIA 165-pound All-American and the program's first two-time NAIA Scholar-Athlete award winner, joins former Raider offensive lineman Ian Reid (1997) as the only Raider student-athletes ever to garner the rare academic kudo. "This is a great honor for Chris and for our program," Raider wrestling coach Mike Ritchey said. "Chris was a pleasure to coach, and he is headed for a very successful professional career." The four-year national meet qualifier claimed the 2003 NAIA 165-pound weight class championship and became the school's 20th individual titleist by defeating Johnny Galloway of Lindenwood, Mo., 5-4 in the finals last March in Great Falls, Mont. The victory also allowed Huntley to finish the season with a school record-tying 16-bout win streak. Huntley, who placed third nationally in 2002, finished among the program's all-time leaders with 85 career victories. LINKS: DAILY TIDINGS: Main | News | Sports | Obituaries | Opinion | Columnists | AP News | Subscribe | Archives | Weather | Classifieds | Contact Us | Privacy REVELS: Main | Calendar | Dining | Movies | T.V. OTHER: Road Cams Copyright 2003 Ashland Daily Tidings 541.482.3456. 1661 Siskiyou Blvd., Ashland, OR 97520. Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. - Advertisers -