PEM Bulldog Wrestling Team makes school history with state academic title

The PEM Bulldog Wrestling team showed that they have skills both on the mat and in the classroom by winning the Team State Academic Title this past week. The award is given to the team with the top Grade Point Average based on the top ten highest GPAs off their roster. The Bulldogs team GPA of 3.86 was the very top out of 200 other wrestling programs in the state. Finishing in second place was Hastings with a team average of 3.82; Wabasso/Red Rock Central was 3rd with an average GPA of 3.80. Members of the Bulldogs top 10 GPA team include Keegan Brighton, Chase DeFrang, Reed DeFrang, Jacob Johnson, Nick Miller, Austin Rother, Bradley Schultz, Brenton Ring, Brady Norton, Brady Walter, and Logan Lammers. 4 members of the team boosted a prefect 4.0. They were Chase DeFrang, Nick Miller, Austin Rother, and Bradley Schultz. The Bulldogs have finished in the top five for this award the past four years. The team banner was given to Coach Matiash at Excel Energy Center during the state wrestling tournament this past weekend. Coach Matiash commented, “It is great for our program to win this award. I don’t think people realize that many of our best wrestlers are also great students. We work hard as a program on character building and being successful on the mat, in the classroom, and in life. It is really nice to see these hard working student athletes get the credit they deserve.” It’s the first time in school history that this has been achieved.